Integrated energy audit in a small meat-drying enterprise in Cambodia | |
| Author | Chheng, Veng Ngov |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ET-13-09 |
| Subject(s) | Energy auditing--Cambodia Small business--Cambodia |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Energy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Small-scale meat drying enterprise is one of the fast-growing enterprises in Cambodia since 2006. Energy use in this enterprise is intensive and as energy prices (electricity and LPG) are already expensive, and so these pose critical challenges. This study selected a small meat¬-drying enterprise (producing flossy meat, grilled meat, dried meat and Chinese sausages) in Phnom Penh to examine energy use options to save energy and the financial viability of those options. The specific energy consumption in 2012 of that enterprise was 9.78 MJ/kg, which is high compared to other food processing, but it can be reduced to 9.15 MJ/kg (9% reduction) at no or low investment costs if energy conservation measures are introduced in the enterprise. The study identified significant energy users (SEUs) in the enterprise and then determined the performance and areas for improvement from these SEUs. Observations, interview, discussion and analysis enabled the identification of 9 easy-to-implement energy conservation opportunities (ECOs) in process heating drying, space cooling, lighting and operational practices. Electricity consumption of lighting can be reduced by about 33%, 10% for comfort cooling and 5% for energy awareness and motivation. Implementation of these options would help save about 3,225 kWh of electricity per year (which amounts to US$ 690/year. Also, drying time can be shortened for meat drying under the tunnel greenhouse dryer if a solar air heater is installed. Total investment costs of all the options would be less than U$ 5000. While most of the energy conservation opportunities (ECOs) found on the process side require no or very low investments, some of these measures (solar air heaters) have longer payback periods exceeding 3 years. The study concluded that developing the ECOs based on the integrated energy audit approach results in the enterprise’s overall system optimization with minimum investment. Energy improvement can be expected only under good operational and management conditions which are found to be still weak in the audited enterprise. Similar enterprises may also find this approach useful in order to reduce energy consumption in process heating and drying, space cooling and lighting. |
| Year | 2013 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kumar, Sivanappan; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Mohanty, Brahmanand;Salam, Abdul P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Scholarship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2013 |