Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Industry: Foundry
Focus: Pump efficiency / induction-furnace cooling
Integra Automation operates a foundry in the Coimbatore region, with average monthly production reported at around 1,000 tonnes.
The induction furnace requires continuous circulation of cooling water around the furnace coil. The existing centrifugal pump used for this duty was operating at less than 60% efficiency, increasing electricity consumption for a service that is critical to furnace operation.
The plant replaced the old centrifugal pump with an energy-efficient pump fitted with an IE3 motor.
According to the project documentation, the new pump achieved an efficiency of 76.6%. The higher pump efficiency reduced the power required for the cooling-water duty and allowed the use of a lower-capacity motor.
The objective was straightforward: reduce the energy required to circulate cooling water through the induction-furnace coil while maintaining the cooling duty needed for safe furnace operation.
The BEE/UNIDO project documentation reports:
Cooling-water pumps are often treated as supporting equipment, but inefficient pumping can create a continuing energy penalty in plant operations.
In this case, improving pump and motor efficiency reduced the electrical demand of an essential furnace-cooling system without requiring a major process change.
The case also shows why plants should look beyond major production equipment when identifying energy-saving opportunities. Pumps, motors and utility systems that operate for long hours can offer meaningful savings when equipment is better matched to the actual duty.
This case study is based on publicly available information from the GEF–UNIDO–BEE programme on energy efficiency in MSME clusters. The reported performance figures are from the original project documentation.
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