Kingsport, Tenn., April 30, 2012 Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) was one of 19 American Chemistry Council (ACC) members honored today at the annual ACC Responsible CareĀ® Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. for implementing energy-efficiency improvements in 2011. Eastman received eight of the 67 awards presented for outstanding projects, including one of the 16 Exceptional Merit awards. This marks the 19th consecutive year Eastman has earned energy efficiency awards from ACC.
Eastman is honored to be recognized again by ACC for our efforts in achieving energy efficiencies in our operations, said Jim Rogers, Chairman and CEO. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency is a key part of our vision of being a sustainable chemical company.
Combined, Eastmans winning projects save over 737,000 MMBTUs and 337,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Thats enough energy to power 16,000 homes and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from over 60,000 cars!
These eight winning projects exhibit innovative examples of control strategy modifications, trials with new types of equipment, creative process redesign and operational changes, said Sharon Nolen, Corporate Energy Program Manager. Each success confirms our commitment to saving energy and continuous improvement in energy management.
Eastman received an Exceptional Merit award for the restructure of its energy program to a corporate-wide program with broad participation and executive level support, and an emphasis on corporate initiatives, designated funding, ENERGY STARĀ® resources, and employee awareness and engagement in energy conservation. The company was named a 2012 ENERGY STARĀ® Partner of the Year for its enhanced energy management program and commitment to continuous improvements in energy efficiency.
Seven of Eastmans awards were for Significant Improvement in Manufacturing.
Eastmans Longview, Texas site received an award for the following project:
Fuel reduction in cracking furnaces - To reduce fuel usage in cracking furnaces without affecting plant reliability or production, better control over excess air in the furnaces was implemented. Measures taken included extensive maintenance on the burners, installation of sample points for manual readings, repair of broken draft controls and elimination of tramp air. This project resulted in annual energy savings of 213,662 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 12,392 tons.
Eastmans Kingsport, Tennessee site received awards for these projects:
Energy minimization in acetic acid refining To reduce energy consumption by a refining system that removes impurities from acetic acid, a two-phase effort involving control strategy modifications and heat integration was implemented. This resulted in annual energy savings of 40,900 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 4,300 tons.
Energy reduction through leak repair in compressed air piping network A leak survey identified, tagged and quantified leaks from an extensive network of piping that provides compressed air to many manufacturing divisions. The amount of the leak was converted into energy used to compress the air lost to the leaks and the amount of coal burned to generate electricity to run the compressors. This project resulted in annual energy savings of 43,000 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 4515 tons.
Reactor heat recovery A partial condenser was added to recover heat from the vapor leaving a reactor to preheat the liquid feed to the reactor, providing a significant improvement in energy efficiency as well as increased capacity. This project resulted in annual energy savings of 45,280 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 4754 tons.
Optimization of stabilization water temperature - Lowering the temperature target of stabilization water by 20 degrees in a cellulose acetate manufacturing process resulted in a 15-psig steam usage reduction, resulting in an annual energy savings of 32,000 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 3360 tons.
Improved energy efficiency of dewatering operations - Installation of a crossover shaker for a dewatering operation in a cellulose acetate manufacturing process that improved utilization and energy efficiency by deactivating two dryers and repositioning a dryer for higher utilization. This enhancement resulted in an annual energy savings of 29,454 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 3090 tons.
Distillation column removal To optimize a new distillation columns performance, steam flow to the reboiler had to be run at its maximum metering rate at all times to meet all environmental specifications, resulting in an unacceptable energy usage of 79,500 MMBTU annually. A new process flow scheme for handling the organic recovery from wastewater and side product impurities was introduced. This process met all specifications while providing significant energy reduction to the production area to eliminate the energy intensive column. This project resulted in an annual energy savings of 79,500 MMBTU and an annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 8348 tons.
About Eastman
Eastmans chemicals, fibers and plastics are used as key ingredients in products that people use every day. Approximately 10,000 Eastman employees around the world blend technical expertise and innovation to deliver practical solutions. The company is committed to finding sustainable business opportunities within the diverse markets and geographies it serves. A global company headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA, Eastman had 2011 sales of $7.2 billion. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.
About the American Chemistry Council (ACC)
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible CareĀ®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $720 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is one of the nations largest exporters, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nations critical infrastructure.
http://www.americanchemistry.com