VESMA.COM training and conferences

Pick whichever you want from a series of continuing professional development sessions. Each is priced at £65 plus VAT and counts for 2 hours CPD contact. Topics are:

• Motors & Drives
• Chillers & refrigeration
• Boilers & combustion
• Steam
• Flow metering
• Compressed air
• Building insulation
• Auto controls
• Electricity submetering

Designed for energy professionals with a basic appreciation of the topics being covered, these sessions should extend and reinforce your knowledge, and bring you up to date with current thinking and developments so that you are better equipped to identify energy-saving opportunities and recommend improvements.

You can book at any point in the series, but please allow at least a week before the first session you wish to attend.

Session recordings will be available to allow participants to review the sessions they attended, and handouts will be available to download.

Motors and drives

Dave Covell

This module will review the importance of electric motors and their efficiency in a wide range of applications. It will cover motor selection and sizing and how they should be procured, as well as their utilisation.We will review current motor efficiency standards to understand the penalties for using oversized motors, the pros and cons of rewinding rather than replacing motors, and the benefits of having a motor management strategy.We will also discuss how different manual and automatic controls combined with energy-conscious behaviour can reduce the amount of energy delivered, including why speed reduction can be disproportionately beneficial in some applications and how it is implemented.Although mainly focused on three-phase induction motors, the session will also introduce electronically-commutated motors and outline the circumstances where they are likely to yield energy savings and operational advantages.

CPD: 2 hours

Chillers and refrigeration

Dave Covell

Cooling applications—whether for refrigeration or air conditioning—are prone to energy waste through incorrect operation and maintenance,The instructor will discuss methods of minimising cooling loads in different situations and examine the ways that chiller plant can be operated and maintained to minimise losses and maximise efficiency. He will review the operating principles of vapour-compression machines. He will explain the key measurements that can be taken during site surveys and how they are analysed to establish prevailing performance levels, track subsequent improvements, and trigger proactive maintenance interventions.With the current interest in decarbonising heat supply, the session will also consider the use of refrigeration equipment as heat pumps, introducing some recent technical advances and new products.

CPD: 2 hours

Boilers and combustion

Nick Osmaston

This session will focus on the management of hot water boilers (steam being covered in a separate session) although the principles of combustion optimisation are far more widely applicable. The presentation will assume that steps have been taken to minimise heating-system demand and is only concerned with the minimisation of avoidable losses in the boiler room, thus maximising plant efficiency.The presenter will explain the implications of oversized boiler installations, describe how to establish when this is the case, and explain how sequencing control and other measures can be used to minimise the resultant losses. On combustion he will show how diligent maintenance (including cleaning and the optimisation of air:fuel ratio) will keep avoidable heat loss to a minimum.

In all, Nick will identify his “top ten” opportunities for improving boiler operation and reducing energy use, some of which are rarely considered but which are in some installations enormously significant. This will include an explanation of condensing boilers and boiler economisers and discuss the measures necessary to ensure that they work as intended.The presentation will close with a case study of the works completed over a number of years on the boiler installation of a College of FE.

CPD: 2 hours

Steam systems

Dave Covell

Many large commercial organisations (e.g. hospitals, university campuses) as well as industrial processing sites use steam. Steam is a very versatile medium but due to its inherent high temperatures can also have large inefficiencies if not proactively managed. This session will provide an overview of the key components in a steam system, including understanding air venting, the different types of steam trap, insulation and the benefits of recovering flash steam and utilising condensate.The instructor will consider what measures can be taken to improve efficiency, including flash steam recovery

CPD: 2 hours

Flow metering

Wes Allen & Jonathan Humphrey

Whether for gas, compressed air, steam, water, oil, heat or process fluids, flow measurement is a key element of energy management but not always well understood. In this session we will look at the different types of flow-sensing element in terms of their accuracy, relative cost, and technical limitations.The instructor will explain which flow-measurement technologies are appropriate for which applications, highlighting any special installation requirements.

CPD: 2 hours

Compressed air

Nick Osmaston

Compressed-air is, by a significant margin, the most expensive energy source in general use, costing at least 20 times as much as electricity on a kWh for kWh basis. Despite this, on the majority of sites systems receive much less attention than they deserve. Similarly, there are invariably significant opportunities for reducing electricity use in generation, and whilst the detrimental effects of leaks are well known, the operation of the compressors themselves rarely receives much attention. The result of this is that it is invariably sub-optimal, resulting in significant wastage. As well as looking at treatment, distribution and end use, this seminar will therefore break new ground in looking in detail at the operation of compressors and how modifications to their operating regimes may significantly reduce electricity demand. It will include case-studies which illustrate how substantial savings may readily be achieved: thousands of pounds a year at no cost on a 37 kW compressor, and tens of thousands on a 150 kW machine with relatively little investment. Reductions in maintenance costs are an added bonus. The seminar will also consider how monitoring and targeting may be employed to ensure that savings are maintained.

CPD: 2 hours

Building insulation

Richard Holmes

CPD: 2 hours

Automatic controls in buildings

Bryan O’Regan

Misuse or absence of automatic controls is a major cause of avoidable energy waste and one of the most cost-effective steps that can be taken to reduce consumption is to ensure that automatic control of building services plant is operating correctly, or at all. In most cases, there will also be scope to increase savings by further enhancing control strategies.This session will examine the types of control that buildings typically require, including not just zone-by-zone time and temperature control but the use of occupancy detection in the control of heating and ventilation and CO2 controlled ventilation. We will look at energy efficient humidity control and plant-room functions such as frost-protection regimes and boiler sequencing, modulation and anticycling controls. The session will look at the common causes of control failure and the steps that can be taken to detect, remedy and prevent them and the importance of good design, commissioning, operation and maintenance in preventing control failure.

CPD: 2 hours

Electricity submetering

Tim Hooper

Electricity submetering can provide rich information about the performance of equipment and the behaviour of occupants and users, especially if complemented by automatic data gathering. The instructor will introduce the available metering technologies and current standards, describe common installation pitfalls, and provide guidance on specifying meters and data-collection infrastructure.

CPD: 2 hours