It is estimated that the local manufacturing industry wastes 17 million kWh/year worth of electricity to compensate for pneumatic leakages – an inefficiency that generates 7,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. the footprint of a solar farm twice the size of the Imselliet Solar Farm in Mgarr, Malta.
The need to offset the high annual energy consumption and carbon footprint of compressed air systems, one of the goals of Malta’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, was addressed by a team of researchers working on the Project AIR SAVE, ‘Development and Analysis of an IndustRy 4.0 System to Autonomously ImproVE the Sustainability of Pneumatics’.
The AIR SAVE team, in fact, developed, produced, and tested a smart system that monitors the environmental and financial performance of pneumatic systems.
This research project advanced its Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 4 to 7, by conducting testing at both the University of Malta Labs, as well as testing in an operational industrial environment. This involved two case studies at two Maltese manufacturing sites; TOLY Products and Methode Electronics Ltd.
Within these scenarios AIR SAVE successfully characterised faults by locating and quantifying common compressed air faults, such as leaks. This was achieved through data analysis using various parametric features and the adaptation of high-performance Machine Learning (ML) algorithms.
The team also developed an optimisation and control approach aimed at improving pneumatic systems under faulty conditions. This approach provides ideal control strategies which balance both financial and environmental considerations. By managing certain compressed air parameters such as pressure and air flow, industry can maintain productivity whilst minimising energy consumption.
An event was held on Thursday 14 November 2024 at the Engineering Research and Innovation Labs, within the UM’s Msida Campus, featuring the contributing academics (Prof. Ing. Paul Refalo and Prof. Ing. Emmanuel Francalanza from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Dr Peter Xuereb from the Department of Computer ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Systems) and two Research Support Officers (RSOs), Mr Massimo Borg and Ms Jasmine Mallia. Both RSOs have chosen to pursue their studies at doctoral level, related to the smart and sustainable systems developed through the project.
Additionally, the project sponsored a scholarship for a Masters by Research student, Mr Jurgen Aquilina, from the Department of Computer ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Systems, who also presented his contributions during the event. In total, this research supported eight Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) students in their final year projects, three Masters by Research and two PhD students at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Malta.
The findings of the research project are presented in 10 peer-reviewed papers which were published in open-access journals and conference proceedings. A PCT patent application covering the developed system ‘Improvements in or relating to the sustainability of pressurised fluid systems’ was also filed.
Prof Ing. Paul Refalo, AIR SAVE principal investigator and associate professor at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Malta, referred to the project’s success in developing a system which addresses Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and a sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) and SDG 12, (Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns).
UM’s Pro-Rector for Strategic Planning & Sustainability, Prof. Valerie Sollars , spoke about UM’s drive towards sustainability in its Programmes of Studies, research, and operations on campus. Also in attendance was Ing. Alex Tanti, a Policy Consultant at the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour, who spoke about the government's ambitions and policies related to energy efficiency and renewable energy in Malta.
Ms Ylenia Grech Mifsud, Chief Operations Officer of AIM Enterprises, the industrial partner in this project, emphasised the importance of industry-academia collaboration and how the company now intends to take the developed system to the market.
Other speakers included Dr Christian Bonnici, Director of the Research Support ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Directorate at UM, InÄ¡. Charles Buttigieg, Chief Policy Officer at The Energy and Water Agency and Dr Alessandra Loria, Executive (R&I Programmes) at Xjenza Malta.
The project was funded by the ‘R&I Fusion - Technology Development Programme’ of Xjenza Malta.
Follow the latest updates about the project on the and .
