CEM Exam Formula Guide – Maintenance & Commissioning (Numerical)
🔹 Compressed Air Leak Loss
📘 What It Means:
Estimates how much energy (in kWh) is lost through a leak in a compressed air line running
continuously.
🛠 When to Use:
Use this when you’re given orifice size, pressure, and operating hours. Table gives kWh loss
per orifice.
📐 Full Universal Formula:
Annual Cost ($) = Annual Energy Loss (kWh/year from table) × Rate per kWh ($/kWh)
🔍 Example:
6 mm hole at 7 bar = 72,700 kWh/year. Rate = $0.10/kWh
Cost = 72,700 × 0.10 = $7,270/year
🔹 Uninsulated Steam Pipe Heat Loss
📘 What It Means:
Calculates annual energy loss from a bare (uninsulated) steam pipe and converts to
operating cost.
🛠 When to Use:
Use when given pipe size, pressure, length, boiler efficiency, fuel rate, and operating
fraction.
📐 Full Universal Formula:
Annual Cost = (Pipe Length ÷ 30.5) × (GJ Loss per 30.5 m from table) × (1 ÷ Boiler
Efficiency) × $/GJ × Operating Fraction
🔍 Example:
Pipe = 61 m, Table value = 896.8 GJ/30.5m, Efficiency = 80%, $5/GJ, Used 9/12 months
= (61 ÷ 30.5) × 896.8 × 1.25 × 5 × 0.75 = $8,407.50/year
🔹 Steam Trap Leak Loss
📘 What It Means:
Estimates annual energy and cost loss from leaking steam trap or hole at known pressure.
🛠 When to Use:
Use table value for GJ/year at known pressure and orifice size. Adjust for boiler efficiency
and fuel cost.
📐 Full Universal Formula:
Annual Cost = GJ/year (from table) × (1 ÷ Boiler Efficiency) × $/GJ
🔍 Example:
Leak at 6.9 bar = 1,367 GJ/year, Efficiency = 0.8, Cost = $10/GJ
Cost = 1,367 × 1.25 × 10 = $17,088/year
🔹 Boiler Scale Loss Savings
📘 What It Means:
Calculates energy savings from cleaning scale buildup that increases boiler fuel use.
🛠 When to Use:
When given annual boiler GJ use and percentage loss before/after cleaning.
📐 Full Universal Formula:
Annual Savings = Total GJ/year × (Loss % Before – Loss % After) × $/GJ
🔍 Example:
30,000 GJ/year, scale dropped from 3% to 1%, Cost = $5/GJ
= 30,000 × 0.02 × 5 = $3,000/year
🔹 Group Relamping Interval
📘 What It Means:
Determines the optimal replacement cycle for all lamps together (group relamping).
🛠 When to Use:
Use when given lamp life, relamping percentage threshold, and annual operating hours.
📐 Full Universal Formula:
Interval (years) = (Rated Life × % of Life Used) ÷ Annual Operating Hours
🔍 Example:
Life = 20,000 hrs, Replace at 70%, Usage = 3,000 hrs/year
Interval = (20,000 × 0.7) ÷ 3,000 = 4.67 years