Investigation of Industrial Processes (IEA- Solar Heating and Cooling Program, Task 33)

Status

completed

Summary

The work of JOANNEUM RESEARCH - Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems focuses mainly on the contents of Subtask B. Common tasks meeting that are held regularly twice a year, build the frame of the work in Subtask B. In connection with the tasks meeting in Madrid and Kassel Industry Workshops were held in the respective country, to which solar engineers and the target group of producing industry were invited.

In the area of public relations it was collaborated on the design of the Task 33/IV folder and two industry newsletters (folder and newsletters con be found in the appendix). For external and internal communication a homepage was established.

Prior to the consideration of solar implementation, all other energetic, financial and organisational sensible possibilities for internal heat recovery should be utilized. For this reason the acquisition of all relevant mass and energy streams in a system is necessary. To gather all necessary data for energy balances in companies a template was designed to serve as a helping tool in the data acquisition and to display the current situation in a structured and clear way.

When analysing the industrial energy demand in the low temperature area specific basic process engineering unit operations reoccur that are present in many industry sectors which are therefore applicable for the use of solar energy (food industry, chemical industry, plastics, textile industry, material industry, operations with surface cleaning processes, manufacturing).

The integration of solar thermal energy in industrial processes has to happen above the pinch. The Pinch method shows in which temperature level this integration is most sensible.

In the framework of the project, the possibilities for heat-integration in an industrial brewery and a home-brewery were shown. The two discussed processes show two completely different production schemes. The heating demand also shows that there is a large quantity of energy needed for the short time preheater between 70 and 73°C (10) and for heating the water for the bottle cleaning system up to 90°C (22). For this demand no energy supply is available. It follows that this processes in bottle cleaning are very suitable for introducing solar energy. In small breweries heat exchanger systems are not easily applicable as the batch processes are only done from time to time. An installation of a solar application therefore can be highly suggested as the temperature level and time frame of the process would fit a solar use very well. Of course the energy is only needed at specific days for the production, but warm water can otherwise be used for washing or for the domestic heating system.

The matrix of indicators was designed as a planning and decision support tool for solar experts and consultants. Within the matrix all information for industry branches and processes (unit operation) that are relevant for solar process heat can be found. On the ordinate of the matrix relevant industry sectors are listed, on the abscissa the relevant processes can be found. For each process further detailed information is given and a sub matrix with sector specific information can be found.

The cooperation in the internatioinal team of the Task 33/IEA has contributed to a broad mutual knowledge exchange due to the fatc that experts are coming from different thematical areas (solar experts, energy consultants, solar companies, process engineers). The hereby created synergies could be used in an optimal wayand led to a positive result. Furthermore also target groups as solar companies, collector manufacturers and energy consultants are to some extent involved in the works of Task 33/IV.

Project management

Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Hans Schnitzer
JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Institut für Nachhaltige Techniken und Systeme - JOINTS
Elisabethstraße 16/1, A-8010 Graz
Tel: +43 (316) 876-2413
Fax: +43 (316) 876-2430
E-Mail: hans.schnitzer@joanneum.at
Internet: www.joanneum.at/nts