Industrial Energy Use and Improvement Potential

TLDR: In this article, the authors examined energy demand within UK industry and assessed the improvement potential available through efficiency measures such as low temperature recovery, heat-to-power technology, and transport of heat.

Abstract: This thesis aims to examine energy demand within UK industry and assess the improvement potential available through efficiency measures. The techniques employed throughout the work have been mainly engineering based, drawing on thermodynamics. Alongside this approach, an assessment of drivers and barriers to the technical potential was undertaken. Data availability was a key challenge in the current work. The variety in energy uses meant the use of publically available datasets was limited. A database was constructed utilising site level emissions data, and employed a subsector disaggregation that facilitated energy analysis. The database was used for an analysis of waste heat recovery options. Opportunities were identified in low temperature recovery, heat-to-power technology, and the transport of heat. Each of these options would require further research and support to be fully realised. It was found that splitting the industrial sector into an energy-intensive and nonenergy-intensive subsector, where the grouping was based on the drivers to energy efficiency, allowed generalisations to be made regarding future improvement potential. Based on analysis of past trends, it was found that the energy-intensive subsector has limited potential for further efficiency gains through currently used processes. To make significant improvements radical changes in current processes will be required. A study of the energy-intensive Cement subsector concurred with these findings. Future efficiency improvements in this subsector are likely limited without a shift to alternative cement production. The non-energy-intensive subsector was thought to have relatively greater improvement potential through existing processes. The analysis of these processes is limited by lack of data however. An analysis of the non-energy-intensive Food and drink subsector therefore focussed on improvements in supplying low temperature heat, rather than the efficiency of specific processes. Opportunities through improving steam systems, increasing combined heat-and-power use, and the adoption of heat pumps were found to offer similar improvement potentials.