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Advanced Strategies for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Thermal Processes

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 9187

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Muriel Iten

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Guest Editor

1. Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
2. Life Cycle Analysis of Welded Industrial Products and Components Center, 2740 Porto Salvo, Portugal
3. COMEGI- Organizations, Markets and Industrial Management Center, 1349 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: thermal processes; decarbonisation; energy efficiency; waste heat recovery; thermal energy storage; process integration; thermal energy management; renewable energy integration; modelling and simulation; optimization of thermal processes

Dr. Pedro L. Cruz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
2. Life Cycle Analysis of Welded Industrial Products and Components Center, 2740 Porto Salvo, Portugal
Interests: modelling and simulation; renewable energy systems; energy management; waste heat/cold industrial symbiosis; hydrogen; alternative fuels

Dr. Germilly Barreto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
2. Life Cycle Analysis of Welded Industrial Products and Components Center, 2740 Porto Salvo, Portugal
Interests: : modelling and simulation; solar energy; thermal energy storage, heat pumps; green hydrogen; Stirling engine

Mr. Miguel C. Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant

1. Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
2. Life Cycle Analysis of Welded Industrial Products and Components Center, 2740 Porto Salvo, Portugal
Interests: energy efficiency; waste heat recovery; numerical modelling; energy system optimisation; process integration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the International Energy Agency, the industrial sector is responsible for 29% of the global energy consumption [1], corresponding to approximately 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-28 [2]. A significant part of the industrial energy demand is related to thermal processes, which leads to a considerable amount of heat waste. In this sense, there is a relevant potential to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in the industrial heat production and consumption, for which different strategies may be addressed to decarbonize the thermal processes. With the prospect of improving the energy efficiency of industrial thermal processes, several sets of advanced strategies have been identified, namely waste heat recovery strategies, process integration, and energy management, among others. Numerous solutions have been proposed to decarbonize thermal processes, such as the use of renewable energy sources for direct use (e.g., solar thermal systems) in industrial processes or coupled with thermal energy storage systems to overtake intermittency issues. Decarbonization can also be achieved by creating energy synergies between industrial districts and/or the adjacent urban areas, however, existing literature on industrial synergies is mainly focused on material flows, while the energy theme is frequently ancillary. The aim of this Special Issue is to compile advanced strategies to improve performance while reducing energy cost and carbon emission of industrial thermal processes. Authors are encouraged to present innovative research and practices on the above topics in (though not limited to) the following main fields: waste heat recovery strategies, thermal storage technologies in industrial processes, heat and process integration networks, waste heat/cold symbiosis between industries and processes, integration of renewable energy sources into industrial thermal processes, optimization of existing equipment, new efficient technologies, energy management and conservation of energy consumption, and modelling and simulation techniques for energy efficiency improvement. It is a pleasure for us to invite you to participate in this Special Issue. Full papers, short communications and reviews are welcome.

[1] International Energy Agency. World Energy Balances 2019.

[2] European Environment Agency. National emissions reported to the UNFCCC and to the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism. 2019.

Dr. Muriel Iten
Dr. Pedro L. Cruz
Dr. Germilly Barreto
Guest Editors

Mr. Miguel C. Oliveira
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

thermal processes
decarbonisation
energy efficiency
waste heat recovery
thermal energy storage
process integration
thermal energy management
renewable energy integration
modelling and simulation
optimization of thermal processes

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Assessment of an Air-Multiple PCM Active Storage Unit for Free Cooling Application

by Muriel Iten

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 12936; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132312936 - 23 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1423

Abstract

A latent energy storage (LES) unit is presented in this paper for free space cooling and ventilation application. The unit includes multiple phase change materials (PCM) to advance the thermal performance of common LES units. It is composed by metallic rectangular panels containing commercial paraffins with melting temperatures ranging among 20 °C and 25 °C and surrounded by air channels. The average cooling load of the unit corresponds to approximately 1 kW over 8 h. It fulfils the peak ventilation cooling load during summer of an office building in Portugal. The study provides a techno-economic analysis and the environmental benefits of the LES technology compared to a traditional air conditioning (AC) unit for the cooling and ventilation of an office building. During daytime, the air-multiple PCM unit allows reducing the energy consumption by nearly 200 kWh. The full charging of the PMs during nighttime, requires significant energy consumption due to the high air flowrate demand for full solidification. The competitiveness of such units can be achieved by introducing fins into the panels, allowing double the energy savings. In an overall perspective, the unit presents several benefits such as lower initial cost and reduced maintenance requirements (non-use of refrigerants and batteries) that also allows better personal health issues when related to traditional ACs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Strategies for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Thermal Processes)

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Review

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24 pages, 2422 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review on Water and Energy Integration in Process Industry: Water-Heat Nexus

by Miguel Castro Oliveira, Muriel Iten and Henrique A. Matos

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7954; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14137954 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3427

Abstract

The improvement of water and energy use is an important concern in the scope of improving the overall performance of industrial process plants. The investment in energy efficiency comprehended by the most recent sustainability policies may prove to be an effective response to the fall of energy intensity rates associated with the economic crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The improvement in water efficiency may also prove to be a potential approach due to its interdependencies to energy use, whose exploitation comprises part of the study of the water-energy nexus. Waste heat recovery and water reclamation practices have been exploited to improve water and energy efficiency. A specific method designated “Combined Water and Energy Integration” has been applied to water recycling as both an additional water source and a heat recovery source in a set of water-using processes. In scientific and industrial domains, there is still a need for integrated approaches of water-using and combustion-based processes for overall water and energy efficiency improvements in industrial plants. In this work, an innovative approach for a simultaneous improvement of water and energy use is proposed based on process integration and system retrofitting principles. This proposal is based on the delineation of two innovative concepts: Water and Energy Integration Systems (WEIS) and Water-Heat Nexus (WHN). A review on existing technologies for waste heat recovery, thermal energy storage and heat-driven wastewater treatment is performed, following a conceptualisation design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Strategies for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Thermal Processes)

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17 pages, 2942 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Thermochemical Technologies for Water and Energy Integration Systems: Energy Storage and Recovery

by Miguel Castro Oliveira, Muriel Iten and Henrique A. Matos

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7506; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14127506 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2760

Abstract

Thermochemical technologies (TCT) enable the promotion of the sustainability and the operation of energy systems, as well as in industrial sites. The thermochemical operations can be applied for energy storage and energy recovery (alternative fuel production from water/wastewater, in particular green hydrogen). TCTs are proven to have a higher energy density and long-term storage compared to standard thermal storage technologies (sensible and latent). Nonetheless, these require further research on their development for the increasing of the technology readiness level (TRL). Since TCTs operate with the same input/outputs streams as other thermal storages (for instance, wastewater and waste heat streams), these may be conceptually analyzed in terms of the integration in Water and Energy Integration System (WEIS). This work is set to review the techno-economic and environmental aspects related to thermochemical energy storage (sorption and reaction-based) and wastewater-to-energy (particular focus on thermochemical water splitting technology), aiming also to assess their potential into WEIS. The exploited technologies are, in general, proved to be suitable to be installed within the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of TCES technologies, these are proven to be significantly more potential analogues to standard TES technologies on the scope of the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of energy recovery technologies, although a conceptualization of a pathway to produce usable heat with an input of wastewater, further study has to be performed to fully understand the use of additional fuel in combustion-based processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Strategies for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Thermal Processes)

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