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Future energy supply of the chemical industry
Design the energy transition of the chemical industry. Rethink and optimize the energy system and develop the required technologies. Think holistically and consider thermodynamic, economics, and ecology.
Keywords: energy system optimization; process design; heat pumps; waste heat recovery; renewable energy; thermal storage; electricity market
Traditionally, production facilities in chemical parks are supplied with energy by saturated steam at various pressure levels. The steam is usually generated by burning fossil fuels in central plants. The worldwide effort to reduce CO2-emissions changes the situation completely. The transition to renewables energy sources, such as wind power, photovoltaics, or hydropower, leads to an even stronger focus on electricity also for heat generation. This forces the significance of high efficient Power-to-Heat processes. In addition to these processes, thermal storages become more important. Thermal storages serve for compensating the usual fluctuations in the energy supply of renewable energy sources and allow the industry to adjust cleverly to the electricity market.
Even if we just look at the centralized steam generation, we have many degrees of freedom in realizing the energy transition in the chemical industry. There are various technologies for the conversion of electricity into heat, as well as for storage (electrical or thermal). These technologies have different properties (efficiencies, media, dynamic behavior, etc.) but also different requirements (investment costs, integration into the overall system, etc.). Currently, it is still unclear which technologies or combinations of them are most promising to replace the fossil-based steam generation. Moreover, these technologies partly have a low Technological-Readiness-Level (TRL) complicating the assessment of their future potential.
If we zoom out again and look at the entire energy system chemical park, there are many more opportunities or starting points for transition:
- decentralized waste heat recovery,
- the building of own facilities for power generation,
- participating the electricity regular market.
This list ends with totally rethinking the established concept of energy supply using steam.
In summary, the project has two levels, modeling and optimizing the energy system chemical park (system level) and developing the required technologies (process level).
Derived from this entire project, we can offer you several topics for your Bachelor or Master thesis or your semester project. Whatever suits you best: the topics can be more on the system level or more on the process level. Generally, we consider aspects of thermodynamics, economics, and ecology.
If you are interested, please get in touch with us.
Traditionally, production facilities in chemical parks are supplied with energy by saturated steam at various pressure levels. The steam is usually generated by burning fossil fuels in central plants. The worldwide effort to reduce CO2-emissions changes the situation completely. The transition to renewables energy sources, such as wind power, photovoltaics, or hydropower, leads to an even stronger focus on electricity also for heat generation. This forces the significance of high efficient Power-to-Heat processes. In addition to these processes, thermal storages become more important. Thermal storages serve for compensating the usual fluctuations in the energy supply of renewable energy sources and allow the industry to adjust cleverly to the electricity market.
Even if we just look at the centralized steam generation, we have many degrees of freedom in realizing the energy transition in the chemical industry. There are various technologies for the conversion of electricity into heat, as well as for storage (electrical or thermal). These technologies have different properties (efficiencies, media, dynamic behavior, etc.) but also different requirements (investment costs, integration into the overall system, etc.). Currently, it is still unclear which technologies or combinations of them are most promising to replace the fossil-based steam generation. Moreover, these technologies partly have a low Technological-Readiness-Level (TRL) complicating the assessment of their future potential.
If we zoom out again and look at the entire energy system chemical park, there are many more opportunities or starting points for transition:
- decentralized waste heat recovery,
- the building of own facilities for power generation,
- participating the electricity regular market.
This list ends with totally rethinking the established concept of energy supply using steam. In summary, the project has two levels, modeling and optimizing the energy system chemical park (system level) and developing the required technologies (process level).
Derived from this entire project, we can offer you several topics for your Bachelor or Master thesis or your semester project. Whatever suits you best: the topics can be more on the system level or more on the process level. Generally, we consider aspects of thermodynamics, economics, and ecology. If you are interested, please get in touch with us.