scholarly journals Modelling of A Solar Thermal Energy System For Energy Efficiency Improvement In A Ceramic Plant

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Miguel Castro Oliveira ◽  
Muriel Iten

The thermal energy use in the manufacturing plants is the most representative parcel of the total energy consumption within the European industry. Such is mainly attributed to the operation of high energy intensive thermal processes such as furnaces and boilers. The implementation of heat recovery technologies is a solution with a great potential to improve the operation of these processes and improve the overall energy efficiency in a plant. On the other hand, the use of renewable energy resources such as solar energy is highly relevant measure to decrease the use of fossil fuels, such as natural gas. This paper presents the modelling of a solar thermal energy system (STES) established by a water circuit and solar thermal collector for the heat supply to two boilers installed in a ceramic plant. Such system has been conceptualised in the scope of industrial practices, proposing solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP). The practical work in this paper aims to the development of a customised simulation tool for the modelling of heat recovery networks and thermal processes in manufacturing industry plants using the Modelica language. The system model has been developed using existing and newly developed equipment models. The simulation results were validated with measured data in the industrial plant, being consistent with the real values (e.g. highest deviation of about 0.01%). In addition to the boilers, the performed simulation allowed to achieve the sizing of the components of the water circuit, in particular for the pumping system (with a required supply of 0.747 kW of electric energy). A techno-economic assessment has been performed to evaluate the viability of the cproposed solution, showing a payback time of approximately 3 years, a total annual economic savings of about 25209 € and associated reduction of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions of about 170 ton/year.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Teodora M. Șoimoșan ◽  
Ligia M. Moga ◽  
Livia Anastasiu ◽  
Daniela L. Manea ◽  
Aurica Căzilă ◽  
...  

Harnessing renewable energy sources (RES) using hybrid systems for buildings is almost a deontological obligation for engineers and researchers in the energy field, and increasing the percentage of renewables within the energy mix represents an important target. In crowded urban areas, on-site energy production and storage from renewables can be a real challenge from a technical point of view. The main objectives of this paper are quantification of the impact of the consumer’s profile on overall energy efficiency for on-site storage and final use of solar thermal energy, as well as developing a multicriteria assessment in order to provide a methodology for selection in prioritizing investments. Buildings with various consumption profiles lead to achieving different values of performance indicators in similar configurations of storage and energy supply. In this regard, an analysis of the consumption profile’s impact on overall energy efficiency, achieved in the case of on-site generation and storage of solar thermal energy, was performed. The obtained results validate the following conclusion: On-site integration of solar systems allowed the consumers to use RES at the desired coverage rates, while restricted by on-site available mounting areas for solar fields and thermal storage, under conditions of high energy efficiencies. In order to segregate the results and support optimal selection, a multicriteria analysis was carried out, having as the main criteria the energy efficiency indicators achieved by hybrid heating systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
NORHUDA ABDUL MANAF ◽  
Muhammad Hussin Abdul Jabar ◽  
Muhammad Hussin Abdul Jabar ◽  
Nor Ruwaida Jamian

Phase change material (PCM) features an attractive option due to its solar thermal storage capability to assist the cooling/heating process especially during night operation, thus contributing to the reduction of energy cost and carbon footprint. This study aims to analyse the emergence of PCM in the application of solar thermal energy. Subsequently, to envisage Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and commercialisation opportunity based on historical and contemporary research trends. This review encompasses of peer-reviewed literatures from Scopus database for one decade between 2010 and 2019. Based on the review, there is a moderate growth on the research related to PCM-solar thermal at 22% of emergence rate from the past one decade. China has dominated in this research development by concurring approximately 22% from the number of research articles published globally. It can be concluded that the application of PCM in solar thermal energy system is at TRL 5 which reflects research and development (R&D) progress is at intermediate prototypical development based on the trend of academic publication. Furthermore, based on the review, PCM features great potential in commercialisation opportunity due to its vital contribution as a frontier material/substance in overcoming the challenges of energy and environmental insecurity.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document