scholarly journals Multicriteria Analysis for Retrofitting of Natural Gas Melting and Heating Furnaces for Sustainable Manufacturing and Industry 4.0

2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro J. Arnal ◽  
Maryori Díaz-Ramírez ◽  
Luis Acevedo ◽  
Víctor J. Ferreira ◽  
Tatiana García-Armingol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Multicriteria Analysis ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Heating Furnaces ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Current State

Abstract Different retrofitting measures can be implemented at different levels of the industrial furnace, such as refractory layers, energy recovery solutions, new burners and fuel types, and monitoring and control systems. However, there is a high level of uncertainty about the possible implications of integrating new technologies, not only in the furnace but also on the upstream and downstream processes. In this regard, there is a lack of holistic approaches to design the optimal system configurations under a multicriteria perspective, especially when innovative technologies and multi-sectorial processes are involved. The present work proposes a holistic approach to natural gas melting and heating furnaces in energy-intensive industries. A multicriteria analysis, based on criteria and subcriteria, is applied to select the most profitable retrofitting solution using the analytic hierarchy process and stakeholder expertise. The methodology is based on technical indicators, i.e., life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, and thermoeconomic analysis, for evaluating the current state of existing natural gas furnaces. Once the current state is characterized, the methodology determines the potential of efficiency improvement, environmental impact reduction, and cost-savings caused mainly by the implementation of new retrofitting solutions including new refractories, new burner concepts (co-firing), and innovative energy recovery solutions based on phase change materials. Therefore, this methodology can be considered as the first stage that guarantees technical, environmental, and economic feasibility in evaluating the effects of new technologies on the overall system performance.

scholarly journals Determination of economic efficiency of using biogas in the conditions of industrial enterprises

2019 ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Kovalenko Viktor
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fuel Mixture ◽  
Metallurgical Industry ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Economic Indicators ◽  
Power Equipment ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Heating Furnaces

To determine the efficiency of biogas use in the existing industrial enterprises of the metallurgical industry of Ukraine and Zaporizhia region, in particular, the basic economic indicators of conversion of standard furnace equipment to biogas mixtures from various derivatives and sources available in the region are calculated. The technical feasibility and economic feasibility of using biogas mixtures as an alternative fuel for energy supply of thermal and heating furnaces of industrial enterprises on the example of a real object are determined. It is shown that to use low-calorie fuel in power equipment, taking into account its quality indicators, it is expedient both separately and in combination with traditional energy sources. It is revealed that the economic indicators of projects for the introduction of biogas technologies at metallurgical enterprises differ depending on many initial conditions, such as: sources of origin and chemical composition of biogas; characteristics of power equipment that is converted to such fuel; the proportion of natural gas substitution in the fuel mixture; etc. Based on the trend of constant growth in the cost of traditional energy resources, the introduction and use of their alternative and renewable counterparts in energy-intensive metallurgical enterprises is relevant and, with the right approach, cost-effective Keywords: energy efficiency, biogas technologies, biogas, natural gas, purification, enrichment, industrial furnaces, economic feasibility

scholarly journals Thermodynamic and Economic Feasibility of Energy Recovery from Pressure Reduction Stations in Natural Gas Distribution Networks

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Danieli ◽  
Gianluca Carraro ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Pressure Reduction ◽  
Gas Distribution

A big amount of the pressure energy content in the natural gas distribution networks is wasted in throttling valves of pressure reduction stations (PRSs). Just a few energy recovery systems are currently installed in PRSs and are mostly composed of radial turboexpanders coupled with cogeneration internal combustion engines or gas-fired heaters providing the necessary preheating. This paper clarifies the reason for the scarce diffusion of energy recovery systems in PRSs and provides guidelines about the most feasible energy recovery technologies. Nine thousand PRSs are monitored and allocated into 12 classes, featuring different expansion ratios and available power. The focus is on PRSs with 1-to-20 expansion ratio and 1-to-500 kW available power. Three kinds of expanders are proposed in combination with different preheating systems based on boilers, heat pumps, or cogeneration engines. The goal is to identify, for each class, the most feasible combination by looking at the minimum payback period and maximum net present value. Results show that small size volumetric expanders with low expansion ratios and coupled with gas-fired heaters have the highest potential for large-scale deployment of energy recovery from PRSs. Moreover, the total recoverable energy using the feasible recovery systems is approximately 15% of the available energy.

Optimal Design of Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxing Zhou ◽  
Maher A. Nessim
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Optimal Design ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Stochastic Dominance ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Natural Gas Pipelines ◽  
Societal Risk ◽  
Risk Constraint ◽  
External Corrosion ◽  
The Cost

The optimal design level for onshore natural gas pipelines was explored through a hypothetical example, whereby the pipe wall thickness was assumed to be the sole design parameter. The probability distributions of the life-cycle costs of various candidate designs for the example pipeline were obtained using Monte-Carlo simulation. The life-cycle cost included the cost of failure due to equipment impact and external corrosion, and the cost of periodic maintenance actions for external corrosion. The cost of failure included both the cost of fatality and injury as well as the cost of property damage and value of lost product. The minimum expected life-cycle cost criterion and stochastic dominance rules were employed to determine the optimal design level. The allowable societal risk level was considered as a constraint in the optimal design selection. It was found that the Canadian Standard Association design leads to the minimum expected life-cycle cost and satisfies the allowable societal risk constraint as well. A set of optimal designs for a risk-averse decision maker was identified using the stochastic dominance rules. Both the ASME and CSA designs belong to the optimal design set and meet the allowable societal risk constraint.

An Heuristic Approach to Renewable Energy Optimization

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Walker
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Heuristic Algorithms ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Heuristic Approach ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Initial Cost ◽  
A Site

An analytical approach is often taken to predict the performance of renewable energy systems at a site, but an analytic approach requires detailed information on the system to be modeled that is better determined during schematic design than guessed-at during pre-design. This paper describes a heuristic approach to identify and prioritize renewable energy project opportunities before detailed system information is available. The method determines the combination of renewable energy technologies that minimize life-cycle cost at a facility, often with a specified goal regarding percent of energy use from renewable sources. Technologies include: photovoltaics (PV); wind; solar thermal heat and electric; solar ventilation air preheating; solar water heating; biomass heat and electric (combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion); and daylighting. The method rests upon the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) capabilities in: characterizing of the empirical cost and performance of technologies; geographic information systems (GIS) resource assessment; and life-cycle cost analysis. For each technology, simple heuristic algorithms relate renewable energy resources at a site to annual energy delivery with coefficients that are determined empirically. Initial cost and operation and maintenance (O&M) cost also use empirical data. Economic performance is then calculated with a site’s utility rates and incentives. The paper discusses how to account for the way candidate technologies interact with each other, and the solver routine used to determine the combination that minimizes lifecycle cost. Results include optimal sizes of each technology, initial cost, operating cost, and life-cycle cost, including incentives from utilities or governments. Results inform early planning to identify and prioritize projects at a site for subsequent engineering and economic feasibility study. Case studies include industrial sites, military bases, and civic buildings.

scholarly journals A Smart Energy Recovery System to Avoid Preheating in Gas Grid Pressure Reduction Stations

Energies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Piero Danieli ◽  
Massimo Masi ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto ◽  
Gianluca Carraro ◽  
Gabriele Volpato
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Vortex Tube ◽  
Reduction Process ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Pressure Reduction ◽  
Recovery Method ◽  
Energy Recovery System ◽  
Recovery System

Preheating is often required to prevent hydrate formation during the pressure reduction process in a natural gas distribution network’s pressure reduction station. This paper examines an energy recovery method to avoid the cost and energy consumption of this preheating. The primary aim is to assess the techno-economic feasibility of an energy recovery system based on the Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube coupled to a heat exchanger for large-scale application to the gas grid. To this end, a techno-economic model of the entire energy recovery system was included in an optimisation procedure. The resulting design minimises the payback period (PP) when the system is applied to the pressure reduction stations belonging to a particular gas grid. The pressure reduction stations always operate at an outlet pressure above atmospheric pressure. However, available performance models for the Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube do not permit prediction at backpressure operation. Therefore, a novel empirical model of the device is proposed, and a cost function derived from several manufacturer quotations is introduced for the first time, to evaluate the price of the Ranque–Hilsch vortex tubes. Finally, a nearly complete set of pressure reduction stations belonging to the Italian natural gas grid was chosen as a case study using actual operating parameters collected by each station’s grid manager. The results indicate that the environmental temperature strongly affects the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed energy recovery system. In general, pressure reduction stations operating at an ambient temperature above 0 °C are economically desirable candidates. In addition, the higher the energy recovery system convenience, the higher the flow rate and pressure drop managed by the station. In the Italian case study, 95% of preheating costs could be eliminated with a PP of fewer than 20 years. A 40% preheating cost saving is still possible if the maximum PP is limited to 10 years, and a small but non-negligible 3% of preheating costs could be eliminated with a PP of fewer than 4.5 years.

Life Cycle Cost-Benefit Model for Road Weather Information Systems

1998 ◽  
Vol 1627 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin McKeever ◽  
Carl Haas ◽  
Jose Weissmann ◽  
Rich Greer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
State Highway ◽  
State Highway Agencies

To ensure safer driving conditions on highways, state highway agencies are exploring the use of new technologies that will improve the flow of information about hazardous road conditions. These technologies are called Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS). The objective of this paper is to provide a systematic methodology for highway agencies to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with implementing RWIS. This objective was achieved through the development of a life cycle cost-benefit model for RWIS. This analysis tool provides highway agency decision makers with a methodology through which different RWIS implementation alternatives can be evaluated from economic, qualitative, and environmental perspectives. A case study demonstrating the use of the RWIS cost-benefit model also is included. The purpose of the case study is to evaluate whether or not it is cost-beneficial to implement an RWIS on Interstate 20 near Abilene, Texas. The model determined that it was cost-beneficial to implement this system.

30-Year Life Cycle Cost of Solar Based Domestic Hot Water Systems for Ontario

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurjot S. Gill ◽  
Alan S. Fung
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Domestic Hot Water ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Gray Water

The heating of water for domestic purposes presently accounts for 24 percent of Canadian residential energy consumption (Natural Resources Canada, 2006). This energy demand is primarily met by conventional sources such as electricity, natural gas and oil. Recent changes in fuel availability and price as well as environmental concerns lead consumers to give further consideration to the use of solar energy for heating water. The objective of this paper is to simulate the different domestic hot water (DHW) systems to examine their fuel consumption, greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, life cycle costs and pay back periods. In this case study, seventeen different DHW systems were simulated using TRNSYS as simulation engine. These include solar-based models (with electric and natural gas backup tanks), electric and natural gas tank models (with and without gray water heat recovery), on-demand and combo-boiler systems. This paper will discuss three solar-based systems in detail, however their result comparison with other systems will be discussed. Three different solar-based systems are: I) Solar pre-heat with .56 efficiency natural gas back up tank; II) Solar pre-heat with .94 efficiency electric back up tank; III) Timers (off during peak times 7am till 10 pm) with solar pre-heat and electric (.94 efficiency) secondary. Results indicate that solar alternative having timers with solar pre-heat and electric secondary gives best results in terms of annual fuel consumption ($93) and GHG emissions (266 kg). However on demand modulating gas combo boiler (0.78 efficiency) with gray water heat recovery (0.6 efficiency) has best 30-year life cycle cost ($12332).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document