Electricity demand reduction through waste heat recovery in olefins plants based on a technology-agnostic approach
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Maghrabi, Abdullah
Song, Jian
Sapin, Paul
Markides, Christos N
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Developing systematic approaches for the identification of optimal WHR options in industrial applications is key to reducing plant-scale energy demands. In particular, electricity consumption accounts for more than half of industrial energy use, and its share is expected to grow with progressive electrification. In this paper, industrial WHR technologies including organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and absorption systems are investigated, and tools are developed to understand the sustainability and techno-economic impact of integrating these technologies within industrial processes and facilities. We specifically propose a data-driven technology-agnostic approach to evaluate the use of heat engines, which can in practice be ORC systems, and thermally-driven (i.e., absorption) heat pumps in the context of industrial WHR for plant-scale electricity demand reduction. The aim of this work is to explore three pathways for achieving efficiency improvements in bulk chemicals plants, represented here by olefins production facilities: (i) direct onsite power generation; (ii) enhancement of existing power generation processes; and (iii) reduction in power consumption by compressor efficiency improvements through waste-heat-driven cooling. The techno-economic performance of these technologies is assessed for five different countries representing a diverse portfolio of climates, technical and economic parameters (including utility prices), using fine-tuned thermodynamic and market-based costing models. The results reveal that the proposed approach has the potential to reduce emissions by between 5,000 tCO2(eq.)/year and 101,500 tCO2(eq.)/year depending on the scenario. The marginal abatement cost of the proposed solutions ranges from -1,200 $/tCO2(eq.) to -35 $/tCO2(eq.), with a payback time between 1.5 and 8 years depending on the scenario considered.
Date Issued
2023-10
Date Acceptance
2023-07-03
Citation
Energy Conversion and Management: X, 2023, 20, pp.1-18
ISSN
2590-1745
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
18
Journal / Book Title
Energy Conversion and Management: X
Volume
20
Copyright Statement
© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590174523000752
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
100419
Date Publish Online
2023-07-06