Maximising efficiency in the manufacturing sector

A project funded by the European Union has been investigating and testing ways of making manufacturing more efficient in terms of the energy and materials used.

The goal of the REEMAIN project was to optimise production by seamlessly integrating renewable energy systems and by recovering wasted energy.

"Incorporation of renewable energy resources in the factory environment, taking into account innovative technologies to reduce overall energy demand, will lead the drive towards net zero carbon factories," said project coordinator Anibal Reñones.

The researchers focused on the food, textile and steel production sectors, which together account for more than 50% of CO2 emissions and 20% of electricity consumption in Europe's industry. Project partners used an integrated approach based on professional energy simulation software tools, energy and resource planning standards, and renewable energy and storage technologies.

A biscuit producing company, a textile manufacturer and a foundry conducted 15 factory demonstration activities for waste heat recovery, production-product-process optimisation, and the integration of renewables.

According to the European Commission's CORDIS website, results from the biscuit factory demonstrator showed that new baking ovens equipped with heat recovery mechanisms could provide important natural gas savings. In addition, cool outside air can help save a significant amount of electricity normally used for water-cooling.

"Although airside free-cooling is a well-known technology for buildings, their use in a manufacturing environment is challenging as temperature limits are very strict and may affect the final product, therefore, appropriate control of this energy technology is vital," Reñones explained.

The foundry demonstrator showed the technical feasibility of recovering heat from the cupola furnace. However, high variations of temperature and the harsh environment created by the exhaust fumes put a lot of pressure on heat exchanger materials, and great control is needed to recover as much waste heat as possible.

"The results of the demonstration activities regarding efficiency measures should inspire others to save energy, resources and money," Reñones said. "Our results show how it is possible to invest time and money to analyse the manufacturing processes, to conduct an energy and resources study, and finally to provide and implement replacements or modifications that reduce the consumption of energy and materials."