The energy sector currently has one of the largest carbon footprints on Earth, which is why governments worldwide want to “decarbonize” it. There are some approaches to heating and heater types that can facilitate reduced carbon impacts.
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The Push to Decarbonize the Energy Sector
The industrial sector accounts for 30 percent of energy-based carbon emissions in the United States. These levels reached a new peak in 2021, measuring 36.3 gigatonnes(Gt). However, the reopening of industries brought back a resurgence of carbon emissions in 2021, surpassing records set in 2010 for the largest single-year increase.
Certain subsets of the energy sector are known for being major polluters. They include:
- Chemicals — Responsible for 20 percent of industrial emissions
- Refining — Responsible for 17 percent of industrial emissions
- Iron and steel — Responsible for 7 percent of industrial emissions
- Food and beverage —Responsible for 6 percent of industrial emissions
- Cement and lime — Responsible for 2 percent of industrial emissions
Methods of Heating Decarbonization
Decarbonization refers to multiple processes, both practical and theoretical. Methods range from choosing greener fuels to recycling waste material, but maximizing heating processes has been identified as a vital step for industrial decarbonization.
Heating is a significant stage of many industrial processes, and, by extension, may contribute to carbon emissions. They can do so depending on the fuels used to power them and the energy used to keep them running. Therefore, decarbonizing the energy sector in terms of heating means three things:
- Adopting new or less polluting heating methods
- Making current heating methods more efficient
- Using “greener” fuel sources for heating.
How We Maximize Process Heating Efficiency
We’ve discussed a six-step process before that helps maximize the efficiency of process systems. Two of the steps we recommend to increase efficiency are minimizing the volume of exhaust gases emitted by process units and insulating the heating system.
- To minimize gas volume, we recommend techniques, such as fortifying air used for combustion with oxygen.
- To insulate your system, we suggest using a material with adequate thickness for your given application and the heating system itself.
We can build circulation heaters (which often facilitate process heating) using materials and configurations that maximize heating efficiency. We design these heaters based on precise calculations that incorporate the needs of your industrial application, but, also, its output of energy and pollutants.
Use of Low-Carbon Fuel Sources
The use of green energy sources has fuelled debates in the energy sector for decades now, despite gaining popularity in North America and Europe. Some challenges have made widespread adoption of these fuels difficult, but they’re nonetheless seen as effective replacements for fossil fuels. The main advantage of these fuels is they’re naturally low-carbon solutions and burn clean, with little impact on air, water, and soil quality.
Decarbonized Heating Is Within Your Reach
Decarbonizing an industrial process may seem daunting, especially for businesses that have limited resources. However, many of the steps mentioned here for reducing carbon emissions require planning and careful design, not necessarily expensive equipment.
We can help you jumpstart the process by understanding the heating requirements for your applications and then building heaters that can facilitate them. Among those considerations, are how we can maximize the efficiency of your heaters, or allow them to use green fuel sources cost-effectively.
Get a quote for your energy-friendly industrial heater today. Our representatives will help you find the exact setup needed for your industrial needs.
