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As the story goes - There’s good news and there’s bad news. Let’s start with the bad news. Process Heating and steam generation consume more than half of all industrial energy. Process Heating is a major source of manufacturing quality problems causing increased scrap rates and lower plant output. In addition, process heating is the largest producer of air emissions in most plants, both from combustion products and from off-gassing of heated products. So what is the good news? There are major opportunities for improvement in most process heating steps. And many of the improvements can be made at low cost. Did you know that in many ovens and furnaces more heat is lost up the exhaust stack than actually enters the product? Proven techniques that reduce exhaust losses can have major benefits. An infrared scan of your oven or furnace can locate areas where additional insulation can cost-effectively reduce heat loss. Using low mass fixtures or conveyors to reduce parasitic losses is another proven energy saver. Oxygen enrichment may be beneficial for high temperature processes. There are a wealth of techniques available to reduce process heating energy and they are all more cost effective than ever due to the rising price of energy. If your process heating step is the bottleneck, you may find that temperature profiling and/or product pre-heating is an option. How much will it help and how much will it cost? We can help you answer those questions. As for environmental impacts, reducing energy use directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. But also, new innovative technologies or products can often make a revolutionary difference in your emission footprint. For example, low VOC, high solids, and powder coatings have made dramatic differences in air emissions. But you may be able to take it even further with UV curable coatings (almost zero emission) or curing plastic products at low temperature with electron beam. There are many revolutionary technologies out there and bringing in experts who work across many industries can help bring fresh new ideas to your organization. Mr. Welch has more than two decades of experience working in process heating across a range of industries. He is certified by the US Department of Energy as a Qualified Process Heating Specialist. Welch Energy Services can help you survey your equipment, diagnose problems, optimize existing processes, and bring new ideas to bear. Further, we can help you make a business case for change and assist with implementation. So let's get started. Contact us to discuss your individual needs. (919)810-2532 or info@welchenergyservices.com. |