Resource efficiency, and especially energy efficiency,
is a key driver to a smart and sustainable growth,
while promoting a more efficient and competitive
economy based on knowledge and innovation.
In this context the Research Centre for Energy Resources
and Consumption, CIRCE (Spain) is leading several initiatives
within EU projects addressing the improvement of resource
efficiency in industry.
TOP-REF: RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY BY MONITORING
TOP-REF is an initiative coordinated by CIRCE in the framework
of the industrial association SPIRE. The project consortium
consists of industrial partners including Dow Chemical,
Ibérica (DCI), Petrogal and Fertinagro (Tervalis Group).
TOP-REF will develop and demonstrate a resource-efficiency
and cross-sectorial methodology, which will be validated by
the development and testing of non-invasive control tools.
By means of this methodology, the project has shown the
most inefficient spots (45% of the economic losses and 55%
of the energetic losses), in the ethylene cracker of DCI in
Tarragona, leading to estimated savings of 3M€ per year.
The application of TOP-REF at the Fertinagro plant (4.000 t
of product /year) during the drying and transport process
of the granulated fertilizer would imply a reduction of gas
(2-5%) and power consumption (2-3%). This could represent
estimated savings of up to 200.000-250.000 € per year.
Furthermore, the savings at this plant are equivalent to
the CO2 emissions of 50 cars per year, or 90 houses. This
provides an enormous potential, since the production of
fertilizers in Europe, using the same process as Fertinagro’s
plant, is 40 Mt/year.
Furthermore, the project is a pioneer in the application of
exergy as a Key Resource Indicator (KRI). Exergy enables us
to compare the resource efficiency between different process
scenarios, identifying inefficiencies, supporting decisionmaking,
and detecting poor process performance.
NIWE: WIRELESS POWERING FOR INDUSTRIAL FURNACES CIRCE is a worldwide leader in the development and
application of inductive charge for electric vehicles. This
technology has been used in the NIWE project, coordinated
by Tecnalia, to improve the flexibility and efficiency in the
foundry sector.
CIRCE, has designed and constructed a 100 kW industrial
prototype for melting and maintaining aluminum, within the
project, in order to be tested in real conditions. The WPT
(Wireless Power Transfer) will transfer the power from the grid
to a 500 Kg furnace with no wires, allowing the mobility of the
furnace /ladle, and improving production flexibility.
The quick power transmission system allows the use of smaller
and more flexible furnaces, improving efficiency and productivity
in the plant. For example, in the aluminum sector, the energy
waste, produced as a result of overheating the aluminum to
maintain the temperature, is avoided. Finally, the more accurate
temperature control improves the aluminum quality.
Contact details:
Diego Magallón Jorcano, Communication Officer
Tel: +34 976 762 957
Email: Dmagallon@fcirce.es
Web: www.fcirce.es
www.toprefproject.eu
www.niweproject.eu
1. COM (2012) 2020 final. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
2. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh
Programme for research, technological development and demonstration
under grant agreement No 604140.
3. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh
Programme for research, technological development and demonstration
under grant agreement No 296024