Decarbonising fired process heaters with zero-emission electric heat
Replacing conventional fossil fuel-based combustion systems with electric resistance heating systems can result in significant decarbonisation gains
James Lewis Chromalox
A s global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise steadily, governments are implementing more aggressive carbon policies to promote the decarbonisation of critical sectors, like energy, which continues to be one of the largest single sources of carbon emissions due to heavy reliance on emission- intensive processes for steam generation and process heating. While it is understood which sectors are the largest contributors, achieving pollution reductions is an ongoing challenge. Carbon policies are a good foundation to drive change but require cooperation, collaboration, and time to reach their full potential and prevent carbon drift. In addition, these policies alone
cannot drive the change needed to meet global emission targets, as they only promote the incentive and push the penalties associated with emissions but do not offer the solution for decarbonising. Instead, finding viable alternatives to the combustion equipment deeply ingrained in the industry is critical towards the long-term success of energy sustainability. Among the solutions on the market today, some companies have looked to waste heat recovery (WHR) systems as a method of reducing their emissions. WHR systems capture lost heat from process outputs and recirculate it to other parts of the plant to reuse energy that has already been created. These systems provide
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