Suitability of exergy analysis for industrial energy efficiency, manufacturing and energy management

Panel: 2. Sustainable production design and supply chain initiatives

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Sanober Hassan Khattak, Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), De Montfort University, United Kingdom
Richard Greenough , Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), De Montfort University, United Kingdom
Neil Brown , Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), De Montfort University, United Kingdom

Abstract

The industrial sector consumed approximately 98 Exa Joules (EJ) of energy worldwide accounting for 28% of world energy consumption in 2008. World energy consumption growth in 2010 reached 5.6%, the highest rate since 1973. In 2011, the growth in world energy consumption exceeded economic growth, with energy intensity of economic activity increasing for a second consecutive year. Improving industrial energy efficiency therefore offers a potential for massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Exergy analysis, based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics, shows considerable promise in improving industrial energy efficiency. This paper examines positive and negative aspects of exergy analysis, highlighting its various interdisciplinary forms and critically reviewing its theory. It explains common areas of application, and focuses on manufacturing. It is apparent that exergy analysis can simplify energy efficiency comparisons between different manufacturing systems designs compared to energy analysis, with an example of textile industry reinforcing this claim. Finally some comments on the ease of conducting an exergy vs. energy analysis are made and its use for the energy manager is presented.