Application of an advanced pinch methodology for the food and drink production

Two key steps in reducing the energy demand of a production site are (1) technological optimization via efficient technologies increasing process efficiency and (2) system optimization via heat integration of the total production site. Heat integration solutions will be influenced by the implemented process technologies, so the evaluation of the existing technologies and analysis of potential changes is a vital basis in energy demand reduction. This article presents the new pinch analysis tool ‘SOCO’ for systematic heat integration with intelligent storage systems which can reduce thermal energy consumption and improve the design of solar process heat integration in the food industry, specifically in breweries. The application to two brewery case studies reveals the usability of the new approach for designing new heat recovery concepts and the implications of technology changes in the energy demand profile. The simulation module of SOCO identifies that the use of modern state‐of‐the‐art technologies in brewing can enhance heat integration potential by 10–35% for different processes and allows the evaluation of storage design. WIREs Energy Environ 2014, 3:561–574. doi: 10.1002/wene.117

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