Energy efficiency in thermo processing plants

With a proportion of 2/3 of the total final energy consumption of German industry, it is the industrial consumer sector of process heat that dominates this list. [1]. Nearly 60 per cent of all process heat used for industrial purposes is burned in industrial furnaces and the users transfer a sum of approximately 30 billion Euros per year to their energy suppliers. Although the processes and equipment used in thermo processing today are known for their high level of development, there are still numerous potentials for energy savings which, seen under micro- and macroeconomic aspects, have to be used more systematically in the years to come. The following text will show how different methods can help revealing and using potentials to increase energy efficiency in thermo processing technology.