Modelling of a Solar Thermal Energy System for Energy Efficiency Improvement in a Ceramic Plant

The thermal energy use in the manufacturing plants is the most representative parcel of the total energy consumption within the European industry. This is mainly attributed to the operation of highly energy-intensive thermal processes such as furnaces and boilers. The implementation of heat recovery technologies is a solution with a great potential to improve the operation of these processes and improve the overall energy efficiency in a plant. On the other hand, the use of renewable energy resources is highly relevant measure to decrease the use of fossil fuels, such as natural gas. One of the most applied renewable energy resources is solar thermal energy. In this chapter, the modelling of a solar thermal energy system (STES) constituted by a water circuit and solar thermal collector and implemented for the production of additional heat to be supplied to two boilers installed in a ceramic plant is presented, with the system model being developed using the Modelica language. The models for the two boilers are validated using real plant measured data, with the simulation results being consistent with the real values. In addition to the boilers, the performed simulation allowed to obtain numerical values regarding the sizing of the water circuit. In the end, a primary technoeconomic assessment is performed to evaluate the viability of the conceptualized project, being obtained a reasonable payback time of 10.52 years and total annual economic savings of 5420€/year.