Technical background:
The PhD studentship will investigate possible utilisation of low-grade heat sources, for example surplus low grade heat from the new automotive paint shop of NISSAN UK being designed by GEICO TAIKISHA and which will be opened in March 2017. The objective of the research is to introduce a framework to ease the environmental characterization and improvement in end use energy demand. Energy efficiency has quickly become a top priority because of the high energy use in industrial operations, which are responsible for significant CO2 emissions and thus, climatic changes. An automotive manufacturing plant has very large energy use and the painting shop example is particularly major responsible for this. The application of the framework will identify opportunities for improving energy use in order to achieve a reduction in operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. In industry, a significant amount of energy is commonly used by equipment such as pumps, compressors, boilers, prime movers, ovens, chillers, dryers, process heaters, process coolers, ventilation equipment, etc. Thermal energy loss in each operation cannot be avoided and therefore manufacturing industry, characterised by a large number of operation units, has an inevitable large source of thermal energy loss. Hence, with higher energy cost and the increased importance of rationalising energy use, thermal energy management is likely to become an increasingly fundamental issue in the future. Decreasing the amount of end-use energy demand would help NISSAN to achieve sustainable processes with subsequent important results in terms of cost competitiveness and making progress toward environmental goals. This can be achieved by recovering low-grade heat (T<260 C), which if not captured and used, is mostly released into the atmosphere, thus giving rise to energy and resource losses and missing an energy efficiency opportunity. Innovative technologies will be assessed for their ability to recovery this energy and the scope of their utilisation.

Project summary:
In order to identify and estimate all the possible low-grade heat sources and to utilise them, it is firstly required to evaluate how much heat can be theoretically recovered from the industrial processes. This evaluation will be done through a pinch and exergy analysis. Pinch analysis is a methodology for minimising the energy consumption of processes by calculating thermodynamically feasible energy targets and achieving them by optimising heat recovery systems, energy supply methods and process operating conditions. At the same time, exergy analysis results to aid in determining the potential usefulness of a given low-grade heat source and determine the maximum amount of mechanical work which can be obtained. After the characterisation of available low grade heat sources, the most appropriate innovative technical solution for recovery and utilisation will be evaluated in order to assess the potential end use energy reduction obtained. An economic analysis of the solutions will be conducted to explore the impact on capital and operational costs to determine payback periods and commercial viability.

Project outcomes:
Detail techno-economic reports analysing innovative solutions to utilise low grade heat sources to reduce manufacturing energy demand. It is expected that at least 4 high impact publications in leading journals such as Applied Energy and Applied Thermal Engineering. In addition, 3 presentations at world leading conferences such as Sustainable Energy Technology, and Heat Powered Cycles.