Gas Research Institute

ABSTRACT:
An assessment was conducted of solar/gas industrial process heat systems, including consideration of market applications, the status and cost of applicable solar technologies, potential technical barriers to the efficient interfacing of solar with conventional gas-fired equipment, and a detailed economic evaluation comparing solar/gas systems to competing options. The results from an analysis of industrial gas-use confirmed that the most promising areas for solar/gas system applications were the food, pulp end paper, chemical and refining industries. In general no serious interface problems or impediments to the interfacing of solar systems with most conventional types of gas-fired equipment were found to exist, though several new configurations were identified which might increase the energy utilization efficiency of solar/gas industrial systems. The economic assessment compared solar/gas industrial process heat systems with conventional gas-fired equipment, gas-fired cogeneration, solar/gas cogeneration, solar-only cogeneration and solar-only electric systems. It was found that only under the most favorable conditions were solar/gas industrial process heat systems competitive, while the solar/gas cogeneration systems appear to offer a better opportunity as a viable solar/gas option.… (més)