FEI-FEVI 2010 EEC Report filed March 31, 2011 - FortisBC

FORTISBC ENERGY INC. AND FORTISBC ENERGY (VANCOUVER ISLAND) INC.
2010 ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION ANNUAL REPORT
9.4.3 FUTURE INDUSTRIAL PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES
It should be noted that key industrial EEC opportunities exist in the area of waste heat. Waste
heat, in the form of hot gases or fluids, is the primary source of losses from fluid heating and
boiling. Fluid heating and boiling is a critical component of many of the most energy intensive
processes used in the manufacture of chemicals, refined petroleum products, food and
beverage, and mining and forest products including the pulp and paper industry. The energy
systems utilized for fluid heating and boiling include fired systems such as furnaces,
evaporators, dryers, condensers, and other direct-fuelled systems and steam generators, mostly
boilers. The auxiliary equipment used to transfer and deliver steam and heat, such as heat
exchangers and steam injectors, is also an integral component of industrial energy systems;
therefore, the projected industry energy efficiency programs will focus both on these energy
systems and on the auxiliary equipment utilized in the industry. The intelligence acquired from
the pilot heat exchanger program described in Section 9.4.2.1 above would apply to other
sectors where fluid heating and boiling is crucial in the customers’ process.
In pulp and paper manufacturing, waste steam, hot water, and evaporation of spent liquors are
the primary source of energy loss from fluid heating and drying. The two most energy intensive
processes are paper drying and black liquor concentration (both being evaporation processes).
The processes contributing the most energy loss are paper drying, evaporation, pulping,
chemical recovery, and bleaching. These processes are heavily dependent upon steam as an
energy source. For example, the Table 9-4 below shows the amount of steam energy used at
different stages for a pulp and paper industry when producing different products.
SECTION 9: INDUSTRIAL SECTOR PROGRAMS Page 171