Industrial sectors are facing increasing pressure to meet the reduction of emissions by 2050 as set in the Paris agreement, with energy intensive manufacturing processes that are heavily reliant on fossil fuels as a source of energy, there is strong motivation to transition to processes with long-term sustainability. Solving the environmental problems caused by current manufacturing processes such as high energy use and significant amount of CO2 emissions is crucial for our society and essential to mitigate climate change.
The chemical sector is one of the largest polluters and consumer of fossil fuels, zero emissions by 2050 can only be achieved by decreasing fossil fuel use and raising the energy efficiency of their chemical production processes. Decarbonising the chemical sector requires electrification of the industry with effective technological solutions that reduce energy consumption and are compatible with renewable energy sources. Below we discuss why we think Ohmic Heating is a promising technology for climate-neutral chemical production.
Ohmic Heating is not a new technology, it is a widely known method of using an electrical current to continuously heat at an elevated temperature with short processing times. However, the use of Ohmic Heating in the Chemical Industry is an emerging market and one offering great potential for decarbonising industrial processes. Ohmic heating technology has significant advantages in the Fine & Specialty Chemicals Industry over conventional batch processing equipment. One of the main advantages of ohmic heating is its ability to rapidly heat chemical reactions at a significantly greater rate than conventional approaches, this being advantageous for chemical reactions that require rapid heating to minimise unwanted side reactions. The ohmic heating process delivers heat evenly and efficiently through the material with extremely accurate temperature control. With very high power-to-heat efficiency of over 95%, the adoption of this process is a highly advantageous and sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels.
The chemical manufacturing industry still primarily relies on batch process techniques, these methods are now highly inefficient when compared to more advanced continuous processing methods and are also strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Continuous processing methods like Ohmic Heating offers benefits in production efficiency and can achieve process conditions that are not attainable through traditional batch methods. Process conditions such as temperature control to +/- 1 oC, reaction time to temperature achievable between 10-30 seconds, higher temperature and pressure resulting in faster reaction rates, these conditions are are all attainable in an continuous Ohmic heating process.
Key benefits of Ohmic Heating to the Chemical Manufacturing sector:
- Better quality product with improved yields, shorter reaction times with no undesired side reactions
- Instantaneous power control for precise temperature control to +/- 1 oC
- No thermal gradients or hotspots
- The process is easily scaled
- Over 95% of the input electrical energy is converted directly to heat
- Compatible with renewable energy sources
- Significantly reduced CapEx and OpEx costs compared other electric heating method
Why Switch From Batch Production Methods To Continuous Flow?
It is imperative that industrial companies need to plan electrification of their operations and evolving to continuous flow technologies like Ohmic should be the future goal for the industry. Key drivers for chemical manufacturing companies to make the switch include improved emission and sustainability opportunities from reduced energy demand, long-term cost saving benefits obtained through improved processing times and product quality along with better energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources.
If you have read this far then you will have some understanding of how switching to Ohmic can benefit your chemical manufacturing business. We are making it our mission to support the process industries through their energy transition, anticipating a transformation of the energy system to sustainable renewable sources of electricity, we see ohmic heating as an important part of the industry’s ability to reach net zero. We offer process development services to clients and have a portfolio of bespoke equipment we have designed and supplied to clients across the globe.
Speak to us about our capabilities in this technology and learn how Ohmic technology can transform your current processes and deliver sustainable chemical manufacturing.
Read more content of Electrification and The Chemical Industry here.