GRETA energy efficient process ventilation
The report gives examples of measures and of the underlying theory to make process ventilation more electrically efficient in two Swedish foundries. The savings for the two studied process ventilation systems are about 90% for a steel foundry and about 20% for an iron foundry. This corresponds to about 600,000 kWh/year electricity and 200,000 kWh/year, respectively. With an assumed electricity price of 1 SEK/kWh, this amounts to SEK 600,000/year and SEK 200,000/year respectively. In both cases, the measures consist of adapting air flows to the operating case by regulating the fan using a frequency converter. The theory section shows that the distance between the source of the pollution and the exhaust has a very large impact on electricity for fan operation, but that other measures besides reducing the distance are also important. Suggestions for practical methods to tune process exhausts include the use of smoke flares that provide a clear visual response to capture capability before and after a change.
Bakom projektet står ett stort antal gjuteriföretag och det statliga forskningsinstitutet RISE. Det pågår 2020-2023 och finansieras av Svenska Gjuteriföreningen och det strategiska innovationsprogrammet Metalliska material, en gemensam satsning av Vinnova, Energimyndigheten och Formas.