Industrial Process Integration

[Video transcript]
Canada’s natural resources are among the most diversified in the world. But the road to a low-carbon future has its challenges.
Here’s the situation: Every day, Canadian industrial plants consume huge amounts of energy, but much of it gets lost as waste heat. By improving heat management, industry can become more competitive, save money, and create jobs for Canadians. Improved energy efficiency also means less water used, as well as fewer greenhouse gases and harmful emissions for everyone.
But what can be done?
Every day, scientists and engineers at Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY research centres are working to find low-cost, clean-energy solutions to this issue.
Here’s how.
Process Integration is a powerful approach to optimize energy flows in industrial facilities. It helps pinpoint where heat should be recovered, and how it could be used more efficiently. It is especially beneficial because it considers the process as a whole rather than focus on individual equipment components. The resulting analysis helps plant owners invest strategically and make the best use of available resources.
Process integration results in 10 to 35% in energy savings, and also saves large quantities of water in industry. It can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a major way, equivalent to removing hundreds of thousands of cars from the road.
In Canada, about 600 industrial plants have the potential to use this approach, from oil refineries and paper mills, to meat and dairy processing plants.
CanmetENERGY is looking to transform the process integration market in Canada, by increasing awareness of its advantages and developing tools to help identify cost-effective solutions.
Process integration is one of the many approaches that CanmetENERGY believes will help make Canada a safer, healthier place, and create a low-carbon economy.
And it’s only the beginning.
CanmetENERGY: science at the service of all Canadians.