Limiting global warming to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, is one of the main goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. To prevent the worst consequences of climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically reduced. To achieve this ambitious objective, CO₂ emissions must be reduced by around 45% by 2030 compared to 2010. By 2050 at the latest, the world should achieve ‘net zero’ – in other words, no more CO₂ should be emitted than can be absorbed by natural or technical methods. One of the biggest challenges is to reduce emissions in industry, especially in the processing industries. This sector requires significant amounts of energy, which is often generated by fossil fuels. There is enormous potential for reducing emissions here if energy efficiency is improved.
The role of process heat in industry
A recent study by the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, conducted on behalf of the German Industry Initiative for Energy Efficiency (DENEFF), shows that process heat plays a central role in increasing energy efficiency in industrial production. Companies could save up to 21 billion euros in energy costs each year through targeted measures to optimise their use of process heat. According to the study, half of the process heat currently used could be saved economically, depending on factors such as temperature requirements, the technologies used and measures already taken.
In industrial applications, process heat is often made available by steam generation, which is essential for a wide range of applications in production processes. Whether heating, cleaning or drying, steam is a flexible and effective form of heat transfer. However, a significant amount of energy can be lost during steam generation and distribution due to losses such as leaks and inefficient condensate drainage. These losses not only contribute to higher energy costs, but also to an increased carbon footprint.
In this context, mechanical traps often represent the single biggest point of failure in industrial steam systems. They are often the cause of high steam losses and thus of unnecessarily high energy consumption during steam usage. They contribute to losses either through the distribution lines or when used in heating process.
The experience of EBE Engineering customers shows that reducing steam losses by using ECOFLOW™ Venturi orifice steam traps can cut energy consumption in steam systems by up to 30%. This also reduces fuel consumption, resulting in an immediate reduction in CO₂ emissions. Improving energy efficiency thus directly contributes to the emission targets set out in both the Paris Agreement and internal corporate sustainability strategies, which are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, companies are meeting strict environmental requirements and can prepare themselves for even stricter regulations in the future.
Conclusion
Increasing energy efficiency is a crucial factor in achieving global climate targets. The process industry has a key role to play in this. By using ECOFLOW™ Venturi orifice steam traps, companies can reduce their steam losses and lower their energy costs, while also making a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. This makes them important players in the global fight against climate change and active contributors to implementing the Paris Agreement.
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