The project aims to develop a pilot prototype for an industrial process upgrade system that reduces energy consumption in mineral processing. The goal is to avoid disrupting the process or imposing capital expenditure stress on plant owners. The plan includes using an energy-as-a-service business model to attract third-party investors.
Waste heat from direct heat rotary dryers contains nitrogen, flue gases, and vapours, which are not useful. To improve efficiency, the project proposes substituting air in the heating medium with superheated steam to reduce energy consumption.
Industrial Challenge
The will to minimise the energy costs and environmental strain, without disrupting the plant operations and processes (AIT-Dry-Ficiency, 2022) is acute for industrial plants that decide to actively perform their green transition, under the pressure of volatile energy costs. 100% water can be recovered and 50%-80% of energy can be theoretically saved in many cases. Investor deals can leave direct benefits of 30% of cost savings right after implementation. However, very few details of successful implementations are known and this creates doubt and tendency to exaggerate risks. Conventional thermal processing equipment for minerals and waste sludges are currently dependant on fossil fuels due to the energy intensive requirements. Among these processes, evaporation/drying has one of the largest shares of waste heat valorisation potential which is currently largely unmet. Carbon emissive and costly “conventional dryers” clearly represent such a challenge and opportunity for savings through CAPEX intensive heat-pump dryer solutions.
Industrial Solution
The Direct HeatPump DynaDryer solution that our team proposes, is a technology and method that provides all required tools, hard- tech, hardware and software as well as third party “financing solution and contract model”, to retrofit and take maximum advantage of the existing infrastructure and assets, minimising technical and financial risks. This is now possible due to a flexible, innovative, electrically-driven heat-pumping technology and retrofitting methodology. This creates new market opportunities beyond any available heatpump dryers currently in the market, as the temperatures achieved by our patented solution (200oC) are proven to surpass current competition (Kobelco-Japan, 165oC) while keeping the costs minimal and the size of the overall solution fit for purpose.
DynaDrying-As-a-Service is a third party financed, retrofitting service and equipment solution, that upgrades industrial drying processors used by moist bulk solid product processing plants (agrifood, mineral, chemicals etc.) to reduce carbon emissions by 80% and energy costs by 50% by implementing a Very High Temperature Heat-pumping system, financed by special contract and external investors. We are focused on the mineral and water treatment sludge €1.3 billion target niche market of EU/UK.
Partnership:
EU Programme: Single Market Programme, within the framework of INGENIOUS Project
Reference: Grant Agreement No. 101074635
Project duration: 01/01/2024-31/12/2024
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. The European Union cannot be held responsible for them.