Matrix of Indicators

A “matrix of indicators” (MATRIX), which is a comprehensive database, was developed in Subtask B as a decision support tool for solar experts. This matrix will facilitate work with industry and the identification of suitable solar applications. MATRIX should make it possible to investigate and calculate the installation of solar heat in production processes without detailed knowledge of the relevant unit operations.

The investigation of these relevant industries has to focus on an integrated analysis of cooling and heating demands taking into account competitive technologies, when assessing the (economic) feasibility of solar thermal energy. Among those competing technologies are heat integration, cogeneration, new technologies and heat pumps, which are also described in the relevant parts of the MATRIX.

Expansion of the Existing Heat Integration Models

Most industries have demand heat for production and at the same time, produce a good deal of waste heat. Use of this waste heat has the advantage of competing with the heat demand of other processes. Reuse must be done at as high a temperature as possible. The most promising methodology for identifying the maximum heat recovery in a defined system is the pinch analysis. With this tool the minimum heating demand and the minimum cooling demand can also be identified. Within the work of Subtask B a computer program (Pinch Energy Efficiency – PE²), which calculates the recovery potential and designs the technically and economically feasible heat exchanger network for given processes has been developed. The new software PE² fulfills the needs of heat integration calculations in the promising industries.

Front page of the PE² software, which was developed within Task 33/IV by JOINTS