Suitability of exergy analysis for industrial energy efficiency, manufacturing and energy management

摘要

The industrial sector consumed approximately 98 Exa Joules(EJ) of energy worldwide accounting for 28 % of world energyconsumption in 2008. World energy consumption growth in2010 reached 5.6 %, the highest rate since 1973. In 2011, thegrowth in world energy consumption exceeded economicgrowth, with energy intensity of economic activity increasingfor a second consecutive year. Improving industrial energyefficiency therefore offers a potential for massive reductionsin greenhouse gas emissions. Exergy analysis, based on the2nd law of thermodynamics, shows considerable promise inimproving industrial energy efficiency. This paper examinespositive and negative aspects of exergy analysis, highlightingits various interdisciplinary forms and critically reviewing itstheory. It explains common areas of application, and focuses onmanufacturing. It is apparent that exergy analysis can simplifyenergy efficiency comparisons between different manufacturingsystems designs compared to energy analysis, with an exampleof textile industry reinforcing this claim. Finally somecomments on the ease of conducting an exergy vs. energy analysisare made and its use for the energy manager is presented.