The U.S. government aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to reduce the severe impacts of climate change. The U.S. industrial sector will become a focal point for decarbonization since it accounts for 33% of the nation’s primary energy use and 30% of its energy-related CO₂ emissions. Industrial emissions are also expected to increase by 15% through 2050, making the industrial sector a logical target for decarbonization efforts. Energy efficiency technology pathways provide low-cost, foundational routes to decarbonization that can be implemented immediately. Energy efficiency technology pathways, such as strategic energy management, system efficiency, smart manufacturing, material efficiency, and combined heat and power, are well established and would immediately reduce energy use and emissions. However, their role in the aggressive net-zero decarbonization pathway for the industrial sector is still unclear. This study aims to address energy efficiency pathways for decarbonization, and reviews studies related to these technologies for industrial decarbonization through 2050. This study identifies different strategies for the industrial sector in general and that are specific to six energy-intensive industries: iron and steel; chemical; food and beverage; petroleum refining; pulp and paper; and cement. Finally, a path toward the successful implementation of energy efficiency technologies is outlined.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The objective of this research study is to develop a set of expert systems that can aid metal manufacturing facilities in selecting binder jetting, direct metal laser sintering, or CNC machining based on viable products, processes, system parameters, and inherent sustainability aspects. For the purposes of this study, cost-effectiveness, energy, and auxiliary material usage efficiency were considered the key indicators of manufacturing process sustainability. The expert systems were developed using the knowledge automation software Exsys Corvid^®V6.1.3. The programs were verified by analyzing and comparing the sustainability impacts of binder jetting and CNC machining during the fabrication of a stainless steel 316L component. According to the results of this study, binder jetting is deemed to be characterized by more favorable indicators of sustainability in comparison to CNC machining, considering the fabrication of components feasible for each technology.

Fenestration systems are widely used across the world. There is expansive research on window configurations, frames, and glazing technology, but not enough research has been published on reducing window heat loss through heat application to a pane. The presented study attempted to evaluate the performance of heated windows by developing an experimental setup to test a window at various temperatures by varying the power input to the window. Heated double pane window was installed in an insulated box. A temperature gradient was developed across the window by cooling one side of the window using gel-based ice packs. The other face of the window was heated by enabling power at different wattages through the window. The temperature of the inside and outside panes, current and voltage input, and temperature of the room and box were recorded. The data was used to calculate the apparent effective resistance of the window when not being heated vs. when being heated. The study concluded that, when window temperature was maintained close to the room temperature, the heated double pane window is effective in reducing heat loss by as much as 50% as compared to a non-heated double pane window. When temperature of the window was much higher than the room temperature, the heat loss through the window increased beyond that of a non-heated window. The issues encountered during the current stages of experiments are noted, and recommendations are provided for future studies.

Hot dip galvanizing facilities have energy intensive operations with electrical and gaseous or oil fuel energy representing a significant share of total energy usage. Benchmarking galvanizing energy consumption and understanding the specific energy consumption is important. The enhanced galvanizing energy profiler decision support system (E-GEPDSS) was developed to identify specific energy consumption through comprehensive heat balance analysis. The results presented in this article will assist users make energy efficient decisions for product, process and system level parameters. This research on the analysis of galvanizing operations focused on the annealing furnaces and zinc coating pot (hereafter referred to simply as the “pot”) for energy consumption. The heat balance model was developed and applied using data collected from various manufacturing plants. Sensitivity analysis was performed to study the impact on heat loss from the hot dip galvanizing system of changing the product, process and system level parameters. Based on the results produced by E-GEPDSS for the manufacturing plants, it was found that less than 50% of heat supplied to the furnace is absorbed by the product; the remainder of the input heat energy dissipates as losses. Heat loss from the wall surfaces and flue gas stack was found to be significant, while heat lost due to opening and phase changes were minimal. In the case of zinc pot analysis, when there is no pre-melt pot, the largest heat loss was associated with the ingot melting process and the energy system required to maintain constant pot temperature. When there is a pre-melt pot in the process, the largest heat loss in the main pot is from zinc coating. Using the heat balance model, galvanizing manufacturers will be able to identify opportunities to reduce these losses for energy savings and optimize energy system performance. Emissivity, dimensions of the furnace, pot temperatures, furnace zone temperatures, thermal conductivity of insulation materials and steel strip temperature at the entry and exit at each zone have significant impact on the total heat loss.