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Streamlining the optimisation of Sustainable Thermal Energy systems and Prototype technologies in process industries

Project description

Turning industrial waste heat into a climate asset

The process industry in Europe uses raw materials to create finished products, many of which are used in other manufacturing channels. Improving their efficiency is essential, and one promising route lies in recovering and reusing waste heat generated during production. The EU-funded StreamSTEP project aims to design innovative heat exchanger prototypes and high-temperature heat pumps capable of recovering and upgrading heat across a wide temperature range. Supported by advanced materials and digital twin technologies, the system optimises energy use, storage and emissions reduction. Demonstrated in sectors from metals to refining, StreamSTEP aims to recover most of the waste heat in the process industry, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing rapid returns in the process.

Objective

European process industries face significant challenges in a changing geopolitical landscape, under the threat of climate change and against fierce international competition. In this context, boosting the resilience and competitiveness of process industries, while taking surefooted steps towards climate neutrality is of existential importance.
StreamSTEP is the vision of 31 organisations across EU, Switzerland, Norway and UK, aspiring to trigger significant improvements of how heating energy is managed within industrial processes. The project will address processes that generate waste heat across all temperature grades, from 135oC to over 1400oC, deploying five innovative heat exchanger prototypes for challenging applications and achieving flexible operation across multiple heat sinks. Heat upgrade will be managed through high temperature heat pumps, achieving outlet temperatures at 150oC and at 215oC, with improved performance through ejector technology and the capacity to operate dynamically across a range of required temperatures. Enablers of these innovations are advanced manufacturing techniques, achieving superior material performance through novel material alloys. The system will be demonstrated across five sectors: non-ferrous metals, ceramics, minerals, plastics and refining. The demonstrators will be supported by impact boosting resources, de-risking the investment and accelerating commercialisation.
A holistic process digital twinning pipeline will be integral to these advancements, as it will provide the infrastructure to deploy powerful optimisation agents, addressing energy balance, intermediary storage, GHG avoidance and data-driven LCA.
The effects of the StreamSTEP project will be significant, as the recovery and efficient reutilisation of the majority of waste heat (50%-over 90%) will be achieved, with systems boasting a payback below 3 years, with the added effects of increasing productivity in selected processes, as well as energy flexibility.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2024-TWIN-TRANSITION-01

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Coordinator

SINTEF AS
Net EU contribution
€ 1 665 550,74
Address
STRINDVEGEN 4
7034 Trondheim
Norway
Region
Norge Trøndelag Trøndelag
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 1 665 550,74

Participants (30)

Partners (2)