Project description
Industrial process heating using solar energy
Heating for industrial processes accounts for most of the manufacturing sector’s energy demand. However, current heating systems have a number of limitations, such as the use of fossil fuels. The EU-funded ASTEP project aims to overcome these drawbacks by developing a novel solar heating for industrial processes (SHIP) concept. It will combine a rotary Fresnel solar collector and a thermal energy storage based on PCM with passive and active heat transfer enhancement techniques, which will be integrated through a control system to maintain continuous service. This innovative system will be able to cover a significant proportion of the process industry’s heat demand at temperatures and latitudes where current designs have failed. The project will provide a competitive alternative to fossil fuel consumption.
Objective
Application of Solar Thermal Energy to Processes (ASTEP) will create a new innovative Solar Heating for Industrial Processes (SHIP) concept focused on overcoming the current limitations of these systems. This solution is based on modular and flexible integration of two innovative designs for the solar collector (SunDial) and the Thermal Energy Storage (TES, based on Phase Change Materials, PCM) integrated via a control system which will allow flexible operation to maintain continuous service against the unpredictable nature of the solar source and partially during night operation. ASTEP will demonstrate its capability to cover a substantial part of the heat demand of the process industry at temperatures above 150 ºC and for latitudes where current designs are not able to supply it. Its modularity and compactness will also enable easy installation and repair with reduced space requirements, while most of components can be sourced locally. The ASTEP`s process integration will allow full compatibility with the existing systems of potential end-users of SHIP. These aspects will provide a very competitive solution to substitute fossil fuel consumption. The developed solar concept will be tested at two industrial sites to prove the objective’s target of TRL5. Life Cycle Analysis will be included to validate and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technologies. The first Industrial Site of the proposal is the world’s leading steel company, ArcelorMittal, with a heating demand above 220 ºC for a factory located at a latitude of 47.1 N (Iasi, Romania). The second site is the dairy company MANDREKAS, located at a latitude of 37.93 N (Corinth, Greece) with a heating demand for steam at 175 ºC and a cooling demand at 5 ºC. These test locations will validate the ASTEP solution for a substantial part of the potential requirements of industrial heating and cooling demand of the European Union (EU28), which is estimated at approximately 72 TWh per year
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RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
28015 Madrid
Spain
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Participants (18)
28034 MADRID
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
06000 Nice
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
30202 Cartagena
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2322 Nicosia
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
UB8 3PH Uxbridge
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T12DX51 CORK
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
W1W 7LT London
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
17674 Athina
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
28040 Madrid
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
28006 Madrid
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700180 Iasi
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
48910 Sestao
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19009 Pikermi
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50-370 Wroclaw
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08940 CORNELLA DE LLOBREGAT
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
81100 Caserta
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20100 Corinth
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.