Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, 4th Edition

Chapter 16

Solar Industrial Process Heat

Very large amounts of energy are used for low-temperature process heat in industry, for such diverse applications as drying of lumber or food, cleaning in food processing, ex-traction operations in metallurgical or chemical processing, cooking, curing of masonry products, paint drying, and many others. Temperatures for these applications can range from near ambient to those corresponding to low-pressure steam, and energy can be provided from flat-plate collectors or concentrating collectors of low concentration ratios.

The principles of operation of components and systems outlined in earlier chapters apply directly to industrial process heat applications. The unique features of these applications lie in the scale on which they are used, system configurations and controls needed to meet industrial requirements, and the integration of the solar energy supply system with the auxiliary energy source and the industrial process. Process simulations similar to those outlined in Chapter 10 and chapters on heating and cooling are useful tools in the study of industrial applications. The design methods outlined in Chapters 20 (if energy is to be delivered at about ) and 21 (for systems delivering energy at temperatures other than ) are applicable to many ...