Study 15: Very high-temperature heat recovery in industry

France has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. One of the ways to achieve this objective is through better utilisation of the waste heat released by industry during the manufacturing stages of products. A study carried out by ADEME in 2017 identified a considerable source of energy lost in the form of heat – this energy being generated by manufacturing processes.

It appears that a large proportion of this heat has the advantage of already being channelled (via a flue) out of thermal processes before being released into the atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, it is therefore possible to capture this ‘free’ energy just before it is dissipated into the atmosphere – particularly as the high temperature, generally above 200 °C, allows for a wide range of heat recovery technologies. From a market perspective, these solutions are still under-utilised – particularly amongst small and medium-sized enterprises.

The aim is therefore to raise awareness of the heat recovery technologies available to manufacturers and to help remove the many barriers to implementation and investment that still exist: a lack of awareness of the available technologies, energy and decarbonisation challenges, and even the funding options available, as well as manufacturers’ concerns about the long-term viability of the installations.

The study comprised three parts.

• An overview of available heat recovery technologies,
• A technical and economic analysis of the conditions for implementing these technologies at an industrial site, taking the form of six specific technology fact sheets,
• An analysis of energy challenges to identify promising sectors for the roll-out of these energy recovery solutions.

The study focused on mature technologies (TRL 7) that are commercially available to manufacturers.