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38 Downstream Natural Gas Copyright © 2014 by SDTC ™

Figure 24: Commercial Technology Plot

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Economy

Renewable/NG Heating and Cooling (Space and Water)

Low Cost NG Cooling

Smart Energy Meters / System Components and Data Management Solutions

Commercial-sized Heat Pump Technology

Less Expensive Efficient Commercial CHP Systems

9.4 Industrial

High Efficiency Industrial Heating Equipment

Industrial heating (process, steam, building etc.) makes up the majority of natural gas use in industry. Efficiency gains in heating equipment have the potential for broad sector-wide emission reductions. Efficiency improvements could include for example: industrial heat pumps for steam and hot water systems; novel waste heat recovery and high temperature heat recovery for process heating; waste heat to power with NG supplemental firing; improved gas-fired infrared heaters for industrial drying operations; and low-cost heat transfer surfaces. Incremental improvements are expected to be close to commercialization.

Advanced Monitoring and Process Control

This includes technologies that allow for better process control and/or load following to optimize processes. There are currently limited options for economical real-time metering and sub-metering of natural gas consumption. Needs include advanced metering and the algorithms required to improve process control. This need is expected to include technologies that are near commercialization with significant potential for reducing natural gas consumption.

Broader Application CHP Units

Applications for CHP in industry can be limited where insufficient heat load is present, either due to a lack of heating requirements, or previously existing heating equipment on-site. In order to expand the application of CHP where the generated electricity would result in an emissions reduction when compared to baseline electricity, further options to adjust outputs, efficiency and/or store excess for load matching are required. Examples of technologies could include for example: technical advancements in rotating equipment (turbines, reciprocating engines); conventional engines with a bottoming cycle or innovative, integrated absorption chilling; fuel cells or fuel cell - micro-turbine hybrid systems; combined cycle with gas and steam turbine (larger scale); and high temperature thermal energy storage. Environmental impacts will be dependent on location of installation and grid emissions intensity.

Industrial NG Carbon Capture

This need covers technologies that capture carbon from industrial emissions including niche applications such as: innovative ways to utilize carbon captured from waste/flue gas (e.g. to drive algae production or to be used as a feedstock for another material or process); hydrogen production from NG where the carbon is sequestered as carbon black; and, sequestering CO 2 in liquid form during hydrogen production from NG. Industry is not seen as a likely location for NG CCS given the cost and current lack of regulatory drivers, and hence market adoption is expected to be minimal.