Systematic approach to industrial oven optimisation for energy saving

Industrial ovens consume a sizable proportion of energy within the manufacturing sector. Although there has been considerable research into energy reduction of industrial processes throughout literature, there is not yet a generalised tool to reduce energy within industrial ovens. The systematic approach presented aims to guide an engineer through five stages of oven optimisation. These involve defining the scope of the optimisation project, measuring and analysing process variables in order to develop fundamental understanding of the system so that an optimisation plan can be established and then implemented. The paper gives an application example of the methodology to a curing oven within a masking tape manufacturing facility. This approach showed an estimated annual saving of 1,658,000 kWh (29% reduction of the oven's energy consumption and a 4.7% reduction of the whole plant's energy consumption) with very little capital expenditure. As the methodology can be tailored to accommodate individual optimisation options for each oven scenario, while still providing a clear pathway, it has potential applications within the wider manufacturing industry.