Abstract
The usual expectation in the process industries is that improved energy efficiency requires increased investment. In contrast, thermodynamics might lead us to hope that if less fuel needs to be burned to supply process energy, less hardware might be required. This paper explores several cases where energy efficiency was improved with no increase in total plant capital (including the energy system). Cogeneration, driver selection and direct exchange are discussed. To explore the limitations of these possibilities, the energy / capital relationships of an air separation plant are calculated in comparison with that of an idealized process using unlimited capital.
Kenney, W. F. (1982). Some Observations on Energy Efficiency and Capital Cost. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /94229.