The industry and Aii have spent the past year focused on electrification. What has received less attention is thermal load reduction.
During our heat pump research and pilots, we’ve been identifying the key levers beyond basic energy efficiency that a wet processing mill can, and should, take to dramatically reduce the thermal energy it needs in the first place. By reducing the thermal load, a mill will not only save money, improve resiliency, and reduce emissions in the present, but also lower the cost of future electrification.
| Solution | Why it’s Important | Why it’s Challenging | Anticipated Thermal Load Reduction Potential |
| Right-first-time dyeing | Righ- First-Time dyeing rates can be improved through process planning and preparation, reducing the amount of energy and water used during repeat processing. | This sounds like a quick fix, but requires change management and training support. | 5-20% |
| Stenter waste heat recovery | Stenters have the highest temperatures in the mill, and exhaust a lot of heat. By recycling that heat, less energy is needed to power the stenter. | While this is a proven technology, it requires investment and training to ensure safe maintenance. | 5-15% (depends on factory size & number of stenters) |
| Steam optimization | At the infrastructure or process level, steam is used excessively and inefficiently. | Can require significant engineering work and change management. | 10-30% |
It is tempting to focus on the end game, electrification, to advance as quickly as possible. But sequencing is important, and electrification is not globally possible in the short term. As we pilot technologies at the utility scale and move towards partial electrification where we can, all factories should implement thermal load-reducing solutions.
