Sustainability
Heat treatment thermal loop solutions provide several sustainability benefits, including reduced energy consumption and waste. The power controller regulates the power output to minimize energy waste, and the possible integration with renewable energy sources and circular economy principles provide a complete power solution that spans from element design to recycling and renewables. The thermal loop solutions, in combination with insulation design and materials, provide energy-efficient solutions that contribute to sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of heat treatment processes.
When discussing these systems in the context of greenhouse gas emissions and their environmental impact, it is essential to consider Scopes 1, 2 and 3, as well as the less common Scope 4:
Scope 1 (Direct Emissions): Heat treatment processes often involve the combustion of fossil fuels like natural gas, propane or oil to generate heat. These direct emissions are attributed to the equipment used in the heat treatment process, such as furnaces and ovens. Efforts to reduce Scope 1 emissions include upgrading to more efficient equipment or adopting alternative heating technologies, like induction or electric heating systems.
Scope 2 (Indirect Emissions from Energy): In heat treatment processes and thermal loop systems, electricity is often used to power various components, such as pumps, fans and control systems. The emissions associated with generating this electricity are considered Scope 2 emissions. To reduce Scope 2 emissions, companies can improve energy efficiency, invest in
renewable energy sources or purchase green energy from their utility provider.
Scope 3 (Other Indirect Emissions): These emissions are associated with activities throughout the value chain of heat treatment applications and thermal loop systems, such as the manufacturing and transporting of raw materials, equipment and waste management. Companies can work to reduce Scope 3 emissions by collaborating with suppliers to improve the environmental performance of their products and services, optimizing transportation and logistics and implementing waste reduction strategies.
Scope 4 (Avoided Emissions): In heat treatment applications and thermal loop systems, avoided emissions may come from implementing energy efficient technologies, waste heat recovery systems or other innovative solutions that reduce overall energy consumption and associated emissions. By quantifying these avoided emissions, companies can showcase the positive impact of their sustainability efforts on reducing their carbon footprint. Avoided emissions can also be highlighted when subcontracting heat treatment requirements to a more energy-efficient source rather than running a captive operation. In this approach, the heat treatment process is outsourced to an external, specialized heat treatment service provider, especially if the in-house equipment is due to be lightly utilized. These service providers operate independent heat treatment facilities and offer services to multiple clients across various industries and generally run 24x7 with high utilization.
Heater design is also essential. Switching time impacts heater life with fast, modern switching modes (hybrid firing) significantly extending heater life compared to slower switching from conventional mechanical contactors.
Systems can be rapidly tested, simulated and modeled through computational engineering. Several thermal loop systems today have improved temperature uniformity due to these methods.
Watlow’s Adaptive Thermal Systems® (ATS™) technologies are the next frontier of thermal loop solutions. Rather than selecting the best-of-breed components, sometimes with overlapping functionality and kitting a complete solution – ATS provides a merged design between heater and control systems. ATS is already in place in several semiconductor applications, and this type of technology is looking to scale into heat treatment applications shortly.
Download the complete white paper: Thermal Loop Solutions: A Path to Improved Performance, Sustainability and Compliance in Heat Treatment