Energy Mapping and Waste Heat Utilization Potential in Industrial Drying: A Gypsum Board Production Facility

Objective/short description

The objective of this thesis is to perform energy mapping and evaluate the waste heat recovery potential in the gypsum board drying process as part of the MVR4G-DRY project, which aims to decarbonize industrial drying through heat pump integration. The work will involve case study analysis of a real gypsum board production facility currently using gas-fired dryers. The results will provide input for future heat pump system design and modeling.

Background

The drying sector is one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes, consuming between 13 and 35 TWh annually in Sweden. Drying is a crucial step in gypsum board production, where the manufacturing of a single board requires approximately 8 kWh/m² (equivalent to 24 kWh for a standard 3 m² board). Of this, about 67% (16 kWh/m²) is used for the drying stage alone. Consequently, the energy demand to support the EU gypsum board market, projected to exceed 3,400 million m² by the end of 2025, is substantial.

Currently, natural gas burners are the predominant technology for supplying heat in gypsum board dryers. While effective, this approach leads to high CO₂ emissions and results in a significant amount of high-temperature waste heat.

The MVR4G-DRY project aims to replace conventional gas burners with highly efficient heat pump technologies, capable of utilizing the available waste heat as a heat source. This approach has the potential to reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and CO₂ emissions by up to 50%. The MVR4G-DRY system employs water/steam as an eco-friendly refrigerant and integrates an n-pentane heat pump to enhance heat recovery efficiency. The project consortium includes GYPTECH AB, Knauf Sverige GmbH, RISE, and KTH.

The proposed master’s thesis will focus on mapping energy use and waste heat in the demonstration site, where the system currently operates using conventional gas burner technology. The energy mapping will provide detailed information on energy flows, waste heat potential, and temperature levels across the system. These findings will serve as valuable input for future modelling and optimization of the MVR4G-DRY heat pump system. Additionally, the thesis will include a survey and investigation of high-temperature heat pump technologies for drying applications, allowing a comparison with the proposed MVR4G-DRY solution.

Task description

The student will focus on analyzing the energy performance of the current drying process at the demonstration site, where the system presently operates with conventional gas-fired technology. The main objectives are to:

Map the energy use and losses throughout the drying process, identifying major sources of waste heat and their corresponding temperature levels.
Quantify the waste heat potential that can be utilized by future heat pump systems.
Provide input data for subsequent modelling and design of the MVR4G-DRY heat pump solution.
Conduct a literature survey on existing and emerging high-temperature heat pump technologies suitable for industrial drying applications.
Investigate emerging technologies that could be competitive to the MVR solution within the coming years.
Compare these technologies with the proposed MVR4G-DRY concept in terms efficiency and environmental performance.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this thesis project, the student will be able to:

Map and quantify energy flows and waste heat streams in complex thermal systems.
Evaluate the performance and efficiency of industrial heating and drying systems.
Understand the principles and operation of high-temperature heat pumps and their integration in industrial processes.
Assess the environmental and economic impacts of replacing fossil-based heating technologies with heat pump systems.
Communicate technical findings effectively in written and oral form to both academic and industrial audiences.