Support for Sustainable Planning

Upfront Benefit Calculators for Industrial Project Investments

Abstract

: Intelligent energy management is getting increasingly important for the operation of industrial processes in a globalized world and this trend is expected to continue in the future. This article shows that energy management systems will also be increasingly important for sustainable investment planning such as building or extending a site or plant. Typical investment support methods range from simple spreadsheet-based tools to accurate but resource-intensive simulation studies. However, there is often a need to compare many alternative scenarios quickly to narrow the search space early. Hence, the expectation is not to achieve the level of accuracy of comprehensive studies. Instead, the task is to be as accurate as possible using the limited data available during preliminary frontend engineering and design (preFEED). To address this challenge, a framework was developed that provides more accurate investment decisions by integrating operational aspects in the planning phase. By this, a significant increase in accuracy can be achieved, while obtaining tangible recommendations within acceptabe time. We outline the principal functionality of this framework and share our insights by means of case studies in three different industrial application domains. Finally, we describe the faced challenges and share some lessons learned.