Facility-level estimates of demand for industrial process heat in California

Abstract The industrial sector in the U.S, contributes to 23% of the nation’s annual emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, generated for process heat end-use, and process emissions, produced as a byproduct of industrial processes. The demand for industrial process heat is not well quantified, as it varies across industries, processes, fluid media (steam/combustion gases), temperature requirements, and over time. Decisions regarding future technologies, processes, and fuels that can meet industrial heat demand in an economically viable manner while minimizing the environmental and social negative consequences associated with industrial heat require such information. In this work, we develop a method to estimate heat demand for industrial facilities and apply it to 120 facilities (representing 39 manufacturing industries) in California. We find that 27 out of 46 million metric tons of CO2 emitted by California’s manufacturing industries originate from the production of heat. Petroleum refining and oil/gas extraction sites account for 72% of these emissions. Over 85% of California’s industrial heat demand requires temperatures below 600 °C, thus holding some potential for electrification.