The chemical site electrification framework
A staged engineering method for converting chemical process heat from gas to power without betting the site
A six step engineering method for electrifying chemical process heat: map demand by temperature, reduce it, match technologies to temperature bands, solve the power supply and spark spread questions, engineer for ATEX and Seveso constraints, and verify every phase to IPMVP.
What is inside
- Map heat by temperature, not fuelThe framework starts with a temperature duty curve for the whole site. Around 30% of chemical sector process heat sits below 200 °C, and knowing exactly which of your loads are in that band defines the realistic electrification prize.
- Shrink demand before converting itSteam system assessments typically uncover 10 to 15% savings, and column optimisation credibly cuts individual reboiler duty by 5 to 15%. Every megawatt removed is a megawatt you never have to electrify or buy grid capacity for.
- Match technology to temperature bandHeat pumps below 100 °C, high temperature heat pumps and MVR between 100 and 200 °C, electrode boilers for flexibility. The framework sets out the selection logic, the spark spread economics and the COP arithmetic that makes or breaks each case.
- Engineer for ATEX from day oneZone classification, equipment certification, Seveso process safety review and turnaround sequencing are designed in at concept stage. The result is a costed, phased roadmap where each step stands on its own business case.
Most chemical sites now carry a decarbonisation target. Far fewer carry an engineering route to it. Electrification studies stall for predictable reasons: a like for like boiler swap fails the business case at current power prices, ATEX constraints surface late and kill the layout, or the grid connection turns out to be the real project. This framework exists to prevent all three.
It sets out the staged method EM3 uses on operating chemical sites, where process heat dominates the energy bill. US DOE analysis puts steam systems alone at about half of the energy used in chemicals and refining, and around 30% of the sector’s process heat sits below 200 °C, the band that high temperature heat pumps and mechanical vapour recompression can serve today.
What the framework covers
- Building a site heat map by temperature band, with fuel separated from feedstock
- Demand reduction first: steam systems, condensate recovery, pinch analysis and distillation optimisation
- Technology selection by band: heat pumps, MVR, electrode boilers and hybrids
- Spark spread economics, tariff modelling and grid capacity planning
- ATEX and Seveso constraints engineered in from concept stage
- Sequencing a phased roadmap with stage gates tied to verified performance
- Measurement and verification to IPMVP, so each phase underwrites the next
Who it is for
Site energy managers, process engineering leads and HSE directors at fine, speciality and intermediate chemical sites who need to turn a corporate net zero commitment into a sequence of individually bankable projects. It is written by engineers who deliver this work inside hazardous areas and turnaround windows, and it assumes you would rather see the arithmetic than the adjectives. No prior electrification work on site is assumed.
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