Energy–exergy analysis and optimisation of a model sugar factory in Turkey

This study is related to the energy and exergy analysis of a model sugar factory in Turkey. In this study, energy efficiency issue in food industries are investigated within a general context to provide energy saving by reducing energy – exergy losses in the sugar production process. The aim of this study is to determine the best energy and exergy efficiency with the mass and energy balances according to design parameters for a sugar factory. Energy savings that can be applied in food industries are examined. Appropriate scenarios are prepared, and optimization results are compared. As a result of thermodynamics calculations made according to the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics, energy and exergy efficiencies of a factory were calculated. Factory total energy efficiency and exergy efficiency were found to be 72.2% and 37.4%, respectively, and according to these results, energy quality was found to be 0.64. In conclusion, the current turbine power process energy and exergy efficiencies were 46.4% and 27.7%, respectively, and the optimized turbine power process energy and exergy efficiencies were 48.7% and 31.7%, respectively. This study performs an attitude to the problem of exergy optimization of the turbine power plant. An overall assessment of the energy and exergy efficiency calculations is performed and is focused on how they should be. - Highlights: • The energy and exergy efficiency of a sugar plant depends more on steam than process. • Energy and exergy efficiencies of a factory increase when the turbine power increases, as in a sugar factory. • Statistical analysis demonstrates the precision of data. • Thermoeconomic analysis of the energy and exergy efficiency of the Çumra Sugar Integrated Plant is performed.