Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis

Sugar cane is one of the most important industrial crops, providing vital products such as sugar, molasses, and bagasse. The bagasse serves as the primary fuel in cogeneration systems. This paper investigates the energy and exergy efficiencies of the entire sugar production process at the Edfu Sugar...

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Main Authors: Mostafa Abouelsoud, Mohamed Y. Khalil, Ramadan Hefny Ali, Hussein M. Maghrabie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X24016538
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author Mostafa Abouelsoud
Mohamed Y. Khalil
Ramadan Hefny Ali
Hussein M. Maghrabie
author_facet Mostafa Abouelsoud
Mohamed Y. Khalil
Ramadan Hefny Ali
Hussein M. Maghrabie
author_sort Mostafa Abouelsoud
collection DOAJ
description Sugar cane is one of the most important industrial crops, providing vital products such as sugar, molasses, and bagasse. The bagasse serves as the primary fuel in cogeneration systems. This paper investigates the energy and exergy efficiencies of the entire sugar production process at the Edfu Sugar Factory in Egypt, including raw juice production, juice heating, evaporation, crystallization, and the performance of boilers, turbines, and de-superheaters. Utilizing actual operational data, the analysis identifies significant energy losses, with the raw juice production (RJP) process experiencing the highest loss at 58,959 kW, followed closely by the boilers at 52,111 kW. As well, the results indicate that boilers account for 78.38 % of the total exergy destruction in the system, revealing critical inefficiencies. Moreover, the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are 87.15 % and 66.45 %, respectively. To address inefficiencies, two modifications were proposed: replacing mechanical turbines in RJP process with direct current (DC) motors, boosting power output by 5500 kW, providing 2000 kW for grid export, and saving 163,200 $ annually; and reducing bagasse moisture by 42 % using flue gas waste heat, increasing boiler exergy efficiency by 3.82 % and overall system efficiency by 3.38 %, saving 29,376 tons of bagasse annually, valued at 763,776 $. This study is novel in its comprehensive analysis of the entire sugarcane production process at the sugar factory, offering practical solutions to mitigate high energy losses and inefficiencies. It provides valuable insights for similar industrial settings, where energy conservation is critical for both economic viability and environmental sustainability.
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spelling doaj-art-a65e938b0ba5487f819ac656c608cf202025-08-20T02:44:46ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-01-016510562210.1016/j.csite.2024.105622Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysisMostafa Abouelsoud0Mohamed Y. Khalil1Ramadan Hefny Ali2Hussein M. Maghrabie3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt; Corresponding author.Sugar Company, EgyptPaper Industry , QPIC EgyptDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt; Corresponding author.Sugar cane is one of the most important industrial crops, providing vital products such as sugar, molasses, and bagasse. The bagasse serves as the primary fuel in cogeneration systems. This paper investigates the energy and exergy efficiencies of the entire sugar production process at the Edfu Sugar Factory in Egypt, including raw juice production, juice heating, evaporation, crystallization, and the performance of boilers, turbines, and de-superheaters. Utilizing actual operational data, the analysis identifies significant energy losses, with the raw juice production (RJP) process experiencing the highest loss at 58,959 kW, followed closely by the boilers at 52,111 kW. As well, the results indicate that boilers account for 78.38 % of the total exergy destruction in the system, revealing critical inefficiencies. Moreover, the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are 87.15 % and 66.45 %, respectively. To address inefficiencies, two modifications were proposed: replacing mechanical turbines in RJP process with direct current (DC) motors, boosting power output by 5500 kW, providing 2000 kW for grid export, and saving 163,200 $ annually; and reducing bagasse moisture by 42 % using flue gas waste heat, increasing boiler exergy efficiency by 3.82 % and overall system efficiency by 3.38 %, saving 29,376 tons of bagasse annually, valued at 763,776 $. This study is novel in its comprehensive analysis of the entire sugarcane production process at the sugar factory, offering practical solutions to mitigate high energy losses and inefficiencies. It provides valuable insights for similar industrial settings, where energy conservation is critical for both economic viability and environmental sustainability.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X24016538EnergyExergySugar cane factoryCogeneration systemExergy destruction improvement
spellingShingle Mostafa Abouelsoud
Mohamed Y. Khalil
Ramadan Hefny Ali
Hussein M. Maghrabie
Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Energy
Exergy
Sugar cane factory
Cogeneration system
Exergy destruction improvement
title Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
title_full Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
title_fullStr Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
title_full_unstemmed Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
title_short Performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
title_sort performance assessment of a cogeneration system in a sugar cane factory using energy and exergy analysis
topic Energy
Exergy
Sugar cane factory
Cogeneration system
Exergy destruction improvement
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X24016538
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AT ramadanhefnyali performanceassessmentofacogenerationsysteminasugarcanefactoryusingenergyandexergyanalysis
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