White paper from Watlow presents systems approach to electrification

Amidst the huge push for electrification across various industries and transport sectors alike as part of the global decarbonisation drive, thermal technology innovator Watlow has released a white paper to help companies unlock the electrification potential.

As Watlow acknowledges and explains in its white paper, now available via gasworld, the path for various industries to ‘go electric’ is paved with challenges – the solutions to which can also be elusive.

Users cannot simply ‘swap out’ gas-fired heaters for electric heaters, for example, without also considering the size, location and connectivity of the control panel that will regulate those electric heaters. These considerations will, in turn, have a bearing on how and when the system needs to be maintained, how long downtime lasts, and what the prospects are for future expansion.

This is a prime example of how taking a systems approach to the thermal loop could not only provide the solution, but truly unlock the decarbonisation potential.

Watlow’s new white paper, titled An Example of a Systems Approach at Work to Solve Electrification Challenges at Scale, gets into the detail behind these challenges and the benefit of a systems approach – including the impact on the business aspects of an industrial process, as it encourages engineers to consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) when comparing different options.

The white paper delivers insights into why:

• Industrial organisations can push decarbonisation forward by shifting process heater systems from fossil fuel-burning to electric
• Control panels are one of the most important components in the switch to electrification
• Control panels need to be designed to maximise reliability, accessibility and safety for large-scale application.

It also explains how the TCO of a WATCONNECT panel from Watlow is significantly less than both a third-party control panel and a gas-fired system without a control panel.

For more information and how to download the new white paper, visit www.gasworld.com/white-papers.