Thermal Engineering

Thermal processes occupy a central place in many industrial sectors, whether it is energy production, the valorization of biomass and waste, combustion installations, industrial furnaces or heating networks. Their design and operation involve major challenges in terms of process safety, energy performance, regulatory compliance and control of environmental impacts.

At ZEnergy Consulting, we support manufacturers, operators and project developers in analyzing, securing, and optimizing their thermal installations. Our expertise covers the entire project life cycle, from feasibility studies and risk analyzes to commissioning, operation and continuous improvement.

Our interventions extend to a wide range of thermal installations, including pyrogasification units, Domestic and hazardous waste incineration plants, heat treatment furnaces for metallurgical And nuclear industries, combustion installations, industrial boilers, heat recovery systems and heating networks. We also support processes using fluids or equipment subject to strong thermal constraints, by providing our expertise in process safety, regulatory compliance and performance optimization.

Our objective is to help you develop safe, efficient installations that comply with regulatory requirements and are adapted to the challenges of the energy transition.

Pyrogasification

Pyrogasification constitutes an advanced technology for energy and material recovery from waste and biomass. The performance and reliability of these installations are based on rigorous control of processes, functional engineering and commissioning phases.

We support manufacturers and project developers in the design, validation and commissioning of pyrogasification units, from functional studies to performance tests.

Our areas of intervention:

Review and validation of functional analyses of the different process packages (gasifier, oxidizer, boiler, smoke treatment and utilities)
Carrying out a global functional analysis of the overall installation
Development of process process diagrams (PFD)
Development of Cause & Effect (C&E) matrices
Design of control-command and safety logic
Preparation of commissioning plans and test protocols
Organization of regulatory and functional tests (PED, hydraulic tests, control and safety loops)
Support for the first fire, refractory dryout, boil-out and passivation of equipment
Writing operation and maintenance manuals
Updating and validating technical documentation
Compliance check of P&ID and isometric plans

Benefits sought

Securing the start-up and commissioning phases
Improved availability and reliability of installations
Reduction of technical and operational risks
Optimization of energy and environmental performance
Regulatory compliance of equipment and processes
Control of operating and maintenance costs

Our Industrial Successes

⚡ Turnaround of an Energy Transition Project: Biomass & Cogeneration

The Challenge: Act as a project engineer consultant at EPC Le Gaz Intégral to unblock a strategic project for a biomass gasification (processing animal meal) and electricity production plant (ATEMAX in St Langis-Lès-Mortagne, Normandy). The project was critically delayed by two years, mainly due to complex technical obstacles.

The Impact: I audited the entire design and restructured the engineering of the interfaces between the functional islands to put the project back on operational track:

Alignment & System Engineering: Review and validation of the functional analyzes of each package (gasifier, oxidizer, energy recovery boiler, flue gas treatment, steam turbine) and development of the global functional analysis of the plant (PFD, cause and effect matrices, control logic diagrams), coordination of the programming of the DCS system, as well as verification of the conformity of the isometric plans with the process diagrams (P&ID).
Planning of Commissioning and Performance test: Complete design of the start-up program, including hydrostatic tests of pressure equipment (boiler, pipes), safety loops, the delicated procedure for 1st fire,refractory lining dryout, boil-out and passivation, steam blowing, as well as the performance test.
Operating Deliverables: Writing global operating manuals (O&M) and updating technical documentation to ensure a seamless handover to operating teams.

The Results: Complete resolution of interface conflicts and removal of uncertainties on key procedures (clarification and parallelization of start/stop sequences). My intervention made it possible to secure the trajectory towards the first fire milestone. The end user now has a global and clear vision of the operation of the unit and the steps required for acceptance of the plant after its commissioning.

🔥 Optimization of Combustion & Durability of Refractory Materials

The Challenge: Premature degradation of the refractory materials of the hazardous waste incineration rotary kiln led to significant operating losses and high recurring maintenance costs.

The Impact: As an expert in refractory materials, I co-led an international multidisciplinary task force. We have improved material selection, detailed engineering, quality control of material implementation and drying, as well as combustion control in daily operation.

The Results: A significant improvement of asset profitability. This standardization of good practices has made it possible to reduce purchasing costs by 20% and of reduce operating losses linked to breakdowns by 30%, generating a direct financial impact of 2 million euros per year for the group.