Exergy-based indicators to evaluate the possibilities to reduce fuel consumption in lime production

A new way to evaluate the energetic performance of lime shaft kilns is proposed. Two new exergy-based indicators are introduced for the evaluation, one to assess the exergy efficiency of limekilns and the other indicator to assess the effectiveness of the exergy consumption of the dissociation reaction. The combination of both indicators provides a clear picture of the energetic performance of the process, highlighting the main potentialities for fuel saving (fuel consumption represents about 50% of total production costs).