Energy Performance of Italian Oil Refineries Based on Mandatory Energy Audits

Abstract

Petroleum products account for the 32.3% of worldwide primary energy. There are more than 100 oil refineries in Europe that directly employ 119,000 people with a turnover of EUR 600 billion and around 1.2% to the total value added in manufacturing. Therefore, the petroleum refining sector is very important in the European economy, and its decarbonization is crucial in the energy transition. Refineries present a high degree of complexity and integration, and the continuous increase of their energy efficiency is a key topic for the sector. In this work an analysis of the energy efficiency in ten Italian refineries based on mandatory energy audits and public data is presented. The primary (0.0963 ± 0.0341 toe/t), thermal (3421.71 ± 1316.84 MJ/t), and electrical (68.20 ± 19.34 kWh/t) specific energy consumptions have been evaluated. Some insights about the impact of refined products mix (mainly driven by production of diesel fuel) and Nelson Complexity Index in energy consumption are presented. Lastly, an overview of energy performance improvement actions (EPIAs) information extracted from energy audits is presented. This work presents a first step for the benchmark of Italian refineries that should be subsequently improved.

Energy Audit as an Instrument to Tackle Internal Barriers to Energy Efficiency: Lessons from Moroccan Industrial Firms

“…In this regard, the energy efficiency directive in the UE requires large companies within the most energy intensive sectors to undergo mandatory energy audits [56] (Nabitz and Hirzel, 2019). Mandatory energy audits are important to enhance energy performances of industrial firms, particularly the ones within the most energy intensive sectors [57] (Herce et al, 2022). The adoption of mandatory energy audits is also crucial for large companies within the industrial sector [58] (Locmelis et al, 2020).…”

Special Issue “Industry and Tertiary Sectors towards Clean Energy Transition”

“…The increased attention on energy efficiency, both at the national and international levels, has fostered the diffusion and development of specific energy consumption benchmarks for most relevant economic sectors. In this Special Issue, several articles examine energy consumption and the energy efficiency potential at sectoral level [1][2][3][4]. Energy audits (EAs) provide comprehensive information about the energy usage in a specific facility, identifying and quantifying cost-effective energy performance improvement actions (EPIAs).…”

“…At member-state level, the database associated with mandatory energy audits could represent an important information basis to develop in-depth studies on energy consumption, energy performance indicators (EnPIs) and EPIAs. Basing on the database provided by mandatory EAs for large and energy-intensive enterprises in Italy (Legislative Decree 102/2014), Bruni et al [4] developed a methodology to obtain energy consumption and energy-performance indicators, whereas Herce et al [2] define a set of indicators to analyse EPIAs and the link between them and energy-consumption monitoring. The studies at sectoral level use the EAs information basis in different ways, and from different perspectives; moreover, two sectors are analysed using the methodology described in [4].…”

“…The implementation of monitoring tools and energy-management systems (EnMSs) supports companies in their long-term energyefficiency strategies and in the analysis of the effectiveness of EPIAs. Herce et al [2] analyse the link between EnMSs (specifically ISO 50001) and EAs in the EED Article 8 implementation in two industrial and two tertiary sectors in Italy. Moreover, the impact of company size, energy-monitoring systems, and EnMSs on planned and/or implemented EPIAs is analysed.…”

The analysis of the energy index and the application of equivalent distillation productivity as criteria for identification of the energy efficiency of a petroleum refinery

“…Attempts to compare operating oil refineries with different productivity and technology have been made in research (Gary et al 2007;Riazi et al 2013;Kaiser 2017;Herce et al 2022). These studies are based on the work of Nelson (1976a), who established the proportional relationship between the technological complexity of oil-refining processes and the amount of capital investment required for their implementation.…”