Map a site's process heat demand by temperature band to identify candidate loads for electrification.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Electrification of Industrial Steam Generation and High-Temperature Process Heat
Guides process and utilities engineers through replacing fuel-fired boilers and furnaces with electric boilers, heat pumps and resistive heating, including grid integration and business case work.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Industrial sites that have run fuel-fired boilers and furnaces for decades are now facing a genuine alternative as electric boilers, high-temperature heat pumps and resistive heating systems mature enough for continuous process duty, but choosing the wrong technology for a given temperature and load profile wastes capital and disappoints operators. This course starts by mapping a site's actual process heat demand by temperature band, distinguishing loads that a heat pump can serve efficiently from those that need direct resistive or electrode boiler heating, and identifying processes where electrification is not yet practical. Sessions then cover the engineering detail of retrofitting steam systems around electric boilers, integrating thermal storage to manage electricity price volatility, and the grid connection studies, demand charges and power purchase agreements that determine whether the electricity supply is actually available and affordable. The course closes with business case construction, comparing capital and operating costs against the displaced fuel, including current carbon pricing and efficiency incentives, so that participants can present a defensible investment case to plant management and finance teams.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Select between electric resistance boilers, electrode boilers and high-temperature heat pumps for a given duty.
Design steam system modifications required to integrate an electric boiler into an existing distribution network.
Assess high-temperature heat pump performance limits and refrigerant choices for industrial process temperatures.
Evaluate grid connection capacity, demand charges and power purchase agreement options for new electrical load.
Size thermal energy storage to manage electricity price volatility and maintain continuous process heat supply.
Build a business case comparing electrification costs against displaced fuel, carbon pricing and incentive schemes.
Who Should Attend
Process engineers evaluating electrification options for existing steam and heat systems
Utilities and energy managers responsible for site decarbonisation roadmaps
Plant engineers specifying electric boiler or heat pump retrofit projects
Sustainability managers building investment cases for industrial electrification
Equipment suppliers advising industrial clients on electrified heat technology
Energy consultants conducting site-wide process heat decarbonisation studies
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Process Heat Demand Mapping and Technology Selection
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Mapping Process Heat Demand by Temperature Band
- Survey existing fuel-fired boilers and furnaces to record duty, temperature, pressure and load profile data.
- Segment process heat demand into temperature bands to identify which loads suit heat pumps versus direct heating.
- Identify processes with intermittent or seasonal demand that affect electrification sizing and payback assumptions.
- Flag high-temperature or specialised processes where current electrification technology is not yet practical.
Session 2Selecting Electric Boilers, Electrodes and Heat Pumps
- Compare electric resistance boilers, electrode boilers and jet boilers for capital cost and response time.
- Assess high-temperature heat pump coefficient of performance across the source and sink temperatures available on site.
- Match resistive heating and induction technologies to direct process heating applications outside steam systems.
- Evaluate hybrid configurations that retain a fuel-fired unit for peak or backup duty alongside new electric capacity.
02Engineering Integration with Existing Systems
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Retrofitting Steam Systems around Electric Boilers
- Assess existing steam header pressure and distribution requirements against new electric boiler output characteristics.
- Plan control system integration so electric and any retained fuel-fired boilers operate safely in parallel.
- Identify water treatment and blowdown implications of switching boiler technology within an existing steam plant.
- Sequence a phased retrofit that maintains process continuity during the transition to electric generation.
Session 2High-Temperature Heat Pump Integration
- Select refrigerants and cycle configurations capable of delivering the process sink temperatures required on site.
- Design heat source recovery, including waste heat streams, to maximise heat pump coefficient of performance.
- Assess retrofit constraints when integrating a heat pump into existing heat exchanger and piping layouts.
- Evaluate noise, footprint and maintenance access requirements specific to industrial heat pump installations.
03Grid Connection, Storage and Electricity Supply
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Grid Connection Studies and Demand Management
- Assess local grid capacity and the connection study process required for a significant new electrical load.
- Evaluate demand charge structures and their effect on the economics of continuous electric process heating.
- Design load management strategies that shift or curtail electric heating demand during grid stress periods.
- Coordinate connection timelines with utility upgrade schedules to avoid delaying the electrification project.
Session 2Thermal Storage and Power Procurement
- Size thermal energy storage to decouple continuous process heat supply from variable electricity pricing periods.
- Structure power purchase agreements or on-site generation to secure affordable electricity for the new load.
- Model dispatch strategies that charge thermal storage during low-price periods and discharge during peaks.
- Assess on-site renewable generation options that could supply part of the electrified process heat load.
04Business Case Development and Investment Decisions
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Cost Comparison against Displaced Fuel
- Build a levelised cost of heat comparison between the existing fuel-fired system and proposed electric alternatives.
- Incorporate current carbon pricing and emissions trading costs into the fuel-versus-electricity comparison.
- Identify efficiency and electrification incentive schemes applicable to the project's location and sector.
- Test business case sensitivity to electricity price volatility and future carbon price trajectories.
Session 2Presenting the Investment Case for Approval
- Structure a capital request that presents technical risk, payback period and emissions reduction to plant management.
- Address operational risk concerns, including reliability and maintenance skills, raised by site operations teams.
- Sequence a phased investment plan that electrifies lower-risk loads first to build organisational confidence.
- Prepare a monitoring plan that tracks actual energy costs and emissions reduction against business case assumptions.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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