EPIXC integrates process modeling and optimization into every industry sector’s RD&D strategy to drive the adoption of electric heating technologies. By improving our understanding of physical phenomena, modeling will enable next-generation process synthesis, efficient scale-up and seamless integration of electric and hybrid heating. It will also streamline offline and online optimization, enhance predictive control and operator assistance and leverage crucial analyses like TEA, LCA, and scenario evaluations for electrification integration. 

Model-based process simulation and optimization can significantly reduce the time and resources needed when using expensive plant trials to evaluate the impact of different electrification and hybrid strategies. As of now, there are few validated and widely available models that describe the impact of electric and hybrid process heating in the EPIXC key application areas, particularly at the level of the entire process flow. Motivated by this, EPIXC will support the development of multiscale process models at different fidelity levels to capture the complexity of continuous, semi-batch and batch operations, startups and shutdowns. These models will be used for integrated process design, scheduling and control strategies for incorporating the spatio-temporal variability in energy supply that would affect the integration of various electric heating technologies in all key application areas of EPIXC. This will help to accelerate and de-risk the adoption of electric and hybrid process heating.



At the same time, the large-scale adoption of electric and hybrid process heating will have a significant impact on the operation of the power grid. Models and tools to analyze the impact of large loads including electric heating on the grid (cumulative power quality analysis, grid stability analysis) will be pursued, along with tools for flexible scheduling of production in ways that assist the operation of the grid.