Improving the Efficiency of Bakery Ovens: Case Study

The Carbon Trust’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator identified bakery ovens as a priority area for innovation to reduce industry carbon emissions. Gas flow through ovens is currently not optimised for efficiency, and to test the potential for improvement, the Carbon Trust conducted two trials with Campden BRI and Spooner Industries. The trials measured gas volumes produced during baking, both from combustion and from the product itself, and the effect on oven efficiency of improved management of flue gas. Analysis shows that dynamically matching exhaust fans to the volume of gases produced within the oven could provide savings of 4.7%. This could save £14,000 per site per year, with payback times varying from one to five years depending on the condition of the existing oven.