Impact of the chlorine value chain on the demand response potential of the chloralkali process

Abstract

Renewable sources of energy supply an increasing share to the electricity mix although they show much more fluctuations than conventional energy sources. Hence, net stability and availability represent very large challenges. Demand response can positively contribute to the solution of this issue as large electricity consumers adapt their consumption to the available electricity. In the past, chloralkali electrolysis has been suggested as such a large consumer. Unfortunately, its main product, chlorine, cannot be easily stored in large amounts, so that downstream processes have to operate based on a fluctuating feed. This work reviews the processes within the chlorine value chain, determines the most promising ones for flexibilisation based on their chlorine consumption, and analyses these processes in more detail to assign them to one of four flexibility categories. It is shown that 45% of the theoretical potential could be used for demand response right away.