How often do we see dense, dark fumes from factories and industries drift uselessly into the atmosphere?
This waste heat is actually free energy which must be trapped and reused. Recycling heat is quite common in Europe. Denmark gets roughly half of its electricity from recycled heat, followed by Finland at 39 percent, and Russia at 31 percent. We in India need to take a cue from them and start implementing this!
So what exactly is ‘Waste Heat’? Industrial processes anywhere involve transforming raw materials into useful products and this process results in the production of waste-heat.
If not captured and used to generate emission-free renewable-equivalent power, waste heat is released to the atmosphere through stacks, vents, flares and mechanical equipment. Waste Heat Recovery is the process of collecting waste heat and using it to fulfil a desired purpose elsewhere. It is Thermax Profetherm’s innovative technology that captures and converts this largely untapped waste heat to generate utilities such as chilled water or hot water, allowing the industrial user to put their wasted energy back into the process that created it.
Exhaust gas waste heat recovery
Waste heat recovery equipment that take heat from the exhaust gas and produces steam or hot water for use in industrial processes have been in existence for a very long time. Recent development by Thermax Profetherm’s makes it possible to recover this waste heat by means of an absorption chiller and produce chilled water for process cooling or for air conditioning.
Engine exhaust gas, micro-turbine exhaust or boiler exhausts may be used as a source of waste heat. Waste heat from steam boilers can be used to preheat boiler feed water. This same heating energy, if of sufficient quality, quantity, and regular operation, can be used for building heating as well as comfort cooling. In an absorption chiller, the waste heat drives a refrigeration cycle that provides chilled water for building air conditioning. Note this approach is more commonly associated with natural gas-fired engines & micro-turbines that regularly provide electricity for peak electrical demand.
Hot water waste heat recovery
Industrial processes generate a lot of waste heat in the form of low temperature hot water. The heat in many cases is left untapped and gets rejected to the atmosphere. Similar is the case with engine coolant water of DG sets and gas engines. Thermax Profetherm’s offers heat recovery solutions for this waste heat. With Thermax Profetherm solutions, it is possible to generate chilled water, hot water or steam from the heat drawn from hot water.
Heat recovery from industrial vapour
One of the most untapped form of heat in industries is in the form of organic and inorganic vapour generated as a result of manufacturing processes. Chemical, textiles, food processing, refinery and petrochemical industries have abundance of process vapours which is seldom tapped as a source of energy. Thermax Profetherm’s has pioneered numerous such direct and indirect heat recovery solutions and helped industries lower their energy consumption.
Benefits of Heat Recovery
Successful applications of waste heat recovery by Thermax Profetherm’s include Airports, Hospitals, Hotels and Offices as well as industrial applications including Automobile, Food and Beverage, Textiles, Chemicals, Pharmaceutical and Refinery requirements wherein the waste heat is used to run absorption chillers. Such heat recovery based cooling systems reduce the overall running cost to the end user and helps save a great deal of electricity. These heat recovery systems also improve the efficiency and viability of independent power generation projects. Heat recovery based systems usually have near zero operating costs and therefore offer very lucrative payback period. Improving the awareness of such solutions is key to lower the carbon footprint of industries and buildings.
