WASTE HEAT

RECOVERY
DEBASHREE SENGUPTA
7TH SEMESTER ,MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BRANCH

0501227172

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION

Waste heat is heat, which is generated in a process by way of

fuel combustion or chemical reaction, and then dumped
into the environment even though it could still be reused
for some useful and economic purpose. The essential
quality of heat is not the amount but rather its value. The
strategy of how to recover this heat depends in part on the
temperature of the waste heat gases and the economics
involved.
Large quantity of hot flue gases is generated from Boilers,
Kilns, Ovens and Furnaces. If some of this waste heat
could be recovered, a considerable amount of primary fuel
could be saved. The energy lost in waste gases cannot be
fully recovered. However, much of the heat could be
recovered and thus loss is minimized

WASTE HEAT SOURCE AND QUALITY

S. No

Source of Waste Heat

Quality of Waste Heat

Heat in flue gases

The higher the temperature, the greater the

potential value for heat recovery

Heat in vapour streams

As above but when condensed, latent heat

also recoverable

Convective & radiant heat lost

from exterior of equipment

Low grade if collected may be used for

space heating or air preheats

Heat losses in cooling water

Low grade useful gains if heat is

exchanged with incoming fresh water

Heat losses in providing

chilled water or in the
disposal of chilled water

1.High grade if it can be

Heat stored in products

leaving the process

Quality depends upon temperature

Heat in gaseous & liquid

effluents leaving process

Poor if heavily contaminated & thus requiring

alloy heat exchanger

utilized to reduce
demand for refrigeration
2.Low grade if refrigeration unit used as a
form of Heat pump

HIGH TEMPERATURE HEAT

RECOVERY
Types of Devices
Nickel refining furnace

Temperature (0C)
1370 1650

Aluminum refining furnace

650 760

Zinc refining furnace

760 1100

Copper refining furnace

760 815

Steel heating furnace

925 1050

Copper reverberatory furnace

900 1100

Open hearth furnace

650 700

Cement kiln (Dry process)

620 730

Glass melting furnace

1000 1550

Hydrogen plants

650 1000

Solid waste incinerators

650 1000

Fume incinerators

650 1450

MEDIUM TEMPERATURE HEAT

RECOVERY
Types of Devices

Temperature (0C)

Steam boiler exhaust

230 480

Gas turbine exhaust

370 540

Reciprocating engine exhaust

315 600

Reciprocating engine exhaust (turbo charged)

230 370

Heat treatment furnace

425 650

Drying & baking ovens

230 600

Catalytic crackers

425 650

Annealing furnace cooling systems

425 650

Commercial waste heat recovery

Devices

RECUPERATORS-metallic radiation, convective, radiation/ convective hybrid,

ceramic
REGENARETORS
HEAT WHEELS
HEAT PIPE
ECONOMIZER
PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

RECUPERATOR
Heat exchange
between flue gases
and air through
metallic/ceramic walls

Inlet air from

atmosphere

Ducts/tubes carry
combustion air for
preheating

Exhaust gas
from process

CERAMIC RECUPERATOR

Less temperature limitations:

Operation on gas side up to 1550 C

Operation on preheated air side to 815 C

New designs

Air preheat temperatures <700 C

Lower leakage rates

Centre tube plate

Outside
ducting

Preheated
air
Tune plate

METALLIC RADIATION
RECUPERATORS
Simplest recuperator

Two metal tubes

Less fuel is burned

per furnace load

Heat transfer
mostly by radiation

CONVECTIVE AND HYBRID

RECUPERATORS

CONVECTIVE
RECUPERATORS
The hot gases are carried through a
number of parallel small diameter
tubes, while the incoming air that is
to be heated enters a shell
surrounding the tubes and passes
over the hot tubes one or more times
in a direction normal to their axes

HYBRID RECUPERATORS

Combinations of radiation &

convection
More effective heat transfer
More expensive but less bulky
than simple metallic radiation
recuperators

REGENERATORS AND HEAT

WHEELS

REGENERATORS

Large capacities

Glass and steel melting furnaces

Heat transfer in old regenerators

reduced by
Dust & slagging on surfaces
heat losses from the walls

HEAT WHEELS
Porous disk rotating between
two side-by-side ducts
Low to medium temperature
waste heat recovery systems
Heat transfer efficiency up to 85
%

HEAT PIPE

Transfer up to 100 times more

thermal energy than copper
Three elements:
- sealed container
- capillary wick structure
- working fluid

Works with evaporation

and condensation

PERFORMANCE AND ADVANTAGE

Lightweight and compact
No need for mechanical maintenance,
input power, cooling water and lubrication
systems

Lowers the fan horsepower requirement

and increases the overall thermal efficiency
of the system

Can operate at 315 C with 60% to 80%

heat recovery

Process to space heating- Transfers

thermal energy from process exhaust for
building heating

PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

Parallel plates forming a thin flow pass

Avoids high cost of heat exchange
surfaces
Corrugated plates to improve heat transfer
When directions of hot and cold fluids are
opposite, the arrangement is counter
current

Run around coil exchanger

Heat transfer from

hot to colder fluid
via heat transfer
fluid

One coil in hot

stream

One coil in cold

stream

WATER TUBE BOILER

Water tube boiler: hot exhaust gases

pass over parallel tubes with water

Waste heat boilers are ordinarily water

tube boilers in which the hot exhaust
gases from gas turbines, incinerators,
etc pass over a number of parallel
tubes that contain water. The water is
vaporized in the tubes and collected in
a steam drum from which it is drawn
off for use as heating or processing
steam.

ECONOMIZER

Utilize the flue gas heat for pre-heating

the boiler feed water
1% fuel savings if

60 C rise of feed water

200 C rise in combustion air temp

SHELL AND TUBE ECONOMIZERS

Used when the medium

containing
waste heat is a liquid or a vapor that
heats another liquid

Shell contains the tube bundle,

and usually internal baffles to
direct the fluid
Vapor contained within the shell

ASSESMENT OF WASTE HEAT

RECOVERY
Saving money by recovering heat from hot waste water:

Q = V x x Cp x T

Q = heat content in kCal

V = the flow rate of the substance in m3/hr
= density of the flue gas in kg/m3
Cp = the specific heat of the substance in
kCal/kg oC
T = the temperature difference in oC
Cp (Specific heat of flue gas) = 0.24 kCal/kg/oC

Discharge of the waste water is 10000 kg/hr at 75C

Preheat 10000 kg/hr of cold inlet water of 20C
A heat recovery factor of 58%
An operation of 5000 hours per year

The annual heat saving (Q) is:

= m x Cp x T x

HEAT SAVING CALCULATION

EXAMPLE
m
Cp
T

=
=
=
=

10000 kg/hr = 10000 x 5000 kg/yr = 50000000 kg/year

1 kCal/kg C
(75 20) C = 55 C
Heat Recovery Factor = 58% or 0.58

= 50000000 x 1 x 55 x 0.58
= 1595000000 kCal/year

CV of Oil = 10,200 kCal/kg

Equivalent Oil Savings = 159500000 / 10200 = 156372 L

Cost of Oil = 0.35 USD/L

Monetary Savings = 54730 USD/Annum

CONCLUSION
Benefits of Waste Heat Recovery
Benefits of waste heat recovery can be broadly classified in two categories:
Direct Benefits:
Recovery of waste heat has a direct effect on the efficiency of the process. This is
reflected by reduction in the utility consumption & costs, and process cost.

Indirect Benefits:
a) Reduction in pollution: A number of toxic combustible wastes such as carbon
monoxide gas, sour gas, carbon black off gases, oil sludge, Acrylonitrile and other
plastic chemicals etc, releasing to atmosphere if/when burnt in the incinerators serves
dual purpose i.e. recovers heat and reduces the environmental pollution levels.

b) Reduction in equipment sizes : Waste heat recovery reduces the fuel

consumption, which leads to reduction in the flue gas produced. This results in
reduction in equipment sizes of all flue gas handling equipments such as fans, stacks,
ducts, burners, etc.

c) Reduction in auxiliary energy consumption : Reduction in equipment sizes gives

additional benefits in the form of reduction in auxiliary energy consumption like
electricity for fans, pumps etc..

THANK
YOU