Processes of energy recovery / energy valorization at low temperature levels. State of the art

Summary

Optimising the energy consumption of an industrial facility is now an integral part of any good site management process. In this context, the use of previously unexploited thermal waste (waste heat) needs to be studied. This work is part of this approach. It provides the information needed to study the optimisation of waste heat at low temperatures (< 200°C). It begins with a detailed review of the sources of low-temperature heat energy available from waste recovery systems. This review identifies the sources, temperature levels, exergy
content and potential "receivers". This is followed by an international technical review of the technologies available or under development for heat transfer (exchangers, etc.), increasing the temperature level of waste, producing cold and converting this energy into electricity. These reviews are supplemented by case studies, selected from the field of waste-to-energy conversion, aimed at assessing the applicability of the processes presented above.