Taking advantage of waste heat to generate electricity

The high and rising energy costs, as well as the need to reduce CO2 emissions, have increased the interest in solutions that minimize energy losses and make possible the use of waste heat, currently scientists and organizations charged with the protection of the environment, are in a race against the clock, to make the production of electricity cleaner for the planet and for us, since there are countries in which electric power generation is mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels, that causes the generation of gases harmful to health, such as CO2 and greenhouse gases.

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The ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) technology allows energy recovery using residual heat to produce additional electricity. This supposes an improvement of the energetic performance and increases the complement of energetic efficiency of all the installation by a greater thermal aprovechamiento of the installation, deriving in short periods of return and high rates of profitability. It allows to sell or use the electricity generated to self-supply the electric power consumer, making the system independent of the network.

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We will analyze a little better and in more detail the concept of ORC:

Organic Rankine Cycle machines (ORC) work according to the principle of heat recovery; the difference is that the ORC uses an organic and specific working fluid, replacing water.
Advantages of the ORC are:

• Electricity can be generated with heat sources at low temperatures above 90 ° C.
• They have a high performance. Thanks to the use of fluids of high volumetric mass, electric power can be generated and efficient even for small power
• They have a high reliability. When using dry fluids with an expansion that never creates drops, which limits the risks of corrosion in turbines
• ORC plants can produce electricity from the recovery of waste heat.
• Generation ranges range from 200kW to 15 MW electric.

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Source supplies for the ORC

• Gases: combustion engines, leaks from cement kilns or steelworks, incinerator leaks.
• Liquids: refinery circuits, liquid cooling in industrial processes or reciprocating engines.
• Condensates: condensate vapor, process steam and cooling circuit vapor.
• An ORC motor can generate between 200 kWe and 15 MWe for which it requires a minimum thermal input of 1.2 MWt.

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The direct applications are the use of heat dissipated in energy-intensive industries, such as the use of exhaust gases in engines and turbines of large cogeneration, biomass combustion, drying processes, availability of thermal hot water, geothermal energy. , solar ... In any case, industrial processes, cogeneration, ..., more electricity is produced without consuming more fuel. For example, in cogeneration plants with gas turbines the electrical performance can be raised to values ​​close to 50%.
In no case is a water treatment system required or forced to overheat to avoid unwanted condensation as in the case of steam plants.

ORC Beneficial for the environment.

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The implementation of the ORCs in the combustion engines helps to reduce the emissions of polluting gases and greenhouse gases, which undoubtedly affect the planet, and which is a subject of discussion at present.

I want to thank all the dear readers, who take the time to read this post, I hope you like it and leave your opinion.

without further ado, I say goodbye, again grateful to you.

For more information on this topic, visit these pages:
http://www.lancea.es/soluciones-produccion-electricidad/calor-residual/
http://zitroneenergy.com/ciclo_organico

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@jorge150785