A valuable alternative approach to improving overall efficiency is to capture and reuse the lost or “waste” heat that is intrinsic to many manufacturing processes. Depending on the project, significant savings can be achieved from the inclusion of a simple heat exchanger into a system. However, Uniquip have found cases where clients could save tens of millions of dollars per year by incorporating a properly designed waste heat recovery system into their existing process.

Common sources of waste heat include:

• Gas turbines
• Reciprocating engines
• Thermal oxidisers
• Furnaces
• Incinerators
• Kilns
• Ovens
• Dryers
• Exothermic processes
• Condensers (energy can be upgraded using thermo-compressors)

Common consumers of waste heat:

• Regeneration gas heating
• Combustion air pre-heat
• Boiler feedwater (economisers)
• Steam production
• ORC generators
• Building comfort heat
• Wash water pre-heat
• General process heat
• Hot oil heating
• Hot water heating

If you’re not sure whether your system would benefit from a waste heat recovery system, Uniquip can also perform feasibility studies to put a defined value on prospective heat recovery projects.