Recovering low-temperature waste heat and converting it into electricity
Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - 08:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Heat loss is one of the main challenges in power production—whether from conventional or renewable sources. The trouble is that the wasted energy often stems from limitations of the power conversion process. In a typical gas or coal-fired power plant, about 40% to 50% of the input energy from the fuel is wasted as heat. In a typical combustion engine, the loss is even larger: almost 65% is lost in exhaust gases and in the engine cooling circuit. In industrial processes, a lot of heat is also wasted under the form of hot fumes or liquids.