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We can monetize your waste heat by converting it into clean, affordable, reliable electricity
Generate savings on your cost of power, improve your energy reliability, and lower your carbon emissions
Waste Heat Recovery
Waste heat to power installations capture heat generated from industrial processes, which would otherwise be wasted, to produce electricity or thermal energy. By harnessing this untapped heat energy, waste heat to power systems not only generate additional power but also significantly enhance overall energy efficiency. By integrating waste heat to power solutions into your operations, you can effectively cut energy costs and improve your bottom line, all while advancing sustainability goals and contributing to a greener future.
Waste heat can be captured in almost every industry, with varying degrees of difficulty. Kanin’s role as a developer is to identify the challenges that exist and seek to find creative solutions to screen for viable projects as effectively as possible.
Technology Options
There are several methods of waste heat recovery, each suited to different industrial applications and waste heat sources. Waste heat can be reintegrated as heat into existing processes or converted into power using several different types of technology.
- Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Systems:
A Rankine cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that converts heat energy into mechanical work by the constant evaporation and condensation of a circulating working fluid. The Rankine cycle is composed of four main components, vapor-generator (evaporator), expansion device (turbine), condenser, and feed-pump. ORCs use an organic working fluid (such as pentane) which have favorable operating performance at lower source temperatures (as low as 150°C). However, they may require an intermediate thermal loop to transfer the heat from the waste heat source to the ORC evaporator.
- Steam Rankine Cycle (SRC) Systems:
Composed of the same four main components as an ORC system, namely: vapor-generator (boiler and superheater), expansion device (turbine), condenser, and feed-pump. SRC systems use steam/water as the working fluid. Additionally, the steam needs to be superheated to prevent condensation and erosion of turbine blading. SRCs have higher cycle efficiencies than ORC systems at temperatures higher than 350°C.
- Supercritical CO2 Systems:
Based on the Brayton cycle, which generates power without any phase change, supercritical CO2 systems operate by first compressing the working fluid (CO2), adding heat, expanding the resulting high-temperature and high-pressure fluid, and lastly exhausting heat to a lower temperature heat sink. These systems have the potential to have higher cycle efficiencies than Rankine cycles. Furthermore, due to the higher density of the supercritical CO2, they may have smaller equipment sizes and consequently a smaller plant footprint.
Industrial sectors with common WHP applications
- Gas Processing Plants
- Gas Compressor Stations
- Natural Gas Liquefaction (LNG) Facilities
- Steel Mills
- Cement Plants
- Other Metals and Minerals Production
- Petcoke and Carbon Black Production
- Biomass Power Plants and Biochar Production
- Petroleum Refineries and Chemical Plants
We provide evaluations on the waste heat to power potential of your waste heat source.
Implementing Waste Heat to Power (WHP) systems may require us to navigate complex regulatory frameworks related to environmental permitting, emissions standards, boiler safety, and grid interconnection requirements. Compliance with these regulations is essential to ensure the successful implementation and operation of WHP projects while minimizing legal and financial risks.
WHP installations have no impact on day-to-day operations of equipment.
In the case where WHP is installed in a system exhaust, the backpressure associated with the waste heat recovery unit (WHRU) will be considered and can be mitigated if required by installing an ID fan.
Kanin will typically divert exhaust into a WHRU with a standalone stack, this ensures that in the case the WHP system is down, the exhaust can be diverted back to the original stack so operations are not impacted.
Generally the WHRU is the only piece of equipment that needs to be located close to the heat source. This reduces heat losses, pressure drop in the heat source stream, and the tie-in cost.
Once the waste heat has been captured by the WHRU, an intermediate closed loop (thermal oil or water/glycol) can be installed to transport the captured heat to a suitable location for the power generation system.
Some WHP systems, such as the ORC, are flexible on the variability and intermittency of the heat source. ORCs are fast to start up and to adjust their load based on the available waste heat. At Kanin, we will design the WHP system to be at an optimal nameplate to consider the variability and uptime of the heat source, and not just sizing the WHP for peak operations
Baseload electricity is readily available power that can meet the requirements of an electricity grid at any time of day. In contrast, intermittent electricity is power that is not continuously available. Wind and solar energy are examples of intermittent electricity generation because while they complement each other, on their own they are only able to generate when there are sun and wind available.
Waste Heat to Power from industrial processes generates baseload electricity because the processes it connects to are in operation continuously. In electricity markets, clean baseload power is a valuable component of the power mix for utilities decarbonizing their grids.
Waste Heat to Power (WHP) systems typically use waste heat from a single industrial process to generate electricity, while cogeneration systems typically use waste heat to produce both electricity and heat for use in the same facility. WHP systems are focused on generating electricity, while cogeneration systems focus on providing on-site heat and power for a facility. From an economic perspective, WHP are well-suited for retrofitting onto existing processes, while cogeneration is not.
WHP systems are typically eligible for renewable energy incentives and credits, while cogeneration is often excluded. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and WHP both use conversion technologies like Organic Rankine Cycle technology to generate electricity; however, there are critical differences that distinguish each system. Unlike CHP, WHP does not require fuel for generating. Instead, WHP integrates at the end of an industrial process, also known as the ‘bottoming cycle,’ where it captures waste heat for conversion into electricity. Because there are no incremental emissions in a WHP system, it is a clean source of baseload electricity.