Steam Theory - Waste Heat Recovery

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Waste Heat Recovery

1. Basics of Steam Contents:
What is Waste Heat
2. Steam Heating Recovery? 1. What is Waste Heat Recovery?
3. Basics of Steam Traps ”Waste heat recovery” is the 2. Typical Examples of Waste Heat
process of “heat integration”, that Recovery

4. Steam Trap Selection is, reusing heat energy that would a. Economizer
otherwise be disposed of or simply b. Waste Heat Boiler (WHB)
5. Steam Trap Problems
released into the atmosphere. By c. Heat Recovery Steam
6. Steam Trap Management recovering waste heat, plants can Generator (HRSG)
reduce energy costs and CO2 d. Absorption Chiller
7. Water Hammer emissions, while simultaneously e. Steam Thermocompression
increasing energy efficiency. 3. Other Examples of Waste Heat
8. Risk Mitigation
Recovery in Steam Systems
9. Steam Quality Typical Examples of a. Separation and Reuse of
10. Steam Distribution Waste Heat Recovery Flash Steam

b. Boiler Blowdown
11. Condensate Recovery Several common consumer items
c. Steam-Fired Water Heating
recover waste heat. For example,
4. Heat Recovery Opportunities
12. Energy Efficiency consider turbocharged cars, which
are provided by multiple car
Tips to improve steam plant
manufacturers.
efficiency
In regular, non-turbocharged cars, the internal combustion gasoline engine
Advice on Winter Preparation expels hot gas through the car’s exhaust after its fuel is burned. That gas
for Steam Systems contains both heat and kinetic energy—a portion of which can be recovered.
Turbocharged engines divert the hot gas to a turbine, which is used to spin
Insulating Traps
an air compressor. The compressed air is routed to the engine’s combustion
Steam Compressors chamber with the vaporized gasoline, resulting in a more efficient ignition and
greater power made with lower fuel consumption.
Why Save Energy?
The energy benefits of industrial waste heat recovery can be similar, and
Management Strategies for some examples are examined in this article.
Conserving Energy
Economizer
Recovering Steam Clouds and
Waste Heat Stack economizers, commonly used to heat water, are among the simplest
type of waste heat recovery. Plant workers may be familiar with these
Waste Heat Recovery
common devices that recover waste heat. Boiler stack economizers use heat
Boiler Energy Saving Tips energy from the gas expelled in the heating process into the stack to heat
boiler feed water and reduce the amount of energy required to make steam.
Handle Steam More According to the US Department of Energy, installation of a boiler feed water
Intelligently economizer can raise the thermal efficiency of a boiler and reduce fuel
consumption by 5 - 10%.
Optimize the Entire Steam
System
Use Available Data to Lower

System Cost
https://www.tlv.com/global/UK/steam-theory/waste-heat-recovery.html?utm_source=... 09/10/2019
13. Compressed Air / Gas
14. Other Valves
Product Solutions
Success Stories
System Solutions
Waste Heat Boiler (WHB)
Using a principle similar to economizers, waste heat boilers recover heat

generated in furnaces or exothermic chemical reactions at industrial plants.
These locations may contain significant energy that should not be wasted up
a stack. Instead, this energy can be captured to generate low-to-medium
pressure steam in a waste heat boiler (WHB). A WHB can also be used to
remove the heat from a process fluid that needs to be cooled for either
transport or storage, and generate steam from that heat. The steam
Email Magazine generated in WHB may be used for heating applications, or to drive turbines
that generate electricity, compress vapors, or pump liquids. WHB steam may
Discover steam engineering contain significant wetness, so it is recommended that a high efficiency
tips in our bi-monthly separator and steam trap combination is installed to ensure that the WHB
newsletter. delivers optimal quality steam to the recipient process.
Sign up now
Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)
Many highly efficient industrial plants with cogeneration or combined cycle

systems use a gas-turbine (essentially a jet engine) to generate electricity
then create steam from the waste heat using a heat recovery steam
generator (HRSG). This section will explain how this process works and how
an HRSG comes into action.
Consider the previous example of a turbocharged car engine, but instead

change the motor to a jet engine. The gas-turbine/jet engine is fired using
natural gas and its exhaust contains extremely hot vapor that would simply
be expelled to atmosphere if some of the heat and kinetic energy were not
captured. So, how can that waste heat be used as was done with the
turbocharged auto? The expelled hot gas needs to drive another turbine, so
the exhaust is passed through a HRSG, which creates superheated steam that
drives a downstream steam-turbine. The turbine can either drive a generator
(combined cycle system) or just use the steam in process applications
(cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP)). HRSGs can have either a
single steam drum (as shown in the animation below) or multiple steam
drums and pressures. There are also both unfired varieties with natural
circulation (shown below) and varieties with duct firing, which is additional
heating. Duct firing increases steam generation and quality, and has the
ability to create superheated steam and even greater power at a turbine.
Absorption Chiller
Some energy efficient CHP systems may add refrigeration by incorporating

absorption chillers that use steam created from waste heat.
The mechanism of absorption chillers can be broken down into the following
stages:
1. Diluted absorbent liquid (60% lithium bromide salt, 40% water) is
preheated with condensate as it moves from the absorber to the
generator.
2. In the generator, the absorbent liquid is heated by steam, which causes
some of the water contained within it to vaporize, making the liquid more
concentrated.
3. The concentrated absorbent liquid flows downward back to the absorber
to capture more water in its continuous loop. At the same time, the water
vapor moves to the condenser.
4. In the condenser, cooling water causes the vapor to liquify and flow
downward toward the evaporator, which has near vacuum pressure.
5. Just prior to entering the evaporator, the condensed water flows through
an orifice or expansion valve. This restriction limits flow, and the water
again vaporizes to a cold mist at 4.5°C [40°F]. This is where refrigeration
occurs. The low temperature vapor pulls heat out of the chilled water
loop, lowering its temperature by about 5°C [9°F].
6. The mist is heated when it absorbs heat from the chilled water loop, but
the strong attraction of the concentrated salt solution pulls the water into
the concentrated absorbent into the absorber, creating near vacuum
pressure in the evaporator in the process.
• Evaporator: Actual refrigeration occurs here. Water passes through a valve,

creating a low temperature mist. Sprayed over the chilled water loop, it
absorbs heat and cools the refrigerant.
• Absorber: Concentrated absorbent attracts water mist from the evaporator,
creating near vacuum pressure while diluting the absorbent.
• Generator: The 60/40% mixture absorbent is heated, evaporating the water,
with the concentrated (regenerated) absorbent returning to the absorber.
• Condenser: The water vapor supplied from the generator is condensed by
transference of heat to cooling water.
Steam Thermocompression
Thermocompression is another heat recovery approach that can utilize the

energy in an otherwise wasted stream, such as low-pressure steam. This is
the process of mixing high-pressure and low-pressure steam to create an
intermediate pressure using steam compression equipment such as TLV’s SC
System, which is shown below.
For more information, see:
• Product Solutions: Steam Compressor
Other Examples of Waste Heat Recovery in Steam

Systems
Separation and Reuse of Flash Steam
Wherever flash steam occurs, the possibility of its use as a low-pressure

steam source should be considered.
Boiler Blowdown
The heat from boiler blowdown can be used in a vessel such as TLV’s SR
series to preheat water.
Steam-Fired Water Heating
Low-pressure steam can be used to make hot water for process or domestic
use. If the supply of steam from a waste heat source is not continuous, the
supplied steam can be kept constant by using a supplemental steam valve.
TLV's steam-fired water heater, SteamAqua®, is a typical example. For
optimized efficiency, the SteamAqua® series contains a preheat section that
uses the condensate’s heat energy to preheat feed water.
For more information, see:
• Steam-Fired Instantaneous Water Heater
Heat Recovery Opportunities

There are often many opportunities for heat recovery in steam systems,
including some which may not be included in this article. Please contact your
local TLV Technical Representative or Consulting · Engineering · Services
(CES) team member for additional information on how to recover heat energy
from your system.
Contact Us
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Waste Heat Recovery | TLV - A Steam Specialist Company (UK) Page 1 of 7

Home > Steam Theory > Waste Heat Recovery

Waste Heat Recovery

process of “heat integration”, that Recovery

10. Steam Distribution Waste Heat Recovery Flash Steam

Use Available Data to Lower

13. Compressed Air / Gas

14. Other Valves

Waste Heat Boiler (WHB)

Using a principle similar to economizers, waste heat boilers recover heat

Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)

Many highly efficient industrial plants with cogeneration or combined cycle

Consider the previous example of a turbocharged car engine, but instead

Some energy efficient CHP systems may add refrigeration by incorporating

• Evaporator: Actual refrigeration occurs here. Water passes through a valve,

Thermocompression is another heat recovery approach that can utilize the

For more information, see:

• Product Solutions: Steam Compressor

Other Examples of Waste Heat Recovery in Steam

Separation and Reuse of Flash Steam

Wherever flash steam occurs, the possibility of its use as a low-pressure

Steam-Fired Water Heating

For more information, see:

• Steam-Fired Instantaneous Water Heater

Heat Recovery Opportunities

Recovering Steam Clouds Boiler Energy Saving

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