Recovery and Transport of Industrial Waste Heat for Their Use in Urban District Heating and Cooling Networks Using Absorption Systems

Abstract

The use of industrial excess heat in district heating networks is very attractive. The main issue is the transport of the heat from the point of generation to the local distribution network, in a way similar to the structure of electricity transport and distribution networks. Absorption systems have been proposed to transport and distribute waste heat using two absorption stations. In one of them (step-up station), industrial heat at a low temperature is pumped to a higher temperature to facilitate its transport and at the same time increase the temperature difference between the supply and return streams, in this way reducing the hot water mass flow rate circulating through the heat transport network. Heat is then used in a second absorption system (step-down station) to provide heat to a low temperature local district network. In this paper, several absorption system configurations are analyzed for both stations. A detailed thermodynamic analysis of each configuration is performed using selected energy performance indicators to calculate its global performance. The implementation of these kind of systems could enable the use of waste heat to produce heating and cooling for smart communities located a few dozens of kilometers away from industrial sites.

Theoretical Design and Analysis of the Waste Heat Recovery System of Turbine Exhaust Steam Using an Absorption Heat Pump for Heating Supply

“…where η p and η b represent the pipe efficiency and boiler efficiency, respectively; q l represents the net calorific power of coal. The total income from the waste heat recovery system can be calculated by Equation (21).…”

“…In the case of the combined heating of multiple units, Tian et al proposed using multiple absorption heat pumps for the cascade utilization of exhaust steam waste heat [20]. In addition, detailed analysis and comparison must be conducted through thermodynamic indicators, because different configurations of the absorption heat pump have varied temperature-raising abilities and efficiencies [21][22][23]. Xu et al [24] proposed to connect two single effect absorption heat pumps with different operating parameters in series to achieve a large temperature rise in the heating network.…”

Circular Economy for the Energy System as a Leverage for Low-Carbon Transition: Long-Term Analysis of the Case of the South-East Region of France

“…For instance, waste heat from industrial activities or wastewater can be used to increase system efficiency by recovering unused heat via district heating networks [21][22][23]. This unused heat can be transported to consumers demanding heating or used to produce electricity [24]. Batteries from end-of-life electric vehicles can also be reused to store electricity during periods of high photovoltaic production, extending the life cycle of the batteries and allowing for greater benefits from solar production [25][26][27].…”

Achieving Emission Reduction Through the Utilisation of Local Low-Grade Heat Sources in District Heating Networks

“…However, these studies tend to focus on either waste heat or mine water energy independently, rather than examining the combined effect on DHN performance, economics, and environmental impact. Both A. Matas Escamilla et al [46] and Antonio Atienza-Márquez et al [54] emphasize the potential of unconventional sources in district heating. Escamilla and colleagues pinpoint the merits of mine water discharges for heating public buildings, highlighting the openloop geothermal system as the most efficient.…”