AlkaBoiler® innovation in heat recovery can reduce environmental impact and improve competitiveness. Issue on heat recovery and sustainability has always been a priority in our works. Our 2021 on-going project list below;

Several Heating processes in most industries encompass a number of high-temperature processing stages, often using equipment that has been running for more than its projected operating span, more than 10-15 years. These furnaces are regularly the culprit of the majority of a plant’s emissions – and waste heat, from the drying process in paper production, the large-scale furnaces in metal and glass processing, the high-temperature kilns for baking drying and firing ceramics to the kilns to produce clinker for cement, precast curing plants; most of the foundation industries processes revolve around a high-temperature processing stage.

Heat recovery technology prevents the loss of heat to the environment by recycling it through different processes. The technical potential for industrial waste heat recovery could be so enormous that it could be equivalent to powering 2-4 million households in cold winter season (ref. Bath University 2010 estimated potential for industrial waste heat recovery at 10-20 TWh/yr); the majority of this stemming from the foundation industries alongside food and drink. Given energy costs can represent up to 40% of the total production costs for these industries, measures to improve energy efficiency will also reduce operating costs and improve the competitiveness of our end users.

What use could we have for the heat once captured? Could it be stored for use at another time? Could it be transported locally through hot water pipes or steam distribution networks to be used elsewhere? Could it be recycled within the process route: either applied to a less intensive process step or combined with another technology to upgrade it to a full high-quality heat source?

A vast array of technologies has been available for some time, but often it is not just the availability of technology that is the barrier to implementation. Instead, we need a calculation of the quantity and temperature of waste heat available, knowledge of potential uses and demand, the fluctuating cost of energy and availability of space before the current potential and return on investment can be calculated.

To explore these questions further, AlkaBoiler® end users were informed and innovations are presented in more details; the challenges they face and opportunities benefits they will enjoy for innovations.

Heat recovery is the focus of a number of AlkaBoiler® projects, identifying best practice across the industries, exploring advanced methods of converting heat to power and developing platforms for facilitating such technology introductions.

AlkaBoiler® will continue to develop and research with process engineering companies and industrial customers to develop the potential of heat recovery technology, compare technology options and connect foundation industries companies to technology suppliers, creating a streamlined process for continued and sustainable heat recovery. This is an exciting time for us, with the opportunity for transformational changes in the processes, approaches, or products. For the first time, we are able to bridge development of mutually beneficial innovation across our international process engineering suppliers to our industrial end users, providing opportunities for development of impactful solutions and innovation acceleration.

The area of heat recovery encompasses challenges much wider than technology solutions and we are eager to hear about any ideas you may have in overcoming these. For more details and inquiries please contact email alkaboiler@alkaboiler.com