The advent of the Green Industrial Revolution, largely driven by climate change, sustainable development, stringent energy management regulations and greenhouse emission reduction, has enabled organizations around the globe to adopt sustainable business models that aim at meeting emissions targets.
This article explores smelter waste heat recovery; a renewable resource that hasn’t been fully harnessed in industry despite the low levels of access to electricity in parts of the world.
Smelter waste heat refers to energy that is generated in smelter processes without being put to practical use. Sources of waste heat include hot combustion gases discharged to the atmosphere and heated products exiting industrial processes as a result of exothermic and endothermic reactions. It is estimated that as much as 20 to 50% of industrial energy consumption is ultimately discharged as waste heat. This waste heat is eventually released to the atmosphere through stacks, vents, flares and mechanical equipment.
Smelter waste heat recovery entails capturing and reusing the waste heat in smelter processes which would otherwise be exhausted into the atmosphere for heating, cooling or for generating mechanical or electrical work. In the case of industrial furnaces, efficiency improvements resulting from waste heat recovery can be from 10% to as much as 50%. Captured and reused waste heat is an emission-free substitute for costly purchased fuels or electricity. Waste heat recovery is a powerful tool that may assist organisations to meet their emissions targets and has a direct financial effect on the bottom line.
In a bid to enhance the feasibility of WHR projects Dickinson Energy Ltd, A subsidiary of Dickinson Group offers the following:
Feasibility studies to identify the most suitable technologies and tailor personalised solutions for on a case by case basis.
Part or Full Project Finance: a number of commercially-viable WHR and cogeneration opportunities remain un-implemented due to financing issues, subject to a few risk assessments, the company offers off-balance sheet financing, whereby clients, project financiers, equipment suppliers, and operators of WHR systems, can reach a balanced and fair distribution of project risks.
Flexible Business Models: including turnkey engineering Procurement & Construction (EPC), Build Operate & Transfer (BOT) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) thereby improving flexibility in project execution.