Waste Not, Want Not

Waste heat recovery offers increased energy efficiency, less energy consumption.

Rising fuel costs and an increased demand for more efficient, environmentally friendly power systems and industrial systems are driving customers to look for new solutions to their energy needs. Researchers at GE Global Research in Munich are developing breakthrough technology to help address these challenges, with new waste heat recovery systems based on Organic Rankine Cycle technology.

These units convert waste heat from exhaust streams or industrial processes into usable electricity. Many processes generate waste energy that passes out of plant stacks into the atmosphere and therefore is lost—while also negatively impacting the environment. However, energy recovered from such waste heat streams could produce green electric power without additional fuel input– offering a significant opportunity to conserve resources by productively using this waste energy to increase overall plant efficiency, while simultaneously decreasing CO2 emissions.

Potential applications for waste heat recovery range from remote gas pipeline stations to reciprocating engine plants to foundries and cement producers, as well as applications in the solar and geothermal energy sectors.