(Credit: Nuova Solmine)Capturing excess thermal energy and turning into electricity without emitting carbon emissions into the atmosphere is a piece of a partnership between Enel X and Nuova Solmine.
The companies will design and install an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) plant in a sulphuric acid facility, which they say will be the first of its kind. The ORC system will save up to 75,000 metric tons of carbon emission over the 20-year life of the plant.
ORC systems produce power from low to medium heat sources and allow for energy generation from low-grade heat that would otherwise be wasted. They are similar to standard Rankine steam cycles but uses organic fluid such as hydrocarbons instead of water to convert to steam and produce electricity.
The heat waste recovery market can play a role in producing renewable energy, and the market is expected to grow to $114 billion by 2028 with rising energy demands and costs, according to a report by Market Research Feature. The US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy says up to half of industrial energy output is lost as a result of waste heat, showing a potential resource for energy generation from the source.
Electricity production from similar technologies was piloted last year in Canada by Siemens Energy and TC Energy Corporation. The waste heat-to-power facility uses an advanced Rankine cycle and supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid to convert waste heat into power.
Enel X manages energy services with approximately 7.7 gigawatts of capacity worldwide and has 195 megawatts of storage capacity installed. The company has been named among the best energy-as-a-service providers by Guidehouse Insights. Italian chemical company Nuova Solmine produces sulphuric acid, oleum and carbon-free electricity using sulphur from refineries as its raw material.
The ORC project will be aided with financial support from Cogenio, which is an Enel X partner involved in energy efficiency projects.
