Heat Recovery with Natural Gas Projects
Greenhouses
- CHP provides the base load of thermal heat for greenhouses, so achieving a high annual utilisation degree. Peak-load boilers take care of the rest. Greenhouse applications not only involve the heat but also the electrical energy for lighting as well as the CO2 of the exhaust gas to supply the plants if SCR catalytic converters are employed.
- The low temperature level means that a high degree of heat utilisation is possible.
Calorific value utilisation
Photograph: 2-stage exhaust gas heat exchanger
Natural gas contains virtually no sulphur. This means that the gas can be cooled down to the condensation level of water without any problems with corrosion. A 2nd stage condenser downstream of the exhaust gas heat exchanger, which cools the gas down to below the dew point, makes additional use of the calorific value heat, so helping to increase the degree of efficiency.
For example, it is possible to exploit this extra output to optimum effect with a secondary side temperature level between 30°C - 40°C.
Base load boiler for saturated steam
Photograph: Steam Generator for a distillery in Scotland
The use of (saturated) steam in the field of cogeneration is of particular interest to industrial operations. The steam can be used as a base load and fed into an existing steam network. The output of the conventional steam boilers is reduced, something that results in a direct cost saving.
