H2020 I-ThERM Project: Industrial Thermal Energy Conversion and Recovery Management
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2015 -2021
- Assigned Budget 3.996.168,75 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Proyecto I-ThERM
During the I-ThERM project, its coordination and management ensured that all activities met the requirements of scope, timeliness, and quality. Synergy among partners was achieved through regular communication and information sharing, and dissemination activities were carried out through international conferences and workshops, attendance at international events, such as SPIRE in Brussels, scientific publications and printed materials, as well as regular postings on social media and the project website.
The potential for heat recovery in the European Union was assessed through a literature review that identified and quantified primary energy consumption in the main industrial sectors, considered waste heat flows and their temperature levels, and considered potential energy recovery technologies. Furthermore, barriers to the widespread implementation of energy recovery technologies were identified through a questionnaire distributed to approximately 50 experts from 11 European countries. The EINSTEIN energy audit toolkit has been enhanced to include I-ThERM technologies. Routines have been developed and implemented to automatically analyze historical monitoring data, calibrate models, forecast energy consumption, and optimize system performance. These capabilities have been complemented by the innovative I-ThERM monitoring, monitoring, and control platform. The I-ThERM project entails the design, manufacturing, and demonstration of direct exhaust heat recovery systems using innovative heat exchangers.
The Heat Pipe Condensing Economizer (HPCE) cools exhaust gases below their dew point to improve heat recovery. Therefore, innovative coatings have been developed for corrosion protection in environments characterized by the presence of sulfuric acid. A 200 kW HPCE system was conceived in terms of thermal and mechanical design, heat pipe coating application during large-scale manufacturing, instrumentation, and controls. The Flat Heat Pipe System (FHPS) aims to recover heat from high-temperature radiating surfaces. A prototype FHPS module was designed, manufactured, and tested, first in the R&D laboratories and then at the wire rod mill facilities of Arcelor Mittal Gijón, Spain. The experimental dataset allowed for calibration of the design tools and proposed an improved modular FHPS design with a higher number of modules and a high-emissivity coating. The I-ThERM project also considers the conversion of waste heat to electricity using two novel background thermodynamic cycles: the trilateral flash cycle (TFC) for low-grade applications (70 to 200°C) and the Brayton cycle operating with supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) for medium to high temperatures. A full-scale 100 kW TFC unit was designed through complex modeling activities to evaluate energy conversion performance, including off-design and transient operating conditions.
The developed TFC system presents a high level of technological maturity. It is characterized by a compact design and power electronics for connection to the European electricity grid. The TFC system underwent further testing at the Spirax Sarco Technology Centre (UK) and was subsequently successfully demonstrated at the TATA Steel facility in Port Talbot (UK). The CO2 system demonstration center is an industrial-scale testbed at Brunel University London, specifically designed for the I-ThERM project. The experimental facility comprises an 800 kW gas heater generating exhaust gases at a temperature of 750°C, and a compact system incorporating the Compressor-Generator-Turbine (CGT) unit and auxiliary equipment for lubrication, drainage, and electrical energy conversion. The sCO2 system also utilizes an innovative exhaust heat recovery heat exchanger developed and installed in the heater exhaust duct, which transfers heat directly to the CO2 working fluid of the sCO2 power system.
In the European Union, industrial processes currently account for one-third of primary energy consumption. However, most of these processes involve the release of large amounts of heat into the environment. Recovery of this heat or conversion to another form of energy, such as electricity, can reduce energy demand, generate fuel cost savings, and contribute to meeting emissions reduction and decarbonization targets. In recent years, the potential of heat recovery has been increasingly recognized, and significant expansion of this sector is anticipated.
However, for this to materialize and for European manufacturing and user industries to benefit from these advances, technological improvements and innovations are needed to enhance the energy efficiency of heat recovery equipment and reduce installation costs. In this context, the objectives of the I-ThERM project are to research, design, build, and demonstrate innovative, turnkey waste heat recovery solutions, as well as optimal energy utilization inside and outside the plant perimeter for selected applications with high replicability and energy recovery potential over a wide temperature range (from 70°C to 1000°C).
Waste heat recovery systems can offer significant energy savings and substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions. The waste heat recovery market is projected to exceed €45 billion by 2018, but for this projection to materialize and for European manufacturing and user industries to benefit from these developments, technological improvements and innovations aimed at improving the energy efficiency of heat recovery equipment and reducing installation costs are necessary. The overall objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate technologies and processes for efficient and cost-effective heat recovery from industrial installations in the temperature range of 70°C to 1000°C and the optimal integration of these technologies with the existing energy system or for the export of recovered heat and generated electricity, if applicable.
To achieve this challenging goal and ensure widespread application of the developed technologies and approaches, the project brings together a very strong consortium composed of RTD providers, technology suppliers, and, most importantly, large users and SMEs that will provide demonstration sites for the technologies.
The project will focus on innovative two-phase heat transfer technologies (HP heat pipes) for heat recovery from medium and low temperature sources and the use of this heat for:
- Within the same facility or export over the fence.
- For electric power generation; or a combination of (a) and (b) depending on the needs.
For power generation, the project will develop and demonstrate at industrial sites the Trilateral Flash System (TFC) for low-temperature waste heat sources, from 70°C to 200°C, and the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) System for temperatures above 200°C. These technologies, used alone or in combination with HP technologies, are expected to generate energy and GHG emissions savings well in excess of 15% and attractive economic returns with payback periods of less than 3 years.
The goal of the I-ThERM project is to develop and demonstrate heat recovery technologies that overcome many of the disadvantages of conventional technologies and pave the way for much broader adoption of heat recovery in industry. Significant advances have been made that surpass the state of the art, namely:
- The EINSTEIN toolset has been enhanced to include I-ThERM technologies, as well as online monitoring and optimization capabilities. A low-power, plug-and-play, off-the-shelf heat-to-power system has been designed, built, and successfully tested in a steelmaking plant. The results have served as the basis for further development, and the first unit has been sold to a commercial customer. A detailed marketing plan has been developed for the commercialization of the TFC technology.
- A ~50 kW shaft-mounted compressor, generator, turbine (CGT) unit for high-temperature heat-to-power conversion operating on supercritical carbon dioxide has been designed and manufactured.
An innovative microtube heat exchanger has been designed and manufactured for direct heat recovery from high-temperature flue gases to supercritical CO2 in the CO2 power cycle. A 50 kW CO2 power cycle and associated equipment for testing, evaluation, and optimization have been designed, manufactured, and commissioned. A heat-pipe condensing economizer has been designed to capture sensible and latent heat from corrosive flue gases. The design of the flat heat-pipe system was optimized through test campaigns in a laboratory prototype and at the actual demonstration site. Coatings for corrosion protection in environments characterized by the presence of sulfuric acid have been developed and successfully demonstrated and evaluated.
Extensive knowledge is being developed on heat recovery and waste heat-to-energy systems. The creation of this knowledge and its dissemination to the scientific and industrial communities, as well as to policymakers, is generating greater awareness of the potential of these technologies and facilitating their adoption by industry, thus contributing to the EU's decarbonization goals.
- BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDON
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