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http://dx.doi.org/10.12989/eri.2020.7.2.147

Low-grade waste heat recovery and repurposing to reduce the load on cooling towers  

McLean, Shannon H. (School of Engineering, Laurentian University)
Chenier, Jeff (Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (a Glencore Company))
Muinonen, Sari (Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (a Glencore Company))
Laamanen, Corey A. (School of Engineering, Laurentian University)
Scott, John A. (School of Engineering, Laurentian University)
Publication Information
Advances in Energy Research / v.7, no.2, 2020 , pp. 147-166 More about this Journal
Abstract
Industrial cooling towers are often ageing infrastructure that is expensive to maintain and operate. A novel approach is introduced in which a heat pump circuit is incorporated to reduce the load upon the towers by extracting low-grade energy from the stream sent to the towers and repurposing in on-site processing operations. To demonstrate the concept, a model was constructed, which uses industrial data on cooling towers linked to a smelter's sulphuric acid plant, to allow direct economic and environmental impact comparison between different heat recovery and repurposing scenarios. The model's results showed that implementing a heat pump system would significantly decrease annual operating costs and achieve a payback period of 3 years. In addition, overall CO2 emissions could be reduced by 42% (430,000 kg/year) and a 5% heat load reduction on the cooling towers achieved. The concept is significant as the outcomes introduce a new way for energy intensive industrial sectors, such as mineral processing, to reduce energy consumption and improve long-term sustainable performance.
Keywords
low-grade heat recovery; heat pumps; cooling towers; energy repurposing; mineral processing; environmental sustainability;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 2  (Citation Analysis)
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