Innovative waste heat recovery techniques in the metallurgical industry: enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability

Abstract

Waste heat recovery (WHR) is becoming an important aspect in the metallurgical industry where the heat losses in the heat-intensive processes are significant. This article overviews the state-of-the-art and future WHR methods to be applied to metallurgical plants; that is, the traditional recuperator and regenerator, and the latest heat-to-power technologies, i.e., ORC and thermoelectric systems. Traditional solutions and their innovative alternatives are contrastingly reviewed, in which the simulated information and the case studies of the metallurgical plants of the Republic of Kazakhstan are taken into consideration. Its primary conclusions are that thermal efficiency can be improved by 10-30% with the advanced WHR systems, and the related effect on fuel costs and emissions, and the issues of economic and retrofitting are examined. The results are beneficial for eco-efficient metallurgy. The innovation of the research lies in the fact that the analysis of the situation with the different WHR systems in the subsector of the metallurgical industry of Kazakhstan serves as the premise of distributing the practical implications of the possible energy efficiency enhancement of the energy-intense industries in the country regarding the industrial energy policy of the national government.