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Every time I hear of heat from power plants and industrial processes treated like waste, I wonder if it can be repurposed to low-grade heat desalination [1], or
by yourapostasy 6y ago
Every time I hear of heat from power plants and industrial processes treated like waste, I wonder if it can be repurposed to low-grade heat desalination [1], or other co-generation processes [2]. We can always use more potable water, for example. I'm sure they ran the numbers and worked out the opex isn't worth the effort, and/or the capex hurdle is too high.
But man, I'd love a tap into that industrial quantity supply of "waste" heat piped just to my backyard. I'd heat my pool in the cold months, run my spa and sauna all the time, and use it to run an absorption chiller the rest of the time. And of course skim some for my hot water heater.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0011916409003130 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00119...
[2] https://www.buildinggreen.com/news-article/capturing-and-distributing-waste-heat-power-generation https://www.buildinggreen.com/news-article/capturing-and-dis...
- epistasis 6y agoI wonder the same thing! District heating would be an excellent use, if you could transport the heat to a site with dense population. But transport is the challenge, and why we convert energy to electricity in the first place. As far as district heating goes though, it could be an absolutely fantastic way to solve the fuel oil problem in the north east; if we could store heat generated in the summer underground in large stores for clusters of houses, it could provide a great way to heat all through winter with simple heat pumps.
- Daishiman 6y agoWell heat transport it, like any other industry, its own niche of expertise. I doubt plant operators suddenly want to turn into distribution experts, and the outsourcing is likely to be way more expensive.