Waste energy recovery: An excellent investment opportunity

As energy costs increase, harnessing of waste energy in an efficient manner is becoming increasingly more important. This paper presents a new perspective on the use of Rankine cycles as applied to thermal energy from industrial waste heat and renewable sources. It shows that Rankine cycles can efficiently and in a cost-effective manner convert waste energy to power, heat pumping and cogeneration. Economics of waste energy recovery are discussed and examples of several applications are cited. It points out that life cycle cost of equipment is a more rational purchasing criteria than the first cost. Conclusions and recommendations are given for a more rapid commercialization on these new energy conserving systems.