Low rate energy use for heating and in industrial energy supply systems—Some technical and economical aspects

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 31; no. 14; pp. 2588 - 2603
• Main Authors: Smolen, S., Budnik-Rodz, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Devices using thermal energy; Economic analysis; Energy; Energy economics; Energy policy; Energy supply systems; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; General, economic and professional studies; Heat pumps; Heat transformers; Low-grade energy source use; Rational use of energy: conservation and recovery of energy; Poland; Europe; Germany; Economic analysis; Heat pumps; Energy supply systems; Heat transformers; Low-grade energy source use; Refrigeration installation; Profitability; Heat pump; Reuse; Compression heat pump; Housing; Heat transformer; Heat recovery; Case study; Industrial installation; Absorption heat pump; Underground heat exchanger; Heating; Energy conservation; Technicoeconomic study; Gas engine; Cost analysis; Waste heat; Investment
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2005.12.010

The subject hereof are two typical examples of waste heat and low-temperature heat use and the objective is to evaluate economic effectiveness taking into account various boundary conditions. The first facility considered is an “earth-coupled” heat pump with direct evaporation used as a component of a heating system. The second is an industrial installation, based on a specific project to use waste heat from the cooling process. Alternatively, four different technical options have been considered, including the use of the compression heat pump, absorption heat pump, heat transformer (absorption) and combined system with a gas motor for driving the heat pump compressor. An original simple methodology for economic analysis evaluating uses of low-temperature heat sources as elements of energy supply systems has been developed using input data taken from actual research or industrial projects. The paper also offers a comparison between such energy supply systems operating under different economic conditions of Germany and Poland.