Assessment of waste heat utilization technologies: Overview

Thermal effluent from power plants can be used to provide warmth for fish, livestock, biomass crops, greenhouses and wastewater treatment. Some of these applications have been commercially successful, but further progress is contingent upon attracting investment, adapting to power plant operations and resolving legal uncertainties. In this research, the crucial question of choosing which of these technologies are best suited for any particular power plant is considered. Given information on costs, climate and the waste heat source, carefully selected trial configurations can be simulated to find the optimal design for a specific site. A procedure based on the technique known as response surface methodology is outlined. 49 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.