High-temperature counter-flow recuperator. Final report

Technical Report · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6296664

Rudloff, F

A summary of the work performed to further evaluate the commercial potential of a helical recuperator design in recovering waste heat from industrial furnaces is reported. The helical recuperator concept consists of a cylindrical column with an interior helical interface which separates the preheat air and the combustion gas. The column operates in a counter flow mode and is formed from modular sections. The work was divided into two general activities including a material evaluation and a design optimization. The material evaluation consisted of exposing material samples to a soda-lime glass furnace environment for a fifteen week period. A study of manufacturing was also performed to determine which recuperator designs could be produced and what their corresponding costs of production would be. The results indicated that of the materials tested, ECP-3, X-81, and Unichrome were the best suited for use in a soda-lime environment. Of the materials tested ECP-3 was the best candidate with respect to manufacturing. In the design optimization, two potential design modifications were identified through theoretical analyses. The modifications resulted in a finned design and a double helix design. The assumptions made in the analyses were checked experimentally. Revised analyses based on the experimental and cost data showed that the prototype design was the most economical producing paybacks of 2 to 3 years for modules made of Siltec and 3 to 5 years for modules made of KT Silicon Carbide. Both of these materials are poor candidates for use in the soda-lime glass environment. For materials that showed the greatest potential for use in the glass environment, the double helix design made from ECP-3 was the most economical producing payback periods of 6 to 14 years.

• Research Organization: Unitex Corp., Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-80ID12077
• OSTI ID: 6296664
• Report Number(s): DOE/CS/12077-T1; ON: DE81031923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320304* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
AIR FLOW
CERAMICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTER CODES
CONFIGURATION
DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
FLUE GAS
FLUID FLOW
FURNACES
GAS FLOW
GASEOUS WASTES
GLASS
HEAT RECOVERY EQUIPMENT
HEAT TRANSFER
HELICAL CONFIGURATION
LEAKS
MATERIALS TESTING
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
OPTIMIZATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
TESTING
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL TESTING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WASTES