Improving energy performance of a Cement Manufacturing factory by using Waste Heat Recovery Systems, Estimated vs. Actual achievements

Abstract

Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) Systems are spreading more and more in cement factories and are essential in achieving the energy performance required by the European Directives, legislation, and standards. Using WHR Systems may assure an important percentage of the energy required by the manufacturing process, with no additional fuel and no additional greenhouse gas emissions. Using the waste heat as a power generation source, increases the energy efficiency of the process and decreases the thermal energy losses. As long as the kiln is functional, so is the WHR powerplant, generating the energy in an efficient manufacturing process with low operational costs and increased reliability. This paper aims at evaluating the actual technic and economic performance of a WHR System compared to the estimated performance determined in the feasibility study which was done prior to the investment in order to prove the viability of the technology in the cement manufacturing industrial sector. The paper proves that the WHR proved to be financially inefficient if the feasibility study input data was considered and correlated with the actual technical performance but lead to extremely attractive financial indicators when considering actual, updated capital expenditures and operational expenditures and technical performance.