Avfallsvärmeåtervinning

Avfallsvärmeåtervinning, also known as waste heat recovery, is a process of capturing and reusing heat that is otherwise lost from industrial processes, buildings, or other sources. This recovered heat can then be utilized for various purposes, such as heating other processes, generating electricity, or providing district heating. The primary goal of avfallsvärmeåtervinning is to improve energy efficiency and reduce the overall energy consumption and environmental impact of a system.

The sources of waste heat are diverse and can include exhaust gases from combustion engines, heat emitted from machinery, heat from data centers, or even heat from wastewater. The technologies used for waste heat recovery vary depending on the temperature and quantity of the waste heat. Common methods include heat exchangers, heat pumps, and organic Rankine cycles. Heat exchangers are used to transfer heat from one fluid to another, while heat pumps can upgrade low-grade waste heat to a higher temperature suitable for heating applications. Organic Rankine cycles are employed to generate electricity from medium to high-temperature waste heat.

Implementing avfallsvärmeåtervinning offers significant economic and environmental benefits. By reducing the need for primary energy sources, it lowers operational costs and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, it can enhance the reliability of energy supply and contribute to a more sustainable energy landscape. The concept is increasingly being integrated into the design of new facilities and retrofitted into existing ones as part of broader energy efficiency strategies.