Research in sustainable energy sources has become the interest of many studies due to the increasing energy demand and the amount of wasted energy released from existing methods, along with their effect on climate change and environment sustainability. Thermo-Electric Generators (TEGs) are a potential solution that is being studied and implemented as they can convert low grade thermal energy to useful electrical energy at various operating conditions. The integration of a TEG within a heat exchanger (TEG/HX) system connected to an electrical DC micro-grid, using a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) system is the focus of this study. Using a numerical TEG/HX model from a previous study and a developed DC micro-grid model the interaction between the thermal and electrical aspects were investigated with the focus on the electrical performance of the system. The main concern of this study is to investigate the effect of the sub components of the DC micro-grid on the overall available energy. An analytic model was developed to estimate the power loss in the electrical circuit of the micro-grid, the model utilizes the equations for switching and conduction losses which have been used by several studies. Other variables such as the battery characteristics and electrical load profiles were also investigated by simulating several case studies including changing operating conditions. This study shows the effect of a TEG configuration on the power loss in an electrical system using power loss curves in comparison with the Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) of such configuration. It also covers important modes of operation for the battery, loads and MPPT for a stable and reliable operation of an isolated DC micro-grid system were TEGs are the only source of power. The result of the study presented is a system design that is able to maximize the electrical energy harvested from the TEGs to extend the operation of the dc-micro-grid first by applying a suitable TEG configuration and consequently a suitable electrical circuit. Secondly, by adapting to the changing operating conditions of the TEGs and the loads; and compensating for these changes using the battery storage system. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Copper processing plants involved in smelting, electro-refining and electro-winning are heat-intensive undertakings that provide extensive challenges for attainment of high energy efficiency. Literature has shown that most of these plants, especially smelters, operate at low overall energy efficiency due to the seemingly complex energy scenario where heat and electricity as forms of energy are treated distinctively from each other. Many copper processing plants have not yet explored both available and emerging waste heat recovery technologies hence remain operating at lower energy efficiencies. In the copper processing plants under study in particular the Nchanga tailings leach plant (TLP), plant operators hinted that some of the processes that ought to operate in heated environments operate at ambient temperatures because of lack of a heating mechanism. The project discusses possible heating mechanisms from available local resources and applicable technologies. As the competing options for providing the required heat at the Nchanga TLP present different carbon emission scenarios, the carbon emissions associated to the recommended installations shall be quantified against a suitable baseline. Flue gas waste heat from the nearby Nchanga smelter has been taken as the available local energy source on which the applicable heating scenarios at TLP are analyzed. The project analyzed waste heat scenarios for three furnaces at Nchanga smelter where it has been established that flue gases from the furnaces contain 37.31 MW of waste heat. Analysis for channeling the waste heat into heat recovery steam generators gave the steam turbine power generation potential of 7.06 MW. The project also demonstrated how energy efficiency undertakings can be used as a driver for carbon emission reduction measures and for participation to the available carbon trading mechanisms such as CDM. Selection of suitable baseline scenarios revealed a lot of potential for carbon finance undertakings in the three case study plants. At the Nchanga smelter, the 7.06 MW power generation capacity has an associated potential of 61,820 tCO2/year emission reductions that can be monetized through the available carbon trading markets. The research established that Nchanga TLP has a heating demand of 10.87MW. If this heating demand was to be met by using the smelter waste heat, the undertaking can be taken as CDM activity or other carbon trading platform with an associated potential of 95,183 tCO2/year.

Rising energy demands and the continual push to find more energy efficient technologies have been the impetus for the investigation of waste heat recovery techniques. Diesel engine exhaust heat utilization has the potential to significantly reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce the release of greenhouse gases, because diesel engines are ubiquitous in industry and transportation. The exhaust energy can used to provide refrigeration by implementing an organic Rankine cycle coupled with a vapor-compression cycle. A critical component in this system, and in any waste heat recovery system, is the heat exchanger that extracts the heat from the exhaust. In this study, a cross-flow microchannel heat exchanger was geometrically examined and thermally tested under laboratory conditions. The heat exchanger, referred to as the Heat Recovery Unit (HRU), was designed to transfer diesel exhaust energy to a heat transfer oil. Two methods were developed to measure the geometry of the microchannels. The first was based on image processing of microscope photographs, and the second involved an analysis of profilometer measurements. Both methods revealed that the exhaust channels (air channels) were, on average, smaller in cross-sectional area by 11% when compared to the design. The cross-sectional area of the oil channels were 8% smaller than their design. The hydraulic diameters for both channel geometries were close to their design. Hot air was used to simulate diesel engine exhaust. Thermal testing of the heat exchanger included measurements of heat transfer, effectiveness, air pressure drop, and oil pressure drop. The experimental results for the heat transfer and effectiveness agreed well with the model predictions. However, the measured air pressure drop and oil pressure drop were significantly higher than the model. The discrepancy was attributed to the model's ideal representation of the channel areas. Additionally, since the model did not account for the complex flow path of the oil stream, the measured oil pressure drop was much higher than the predicted pressure drop. The highest duty of the Heat Recovery Unit observed during the experimental tests was 12.3 kW and the highest effectiveness was 97.8%. To examine the flow distribution through the air channels, velocity measurements were collected at the outlet of the Heat Recovery Unit using a hot film anemometer. For unheated air flow, the profile measurements indicated that there was flow maldistribution. A temperature profile was measured and analyzed for a thermally loaded condition. / Graduation date: 2012

La valorisation de chaleur fatale industrielle en flux gazeux à haute température peut bénéficier de technologies de stockage thermique thermocline, fonctionnant sur la base d’un matériau de stockage céramique et d’un caloporteur gazeux (air). La diversité des gisements de chaleur fatale et des débouchés potentiels met en évidence la nécessité d’un procédé de stockage versatile et robuste. Ce travail de thèse consiste à accompagner le développement de l’entreprise Eco-Tech Ceram, dont les deux activités sont le développement d’une unité de stockage thermique, et le développement de matériaux céramiques issus de sous-produits industriels destinés à une utilisation dans de telles unités. Concernant l’axe stockage, il s’agit de réaliser une validation expérimentale du concept EcoStock via des essais sur des pilotes représentatifs, notamment concernant la sensibilité des performances au débit de décharge, et à la nature de la ressource thermique disponible en charge (débits et températures d’entrées variables).Concernant l’axe matériau, il s’agit de développer une céramique frittée issue de mâchefer d’incinérateur, et destinée à une utilisation en tant que matériau de garnissage dans un système thermocline à lit en vrac, via une approche expérimentale, dans une démarche d’écologie industrielle et avec l’objectif de diminuer autant que possible les coûts de production et les impacts environnementaux, en calquant les méthodes d’élaboration sur celles des céramiques de batiment (briques et tuiles) dont les capacités industrielles sont pré-existantes. r. / The recovery and valorization of high-temperature gaseous waste heat streams can benefit from the development of thermocline thermal energy storage, based on the use of a ceramic material as a solid filler and gases (including air) as heat transfer fluid. The wide diversity of waste heat streams implies developping a versatile and robust system, able to operate in such various conditions.This thesis aims at supporting the development of the company Eco-Tech Ceram, which focuses on developing a compact thermocline air/ceramic thermal storage unit (named EcoStock), and developing ceramics produced from industrial inorganic byproducts, designed to be used as thermal energy storage material. Regarding the « thermal storage » topic, this thesis is focused on the experimental validation of the EcoStock concept, through experimental campaigns on a representative pilot-scale system, especially regarding the influence of operating conditions over performances, and the sensitiviy of the system’s efficiency when discharged at different power level, or charged with low-quality heat streams (varying mass flow rate and inlet temperature during charging phase). Regarding the « ceramic » topic, this thesis is focused on developing a sintered ceramic based on municipal waste incinerator bottom ashes compatible with high temperature thermocline system, with an experimental approach, taking in consideration industrial potential of such ceramics by making industrial mass production of such material realistic, using already widely available industrial processes from the bricks and tiles industries.Keywords: thermal storage, thermocline, experimental validation, waste heat, high temperature, sintered ceramics, incinerator bottom ash valorization.

<p>As a part of the fight against the global warming the energy production needs to be more efficient and redirected towards sustainable options. One alternative is cogeneration, which means that electricity and heat is produced in one plant. The purpose with this survey is to examine if there are any commercial available combined heat and power techniques, based on combustion of solid moist biomass, which are suitable to small-scale applications. The technique must be able to produce between 2 and 10 MW thermal and the heat demand is a Swedish district-heating system. When already published reports had been studied, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) was chosen as the most suitable technique. The possibility of using the ORC to generate electricity from the district-heating return flow was considered simultaneously. The chosen ORC-technique was then evaluated in Excel. The first aspect to be examined was how the performance of a combined heat and power plant was affected by variations in the supply line temperature. It showed that the performance reaches top levels when the temperature is low. The second part contains an optimisation, in a techno-economical perspective, of the ratio between cogeneration and separate heat production for district-heating systems with heat demands below 50 GWh/year. The most profitable combined heat and power plant generates 45 % of the installed power in a 50 GWh system. The profit is, however, too low to justify any construction plans. The conclusion was that there are no economical reasons to choose combined heat and power based on an organic rankine cycle in Sweden today.</p>

As a part of the fight against the global warming the energy production needs to be more efficient and redirected towards sustainable options. One alternative is cogeneration, which means that electricity and heat is produced in one plant. The purpose with this survey is to examine if there are any commercial available combined heat and power techniques, based on combustion of solid moist biomass, which are suitable to small-scale applications. The technique must be able to produce between 2 and 10 MW thermal and the heat demand is a Swedish district-heating system. When already published reports had been studied, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) was chosen as the most suitable technique. The possibility of using the ORC to generate electricity from the district-heating return flow was considered simultaneously. The chosen ORC-technique was then evaluated in Excel. The first aspect to be examined was how the performance of a combined heat and power plant was affected by variations in the supply line temperature. It showed that the performance reaches top levels when the temperature is low. The second part contains an optimisation, in a techno-economical perspective, of the ratio between cogeneration and separate heat production for district-heating systems with heat demands below 50 GWh/year. The most profitable combined heat and power plant generates 45 % of the installed power in a 50 GWh system. The profit is, however, too low to justify any construction plans. The conclusion was that there are no economical reasons to choose combined heat and power based on an organic rankine cycle in Sweden today.

Heat actuated adsorption heat pumps offer the opportunity to improve overall energy efficiency in waste heat applications by eliminating shaft work requirements accompanying vapor compression cycles. The coefficient of performance (COP) in adsorption heat pumps is generally low. The objective of this thesis is to model the adsorption system to gain critical insight into how its performance can be improved. Because adsorption heat pumps are intermittent devices, which induce cooling by adsorbing refrigerant in a sorption bed heat/mass exchanger, transient models must be used to predict performance. In this thesis, such models are developed at the adsorbent particle level, heat/mass exchanger component level and system level. Adsorption heat pump modeling is a coupled heat and mass transfer problem. Intra-particle mass transfer resistance and sorption bed heat transfer resistance are shown to be significant, but for very fine particle sizes, inter-particle resistance may also be important. The diameter of the adsorbent particle in a packed bed is optimized to balance inter- and intra-particle resistances and improve sorption rate. In the literature, the linear driving force (LDF) approximation for intra-particle mass transfer is commonly used in place of the Fickian diffusion equation to reduce computation time; however, it is shown that the error in uptake prediction associated with the LDF depends on the working pair, half-cycle time, adsorbent particle radius, and operating temperatures at hand. Different methods for enhancing sorption bed heat/mass transfer have been proposed in the literature including the use of binders, adsorbent compacting, and complex extended surface geometries. To maintain high reliability, the simple, robust annular-finned-tube geometry with packed adsorbent is specified in this work. The effects of tube diameter, fin pitch and fin height on thermal conductance, metal/adsorbent mass ratio and COP are studied. As one might expect, many closely spaced fins, or high fin density, yields high thermal conductance; however, it is found that the increased inert metal mass associated with the high fin density diminishes COP. It is also found that thin adsorbent layers with low effective conduction resistance lead to high thermal conductance. As adsorbent layer thickness decreases, the relative importance of tube-side convective resistance rises, so mini-channel sized tubes are used. After selecting the proper tube geometry, an overall thermal conductance is calculated for use in a lumped-parameter sorption bed simulation. To evaluate the accuracy of the lumped-parameter approach, a distributed parameter sorption bed simulation is developed for comparison. Using the finite difference method, the distributed parameter model is used to track temperature and refrigerant distributions in the finned tube and adsorbent layer. The distributed-parameter tube model is shown to be in agreement with the lumped-parameter model, thus independently verifying the overall UA calculation and the lumped-parameter sorption bed model. After evaluating the accuracy of the lumped-parameter model, it is used to develop a system-level heat pump simulation. This simulation is used to investigate a non-recuperative two-bed heat pump containing activated carbon fiber-ethanol and silica gel-water working pairs. The two-bed configuration is investigated because it yields a desirable compromise between the number of components (heat exchangers, pumps, valves, etc.) and steady cooling rate. For non-recuperative two-bed adsorption heat pumps, the average COP prediction in the literature is 0.39 for experiments and 0.44 for models. It is important to improve the COP in mobile waste heat applications because without high COP, the available waste heat during startup or idle may be insufficient to deliver the desired cooling duty. In this thesis, a COP of 0.53 is predicted for the non-recuperative, silica gel-water chiller. If thermal energy recovery is incorporated into the cycle, a COP as high as 0.64 is predicted for a 90, 35 and 7.0°C source, ambient and average evaporator temperature, respectively. The improvement in COP over heat pumps appearing in the literature is attributed to the adsorbent particle size optimization and careful selection of sorption bed heat exchanger geometry.

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate ORC systems and technologies from an energy and economic perspective. ORC systems are a growing renewable electricity generation technology, but New Zealand has limited local skills and expertise for identifying ORC resource opportunities and subsequently developing suitable technologies at low cost. For this reason, this thesis researches ORC technology, resource types, and international development, with the aim to determine guidelines for how to cost-effectively develop ORC systems, and to make recommendations applicable to furthering their development within a New Zealand context. This thesis first uses two surveys, one of commercial ORC installations, and a second of economic evaluations of ORC systems in literature, to determine what resources and economic scenarios are supportive of commercial development. It is found that geothermal resources provide the largest share of ORC capacity, with biomass and waste-heat recovery (WHR) being developed more recently. The surveys also found that countries with high electricity prices or policy interventions have developed a wider range of resources using ORC systems. This thesis then undertakes an EROI evaluation of ORC electricity generation systems using a combination of top-down and process based methodologies. Various heat sources; geothermal, biomass, solar, and waste heat are evaluated in order to determine how the utilised resource can affect energy profitability. A wide range of EROIstnd values, from 3.4 – 22.7 are found, with solar resources offering the lowest EROIs, and geothermal systems the highest. Higher still EROI values are found to be obtainable with longer system lifetimes, especially for WHR systems. Specific engineering aspects of ORC design and technology such as high-side pressure, heat storage, modularity, superheating, pinch-point temperature difference, and turbine efficiency are evaluated in terms of economic performance, and a variety of general conclusions are made about each. It is found that total system thermo-economic optimisation may not lead to the highest possible EROI, depending on the objective function. Lastly, the effects of past and potential future changes to the markets and economies surrounding ORCs are explored, including the New Zealand electricity spot price, steel and aluminium prices, subsidies, and climate policy. Of the subsidy types explored, it is found that directly subsidising ORC system capital has the greatest effect on the economic performance of ORC systems, as measured by common metrics. In conclusion, this thesis finds that ORC systems have a limited applicability to New Zealand’s electricity market under current economic conditions outside of geothermal and off-grid generation, but changes to these conditions could potentially make their development more viable. The author recommends that favourable resources should be developed using systems that provide high efficiencies, beyond what might provide the best economic performance, in order to increase EROI, and reduce the future need for costly investments into increasingly less favourable resources.

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate ORC systems and technologies from an energy and economic perspective. ORC systems are a growing renewable electricity generation technology, but New Zealand has limited local skills and expertise for identifying ORC resource opportunities and subsequently developing suitable technologies at low cost. For this reason, this thesis researches ORC technology, resource types, and international development, with the aim to determine guidelines for how to cost-effectively develop ORC systems, and to make recommendations applicable to furthering their development within a New Zealand context. This thesis first uses two surveys, one of commercial ORC installations, and a second of economic evaluations of ORC systems in literature, to determine what resources and economic scenarios are supportive of commercial development. It is found that geothermal resources provide the largest share of ORC capacity, with biomass and waste-heat recovery (WHR) being developed more recently. The surveys also found that countries with high electricity prices or policy interventions have developed a wider range of resources using ORC systems. This thesis then undertakes an EROI evaluation of ORC electricity generation systems using a combination of top-down and process based methodologies. Various heat sources; geothermal, biomass, solar, and waste heat are evaluated in order to determine how the utilised resource can affect energy profitability. A wide range of EROIstnd values, from 3.4 – 22.7 are found, with solar resources offering the lowest EROIs, and geothermal systems the highest. Higher still EROI values are found to be obtainable with longer system lifetimes, especially for WHR systems. Specific engineering aspects of ORC design and technology such as high-side pressure, heat storage, modularity, superheating, pinch-point temperature difference, and turbine efficiency are evaluated in terms of economic performance, and a variety of general conclusions are made about each. It is found that total system thermo-economic optimisation may not lead to the highest possible EROI, depending on the objective function. Lastly, the effects of past and potential future changes to the markets and economies surrounding ORCs are explored, including the New Zealand electricity spot price, steel and aluminium prices, subsidies, and climate policy. Of the subsidy types explored, it is found that directly subsidising ORC system capital has the greatest effect on the economic performance of ORC systems, as measured by common metrics. In conclusion, this thesis finds that ORC systems have a limited applicability to New Zealand’s electricity market under current economic conditions outside of geothermal and off-grid generation, but changes to these conditions could potentially make their development more viable. The author recommends that favourable resources should be developed using systems that provide high efficiencies, beyond what might provide the best economic performance, in order to increase EROI, and reduce the future need for costly investments into increasingly less favourable resources.

Cette étude concerne la compréhension des mécanismes de transfert de chaleur et le développement d’un système de stockage pour la valorisation de la chaleur fatale industrielle. L’utilisation de Matériaux à Changement de Phase (MCP) permet d’atteindre une densité énergétique élevée et de restituer la chaleur à température constante. Cependant, leur faible conductivité thermique impose d’améliorer les transferts thermiques, notamment par l’utilisation d’échangeurs à surface augmentée. Le but est de comprendre le comportement de tels échangeurs en régime transitoire au contact de MCP. Une étude expérimentale à basse température, où quatre échangeurs de type tube-calandre ont été testés avec différentes orientations (horizontale/verticale) et injections (haut/bas), a mis en évidence des phénomènes de transfert thermique importants, comme la convection naturelle à la charge et la contraction volumique à la décharge. Ces observations ont été validées par un modèle CFD tridimensionnel. Une méthode de comparaison des performances basée sur un calcul d’énergie par le biais d’un maillage expérimental est proposée et permet de sélectionner un échangeur selon les critères de densités énergétiques, de temps caractéristique et de coût. Trois MCP, envisagés pour l’application, ont alors été testés à température réelle (100-200 °C) au contact d’un échangeur tube inox à ailettes transverses en aluminium pour évaluer leur cyclabilité et comparer leur comportement. Le mélange de sels, H105 (Tfusion = 122 °C), n’est pas retenu pour l’application à cause de sa faible densité énergétique (≈ 56 kWh/m3) et sa plage de fusion trop étalée. L’acide sébacique (Tfusion = 132 °C) a un comportement répétable au cours des cycles et une densité énergétique plus élevée (≈ 66 kWh/m3). L’alcool de sucre, l’érythritol (Tfusion = 118 °C), présente de bonnes thermo-physiques (128 kWh/m3) mais la maîtrise de sa cristallisation est un point clé pour l’utiliser en tant que MCP. / This PhD thesis deals with the understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms and with the development of thermal energy storage system for the industrial waste heat recovery application. The use of Phase Change Materials (PCM) is attractive for its high storage density and its possibility to deliver heat at constant temperature. However, the PCM low thermal conductivity leads to develop heat transfer improvement methods, such as heat exchangers with increased heat transfer surface. The goal is to characterize the behavior of such heat exchangers An experimental study, where four several heat exchangers have been tested with different orientations (horizontal/vertical) and injection types (upward/downward), highlighted the impact of natural convection during the melting process and the volume contraction one during the solidification. These results have been validated through a 3D numerical model. A performance comparison method based on an energy calculation through an experimental mesh is proposed and enables to select a heat exchanger on criteria such as the storage density, the characteristic time and the cost. Three PCM, adapted to our application, have been tested at the intended temperature (100-200 °C) by integrating them into a storage system made of a stainless steel tube with aluminum circular fins. Their ability to resist to repeated cycles has been assessed and their behavior has been compared. The salts mixture, H105 (Tmelting = 122 °C), is not selected for the application because of it low storage density (≈ 56 kWh/m3) and its large melting area. The sebacic acid (Tmelting = 132 °C) has a repeatable behavior with cycles and a higher storage density (≈ 66 kWh/m3) and is appropriate as storage material. The sugar alcohol, erythritol (Tmelting = 118 °C), has good thermo-physical properties (128 kWh/m3) but the crystallization control is a key point to use it as a PCM.