Waste Heat Recovery:New Hope For Energy Conservation

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Waste heat is heat, which is generated in a process by way of fuel combustion or chemical reaction, and then “dumped” into the environment even though it could still be reused for some useful and economic purpose. Large quantity of hot flue gases is generated from Boilers, Kilns, Ovens and Furnaces. If some of this waste heat could be recovered, a considerable amount of primary fuel could be saved.

Waste heat recovery employs a process that has been around since the 1960s called the organic Rankine cycle (ORC), which easily integrates into existing manufacturing infrastructures. ORC units capture heat that is currently being released into the atmosphere and converts it into useable CO2-free electricity. This technology has a small footprint, approximately the size of a tractor trailer flatbed and interest in systems that use this energy generating skid is on the rise as companies look to maximize the efficiency of existing investments and infrastructures.

ORC employs environmentally benign refrigerants in a closed-loop system that turn waste heat into useable electricity. Given its relative simplicity, carbon neutrality and diminutive physical footprint, ORC is one of the most inexpensive sources of renewable power generation. Also, its high utilization rate (95%) far eclipses the 25-35% utilization rates seen in other renewable technologies, such as solar and wind.

A wave of new project development activity has occurred as a result of rising energy costs and growing environmental concern. Recent improvements in the ORC manufacturing process have made the systems modular, customizable, and easily deployed. Also, the rise of independent project managers has also hastened adoption; allowing customers to focus on energy savings while project managers design, engineer, construct and operate the plants.

Waste heat recovery delivers a win-win clean energy solution. By tapping into existing but unused energy sources companies reduce energy spending, reduce carbon footprints and reduce dependence on non-renewable sources of energy. And that’s why waste heat is about to become a lot more relevant.

 Benefits:

Recovery of waste heat has a direct effect on the efficiency of the process. This is reflected by reduction in the utility consumption & costs, and process cost.

Reduction in pollution: A number of toxic combustible wastes such as carbon monoxide gas, sour gas, carbon black off gases, oil sludge, Acrylonitrile and other plastic chemicals etc, releasing to atmosphere if/when burnt in the incinerators serves dual purpose i.e. recovers heat and reduces the environmental pollution levels.

 Reduction in equipment sizes: Waste heat recovery reduces the fuel consumption, which leads to reduction in the flue gas produced. This results in reduction in equipment sizes of all flue gas handling equipments such as fans, stacks, ducts, burners, etc.

 Reduction in auxiliary energy consumption: Reduction in equipment sizes gives additional benefits in the form of reduction in auxiliary energy consumption like electricity for fans, pumps etc..

Links and Sources:
ENN ,

Bureau of Energy Efficiency(Click to Download in PDF)

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Rain Gardens: Natural Solution to Urban Water Pollution

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Rain gardens are also known as recharge gardens.A rain garden is a planted depression that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed. This reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater to soak into the ground (as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater).They can be designed for specific soils and climates. The purpose of a rain garden is to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.

In  urban areas, generally the natural depressions are filled in. The surface of the ground is leveled or paved, and water is directed into storm drains. This causes several problems. First of all, streams that are fed by storm drains are subjected to sudden surges of water each time it rains, which contributes to erosion and flooding. Also, the water is warmer than the groundwater that normally feeds a stream, which upsets the delicate system. Warmer water cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen (DO). Many fish and other creatures in streams are unable to live in an environment with fluctuating temperatures. Finally, a wide variety of pollutants spill or settle on land surfaces between rain events.

Rain gardens are improve water quality by filtering runoff, provide localized flood control, aesthetically pleasing, and provide interesting planting opportunities. They also encourage wildlife and biodiversity, tie together buildings and their surrounding environments in attractive and environmentally advantageous ways, and provide significant partial solutions to important environmental problems that affect us all.

The first rain gardens were created to mimic the natural water retention areas that occurred naturally before development of an area.A rain garden provides a way to use and optimize any rain that falls, reducing or avoiding the need for irrigation. They allow a household or building to deal with excessive rainwater runoff without burdening the public storm water systems. Rain gardens differ from retention basins, in that the water will infiltrate the ground within a day or two. This creates the advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes to breed.

A Word of caution

If built incorrectly, rain gardens can accumulate standing water or increase erosion. These problems can be avoided by following published design guides.

Link and Sources:

Wikipedia

Download A Good Presentation on the Subject

Read more Here

Rain water Harvesting

Traditional Water Harvesting Systems in India

Posted in Ecosystem, pollution, rain, Urban Studies, water | 1 Comment

Google’s Different Versions of Map of India for India,China and US

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Rashid Faridi
  Found it on Spatial Unlimited . Thought of sharing it with you All. Read On…
In Indian version of Google Maps, you can see Arunachal Pradesh and eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir as integral part of India.
In US version of Google Maps, you can see Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed region.
In the Chinese version of the Google Maps, you can see Arunachal Pradesh and JnK as not a part of India.
                Many people complained this issue to Google. A Google employee responded :
“We do show different versions of this border, because we required to by law. Indian law requires us to show it one way, and the Chinese law requires us to show it another way. If we can legally do so, we strive to present borders in a neutral and objective manner, which is why the US version avoids taking either side and simply labels the border as disputed.”
                So, Google is not cheating! It is waiting for a final and permanent decision.
Perhaps They are only Twisting the Truth Again.
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Iceberg Fertilizer

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Iceberg   is a large piece of ice formed from freshwater that has broken off from a glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water.. Water picks up other stuff when it freezes whether as dissolved or scraped up. Icebergs calving off of Antarctica  shed substantial iron — the equivalent of a growth-boosting vitamin — into waters starved of the mineral. This iron is fertilizing the growth of microscopic plants and algae, transforming the waters adjacent to ice floes into teeming communities of everything from tiny shrimplike krill to fish, birds and sometimes mammals. Iron is a trace element necessary for photosynthesis in all plants. It is highly insoluble in sea water and is often the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton  growth. Large phytoplankton blooms can be created by supplying iron to iron-deficient ocean waters.

By releasing iron into the Southern Oceans, melting icebergs are fueling the growth of plankton – which help to remove a substantial amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Iron is an essential nutrient, a lack of which limits the growth of plant life in the Southern Ocean.  The main source of this iron is believed to be from atmospheric dust, but new evidence from the University of Leeds shows that icebergs could provide at least as much absorbable iron into the ocean.

Consideration of iron’s importance to phytoplankton growth and photosynthesis dates back to the 1930s when English biologist Joseph Hart speculated that the ocean’s great desolate zones (areas apparently rich in nutrients, but lacking in plankton activity or other sea life) might simply be iron deficient. Little further scientific discussion of this issue was recorded until the 1980s, when oceanographer John Martin renewed controversy on the topic with his marine water nutrient analyses. His studies indicated it was indeed a scarcity of iron micronutrients that was limiting phytoplankton growth and overall productivity in these regions.

Supporting evidence from the Weddell Sea in the Southern Ocean shows that iron from melting icebergs acts as a fertilizer for plant life in the surrounding ocean. This in turn reduces the level of C02 in the atmosphere.

Links and Sources:

http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/42768

RB, Wikipedia

Posted in Ecosystem, oceans, water | Leave a comment