I have been researching a lot lately into methods of recovering heat from the corrugated pipe extrusion process. With all the focus on energy recovery, I am surprised at the lack of information or developed technology I can find on the subject.
When you consider the amount of heat we take out of the pipe after extrusion, you have to believe there is a use for it.
Their is the obvious technology of using waste hot air or water to preheat the resin entering the extrusion process, this is simple and has been done for years. What I am trying to find is a technology that turns our waste heat into a mechanical energy.
I have come across information on the Stirling engine. This is a technology that generates mechanical energy from low temperature heat sources, and has been known for over a century. What I haven’t been able to find is a company that has developed this technology around waste heat temperatures in the 90 – 120 F range.
I also wonder why the chiller technologies have not been developed for a reverse process to cooling. I have read that it is possible to use low temperature waste heat to drive a compressor, and as such you could drive a generator set to produce electricity, recycling it back into the plant. It seems so simple, but so far I haven’t found any suppliers.
So, this is a topic I am really interested in, but have had great difficulty finding information. If you have some direction for me, or can add some ideas to recycling heat in an extrusion plant I would be excited to read your comments.
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