CO2 emissions have to be reduced. That much is clear. In addition to expanding renewable energies, optimising energy efficiency is proving to be an effective lever.
Organic Rankine Cycle
The trick is not to let waste heat escape unused into the environment, but to convert it into electrical energy. For this purpose, turbine generators are installed in so-called ORC systems (Organic Rankine Cycle). In a separate thermal circuit, the residual heat is transferred via a heat exchanger to a synthetic coolant which evaporates even at low temperatures and drives the turbine of a high-frequency generator as it expands. Considering that about 60% of the energy used in the combustion engine is lost as heat via the radiator and exhaust gas flow, the high potential of this technology soon becomes apparent.
Wide range of applications
The list of recovery possibilities is endless: Geothermal heat, in places such as Iceland, California, Japan, industrial waste heat (e.g. in steel works, paint shops and paper production), heat from large engines (e.g. ship diesel engines, stationary engines) or from stationary or mobile combustion engines (e.g. block heat and power plants, marine engines, trucks), etc.
SycoTec supports innovative turbine manufacturers with individually designed motor elements. Our expertise is an essential factor in the development of compact, robust and low-maintenance high-speed generators. The bottom line is that efficiencies of between 97% and 99% can be achieved. And all for extremely low investment costs.
The energy requirement of a city
In order to recover energy, one of the largest shipbuilders of cruise ships is now employing turbine generators that use assemblies from SycoTec’s Industrial Drives business unit. The components currently in SycoTec production contribute to a total output of 10 megawatts in the finished generators. That’s enough to supply up to 20,000 households with recovered electricity – without having to rely on nuclear energy, wind or solar. At the same time, 7,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions are saved. Applications in the field of energy recovery with highly efficient generator elements are becoming increasingly important for SycoTec Industrial Drives. In the future, we will continue to expand our commitment to intelligent solutions for the preservation of our livelihoods.
