A technology review on recovering waste heat from the condensers of large turbine units in China

Through recovering waste heat from condensers of large turbine units, both the heating capacity of the plant and the energy efficiency of the cogeneration system can be significantly increased. This paper presents a technology review on waste heat recovery from the condensers of large turbine units. The review covers detailed process and application of the technologies. These technologies are discussed and compared through the analyses of the heating capacity of the plant, the energy efficiency of the cogeneration system and the transportation capacity of the heat network. Taking the waste heat recovery as core task, the “Clean-heating project covering the whole city” is being implemented in many cities. As the key technology in this project, DH system with cogeneration based on absorption heat exchange (Co-ah system) has been widely used. This project will bring social, environmental and economic benefits to China significantly.