Integrated Approaches to Waste Heat Utilization for Power Generation in Civil and Mechanical Engineering

Waste heat utilization (WHU) is a potential technique that has been considered in the enhancement of energy effectiveness of both civil and mechanical systems. This research aims at comparing the performance of three WHU technologies which are Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), Kalina cycle, and Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) through experimentation and modeling. The study analyzed their efficiency concerning thermal conditions and incorporate these technologies in civil structures such as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems or grey water recovery and aeromechanical systems like the gas turbine exhaust. These tend to show that Kalina cycle and its efficiency, mainly at medium and high temperatures, are considerably high but ORC systems offer better system design along with relatively promising efficiency. TEGs, despite the fact that they are thin film based and hence compact, lack the capability to generate much power and are best suited for small power applications. The findings concerning both sectors show a high potential of energy recovery and the modeling results are over 95% accurate as compared with the experimental results. Sensitivity also increases the rating of parameters that shows that the temperature and flow rate are the most sensitive variables in the system. It can be concluded that there is the potential of achieving significant environmental and economic advantages when adopting WHU systems by organizing them according to civil and mechanical domain operations characteristics. This study contributes to the understanding of sustainable energy systems and offers practical recommendations to engineering and policy professionals desiring to minimize energy losses and environmental impacts when deploying WHU.