Cost estimation of heat recovery networks for utilization of industrial excess heat for carbon dioxide absorption

The absorption of CO₂ using solvents (e.g., amines) is considered a state-of-the-art, albeit energy-intensive process for CO₂ capture. While it is generally recognized that the utilization of waste heat has potential to reduce the energy-associated costs for CO₂ capture, the cost of waste heat recovery is seldom quantified. In this work, the cost of heat-collecting steam networks for waste heat recovery for solvent regeneration is estimated. Two types of networks are applied to waste heat recovery from the flue gases of four process industries (cement, silicon, iron & steel, and pulp & paper) via a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). A novel approach is presented that estimates the capital and operational expenditures for waste heat recovery from process industries. The results show that the overall cost (CAPEX + OPEX) of steam generated from one hot flue gas source is in the range of 1.1–4.1 €/t steam. The cost is sensitive to economic parameters, installation factors, the overall heat transfer coefficient, steam pressure, and to the complexity of the steam network. The cost of steam from an existing natural gas boiler is roughly 5–20-times higher than that of steam generated from recovered waste heat. The CAPEX required to collect the heat is the predominant factor in the cost of steam generation from waste heat. The major contributor to the CAPEX is the heat recovery steam generator, although the length of the steam pipeline (when heat is collected from two sources or over long distances) is also important for the CAPEX.