Thank you for your informative answer. I have worked previously in a smelter where the heat (not the gases-that is another story and application) was recovered from the rotary kiln dryers used to dry the crushed ore before smelting took place. Some heat from the electric smelters was also recovered and piped to a fuel fired power plant with steam turbines. This has worked extremely well for the last thirty years.
What has prompted my recent interest in the Stirling engine is that (as afar as I know) there are countless applications where such waste - heat recovery could be applied , but are NOT . For instance in coal fire burning power plants ( Particularly in: China.In that country's north , there are countless -and very polluting coal fired- steam generation simply for : air conditionning in winter.) Whilst with modern steel making Companys such as the European do have , ie Italian and Germans, I have yet to see any apparent applications and or market penetration of sterling type heat recovery application in any of their recent installations in : China. This Country is and will remain for a long time to come the one that has the largest population of coal fired installation and probably the largest source of harmfull emissions !
So it seems that the manufacturers have yet to single out the huge market potential which already exists simply:in heat recovery alone . Yet others such as the: Japanese, do have extremely good smelter gas turbines based on the recovery of gas in the smelters . Particulary of iron to steel processing. Whilst, elesewhere the focus appears to be on the solar potential. Obviously this is good but is very costly and forseeably , will remain, like wind power , as intermittent energy source .Good but not fully reliable
In sum it is not an esoteric appreciation of steam against pure heat recovery . No my question is : who is doing something on just the recovery of wasted heat ? Is there not a way of finding the funding for the: imaginative manufacturers of those simple first steps .Yes , those who may create and market a : Model T Ford range of heat recovery engines-gensets combinations that are designed to supply power locally into the grids of this world .
Should we , continue just playing around with: carbon credits ? Will that work ? or will it be another financial bubble : a la Enron ?
