GRANEX uses WASTE HEAT

GRANEX

GRANEX is a technology platform developed initially for geothermal power generation. A University of Newcastle study has found that GRANEX can deliver a 40% improvement in both thermal efficiency and power generation. The technology delivers higher thermal efficiencies than conventional power plants and increases the amount of electricity that can be generated from low-grade heat sources such as geothermal and industrial waste heat.

About the Inventor

Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi are a husband and wife team who work at the University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre for Energy. They are both chemical engineers.

GRANEX: a new class of electricity generation  
EcoGeneration — January/February 2011

GRANEX, a novel heat engine designed for electricity generation from low to medium-heat sources, has been developed by Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi of the University of Newcastle.

The engine, produced in partnership with Granite Power, is particularly focused on electricity generation from geothermal sources and industrial waste heat streams, such as waste heat from petrochemical plants, cement and brick manufacturers, gas and coal-fired power plants.

GRANEX is an innovative development stemming from conventional organic rankine cycle (ORC) technology, which is transformational for low to medium-heat resource opportunities such as recovered waste heat (RWH) and the geothermal sector. At present, ORC is the principal means of converting electrical energy heat sources into the range of 130–250°Celsius.

By incorporating the concept of the regenerative supercritical rankine cycle, GRANEX significantly improves the efficiency of the conventional rankine cycle, increasing the net electrical output from a 200°Celsius heat source by approximately 40 per cent. The technology has only a moderate impact on plant capital costs, no hazardous fluid is involved in the process, and no CO2 or other waste emissions are generated.

GRANEX has been developed jointly by Newcastle Innovation (University of Newcastle) and GRANEX Technology, with the assistance of a Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI) Grant from AusIndustry, and an ARC Linkage grant. Worldwide patent protection has been applied for, and GRANEX Technology has the exclusive worldwide commercialisation rights to GRANEX.

http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/granex_a_new_class_of_electricity_generation/054016/ 

Contact

For more information about Granex, contact the following:
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/research-centre/energy

http://www.newcastle.edu.au/staff/research-profile/Behdad_Moghtaderi/