How to REDUCE INDUSTRIAL WATER CONSUMPTION:
the HYGROSCOPIC CYCLE
In an increasingly dry world, industrial water efficiency is a top priority.
Discover our revolutionary water recovery technology for the drying process.
What is it and how does the reduction of industrial water consumption by means of hygroscopic cycle technology work?
The Rankine cycle is a thermodynamic cycle whose objective is the conversion of heat into work. Any thermal power plant that produces electricity is governed by this cycle (biomass plants, nuclear, solar thermal, cogeneration, etc.).
Within the main components of any Rankine cycle (boiler, pump and turbine) the condensation of the turbine outlet steam is necessary. To carry out this condensation, cooling towers can be used, which operate on the principle of evaporative cooling at the expense of water consumption, or “dry” technologies, which use air at room temperature to condense the steam.
At present, the water consumption associated with a water tower is
cooling is about 3.8 m³/h per megawatt of electricity produced. This consumption comes mainly from the evaporation of the water in the tower itself and from the purges to avoid the concentration of minerals. To give an example of this magnitude, a 50 MWe biomass plant (approximately enough to supply 12,500 homes), operating for 7,800 hours per year, will have a consumption of approximately
1.5 million cubic meters
cubic meters per year, equivalent to 440 Olympic-size swimming pools.
As can be seen, the water consumption of cooling towers is not exactly negligible, and even more so in cases such as that of solar thermal plants.
solar thermal plants
These plants are usually located in places with high water stress and whose greatest electricity production occurs in the summer months, the driest time of the year.
In addition to the visual impact of the plume and high water consumption, cooling towers also have the following disadvantages:
- Risk of Legionella.
- High maintenance costs.
- Operating costs associated with water collection and treatment.
- Discharge of water at a higher temperature into rivers with the environmental impact that this entails.
Countries such as the United Kingdom and India have already banned the use of industrial cooling water. These technologies, which have such an impact on the environment, should be replaced by others that are more environmentally friendly, such as hygroscopic cycle technology (HCT), which allows steam to be condensed efficiently without water consumption. More information about its operation and advantages in: Hygroscopic Cycle Operation – HCT Imatech (imasatechnologies.com)
Imatech has developed the hygroscopic cycle technology (HCT), a thermodynamic cycle that drastically reduces industrial water consumption. The hygroscopic cycle can be used and has already been successfully implemented in the following two applications:
- Steam Condensation Cycles.
- Plume Reduction and Water Recovery.
HCT applied in plume reduction and water recovery.
In this case, the hygroscopic cycle technology can be applied to any chimney plume. The implementation of HCT makes it possible to condense up to
95% of the water
in the form of steam that comes out of the chimney and is wasted into the atmosphere.
Water that, after appropriate treatment, can be reused as process water, irrigation water, etc. It is estimated that around 5 billion cubic meters of fresh water are sent into the atmosphere in biomass drying processes.
This application, in addition to water recovery, also has the following advantages:
- Reduction of the visual and environmental impact of steam plumes.
- Reduction of particles emitted into the atmosphere. In the drying processes, for example, there are particulates that are dragged along with the steam and gases and emitted through the chimneys; the HCT allows the retention of part of these particulates, helping to comply with current legislation.
- Elimination of organic compounds (odors) emitted into the atmosphere.
Benefits and applications of the Hygroscopic Cycle in industry
Recover up to 95% of the water generated in the drying process.
The main advantage of the hygroscopic cycle in turbine outlet steam condensation processes is that it allows the condensation pressure to be reduced, which increases the cycle performance. This is because hygroscopic compounds have a higher affinity for water than air, so they are able to extract water from condensing vapor at lower pressures.
With our system based on the hygroscopic cycle, you can recover almost all of the water contained in the steam emissions, thus generating up to 900 MWh/year more. This unique process will allow you to obtain high quality water that can be used for irrigation or as process water.
Reducing emissions to meet environmental targets
Our system eliminates vapor plumes, significantly reducing the visual and environmental impact of your plant and facilitating compliance with COP21 emission reduction targets.
Elimination of odors, particulate matter and vapor emissions
The emission of particles, biocides and odors makes it difficult to install plants near urban centers. IMATECH’s hygroscopic cycle greatly reduces this problem.
How to implement a hygroscopic cycle system
The Imatech HCT system can be implemented in both new and existing installations.
Imatech is responsible for engineering, equipment supply, construction and commissioning.
Success stories: Companies that have achieved positive results with our technology
Click on this link and discover our success stories: Success stories – HCT Imatech (imasatechnologies.com)
- Incorporation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) in the 12.5 MWe biomass plant in Palenciana (Córdoba). Client: Oleícola el Tejar. Year: 2017.
- Incorporation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) in the 25 MWe biomass plant in Baena (Córdoba). Client: Oleícola el Tejar. Year: 2018.
- Incorporation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) in Doy Industries, Trubia (Asturias). EPC gas recovery plant with electrical production of 4MWe, Client: EDP. Year: 2020.
- Incorporation of the Hydroscopic Cliche Technology (HCP) for reduction of chimney plumes and water recovery at the Espejo production center (Córdoba). Oleícola el Tejar Customer. Year: 2022.
- Incorporation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) in the 5.372 MWe biomass plant in Palenciana (Córdoba). Client: Oleícola el Tejar. Year: 2022.
- Incorporation of Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HTC) in the 7 MEe W2E plant in Pau (France), Client: Urbases, Year: 2022-2023 (in progress)
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