Evaluation of a self-heat recuperative thermal process based on thermodynamic irreversibility and exergy

In this paper, an exergy analysis and a calculation method for a self-heat recuperative thermal process are described. Self-heat recuperation technology has recently been developed and has the characteristics whereby total process heat can be recirculated within the process, leading to a marked reduction in energy consumption. Although this technology can achieve perfect heat circulation in the process, the minimum energy required for the thermal process has not previously been described. According to both the theoretical and graphical analyses in this paper, self-heat recuperative thermal processes can achieve energy requirements close to the energy required for heat transfer from an exergy point of view. In addition, the simple calculation method for the minimum energy required for heat transfer was derived to be fixed as a target value of heat recovery technology. Thus, this technology supports process intensification and is promising for industry to examine the energy saving potential when designing a thermal process.