An approach to recovering heat from the compressed air system based on waste heat recovery: a review

Energy consumption has skyrocketed during the past several decades due to the rapid growth of energy-intensive sectors. Fossil fuels provide a significant energy requirement but also have many undesirable side effects, including climate change. The world is currently focused on energy recovery and renewable energy research due to climate change and environmental concerns. So, recovering the heat that is wasted in industrial operations is an excellent way to reduce energy use. One of the most important ways to improve energy saving that is often overlooked is to reuse the heat generated by compressors. As a result, the primary focus of this study has been placed on an approach to recovering the heat that is generated by a multistage air compressor by making use of the appropriate heat recovery option. This review study is noteworthy in that it provides an explanation of the recovery of waste heat from a multistage air-compressor by making use of three main aspects of recovery. Many researchers have paid little attention to these three main aspects of recovery. The purpose of this study was to suggest cost-effective method for capturing heat from a multistage air-compressor. Finally, this study shows that in a compressed air system (CAS) a huge amount of energy, approximately 70% to 90%, is lost as waste heat. But implementing energy-saving indicators using proper waste heat recovery in the CASs can save 20% to 60%. Hence, using air compressor heat reduces energy costs and power usage by lowering energy value. This shows that this waste heat recovery system would offer a solution that is both cost-effective and efficient for capturing energy from the compressors and using it to heat the water for a range of purposes.