Hi, I like cogen. It is like getting something for nothing. In the old days one would burn diesel and generate electricity. Next to it, one would burn diesel and fire a boiler for hot water. Somebody finally said, hey why not use the hot exhaust from the generator, and the heat in the coolant and heat the water in the boiler. Two products from one! I love it.
Here in Saudi Arabia there is a big need for water. They are therefore the world's largest producers of potable water from sea water. I don't know all of the details, but basically they burn natural gas to produce heat to get the potable water through an evaporative process. But, rather than do it directly, they do it with cogen. So, they produce electricity from natural gas and then use the waste heat from electrical production to produce potable water. At one time they were practically giving away the electricity since the primary product was water. Free electricity. Cogen. I suspect that there are other processes out there that haven't been fully exploited to similarly get something for nothing. I bet there are processes to get more than two uses from the same energy burn, maybe three, or four. We need to look about and THINK. Derek > On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 15:12:49 -0500, you wrote: > > >Their website lists 70-90% for cogeneration. I would imagine much less if > you're wasting the exhaust heat. > > > >-- > > Thx. This whole cogeneration thing confuses me. I mean, we're told that ICE > engines invariably lose x amount to pumping losses and what-not, but if those > "losses" are partly used in a productive way by cogeneration, ... i.e. if > cogeneration can be applied to all of these technologies (ICE, micro-turbine, > fuel cell) and if they're all about the same efficiency once cogeneration is > taken into account, then aren't the advantages of switching to other > technologies reduced? Just a thought I've been having for awhile. If > cogeneration is in part the fine are of making "waste" heat useable, then I'd > think that could be nicely applied to technologies such as ICE engines with > plenty of "waste" heat. > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
