Recuperator

Recuperator

A recuperator is a special purpose counter-flow heat exchanger used to recover waste heat from exhaust gases. In many types of processes, combustion is used to generate heat, and the recuperator serves to recuperate, or reclaim this heat, in order to reuse or recycle it. The term recuperator refers as well to liquid-liquid counterflow heat exchangers used for heat recovery in the chemical and refinery industries and in closed processes such as ammonia-water or LiBr-water absorption refrigeration cycles. Other forms of heat or enthalpy recovery include the regenerative heat exchanger (see blast furnace), the heat wheel (see rotating recuperator, below), and the enthalpy wheel (see energy recovery ventilation).

Recuperators are often used in association with the burner portion of a heat engine, to increase the overall efficiency. For example, in a gas turbine engine, air is compressed, mixed with fuel, which is then burned and used to drive a turbine. The recuperator transfers some of the waste heat in the exhaust to the compressed air, thus preheating it before entering the fuel burner stage. Since the gases have been pre-heated, less fuel is needed to heat the gases up to the turbine inlet temperature. By recovering some of the energy usually lost as waste heat, the recuperator can make a heat engine or gas turbine significantly more efficient.

Rotating recuperator

During the automotive industry's interest in gas turbines for vehicle propulsion (around 1965), Chrysler invented a unique recuperator [ [http://www.allpar.com/mopar/turbine.html Chrysler turbine information] ] that consisted of a rotary drum constructed from corrugated metal (similar in appearance to corrugated cardboard). This drum was continuously rotated by reduction gears driven by the turbine. The hot exhaust gasses were directed through a portion of the device, which would then rotate to a section that conducted the induction air, where this intake air was heated. This recovery of the heat of combustion significantly increased the efficiency of the turbine engine. This engine proved impractical for an automotive application due to its poor low-rpm torque. Even such an efficient engine, if large enough to deliver the proper performance, would have a low average fuel economy. Such an engine may at some future time be attractive when combined with an electric motor in a hybrid vehicle owing to its robust longevity and an ability to burn a wide variety of liquid fuels.

References



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  • recuperator — RECUPERATÓR, recuperatoare, s.n. 1. Parte dintr un sistem tehnic care serveşte la recuperarea (recupera) totală sau parţială a energiei răspândite într o instalaţie, a resturilor sau a deşeurilor de materiale. 2. Preîncălzitor de aer pentru… …   Dicționar Român

  • Recuperator — Re*cu per*a tor (r?*k? pp?r*? t?r), n. [Cf. L. recuperator a recoverer.] (Steel Manuf.) Same as {Regenerator}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Recuperator — Recuperator. См. Рекуператор. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • recuperator — /ri kooh peuh ray teuhr, kyooh /, n. 1. a person or thing that recuperates. 2. (in a recuperative furnace) a system of thin walled ducts through which incoming air and exhausted gases pass separately so that the air is heated by the gases. [1700… …   Universalium

  • recuperator — rekuperatorius statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Paviršinis šilumokaitis, kuriame šilumnešiai perduoda šilumą vienas kitam per sienelę. atitikmenys: angl. recuperative heat exchanger; recuperator rus. рекуператор …   Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • recuperator — rekuperatorius statusas T sritis Energetika apibrėžtis Paviršinis šilumokaitis, kuriame išleidžiamų šilumnešių šiluma panaudojama kito šilumnešio temperatūrai keisti. atitikmenys: angl. recuperator vok. Rekuperator, m rus. рекуператор, m pranc.… …   Aiškinamasis šiluminės ir branduolinės technikos terminų žodynas

  • recuperator — Смотри Рекуператор …   Энциклопедический словарь по металлургии

  • recuperator — n. person or thing that recuperates; (in recuperative furnaces) system of ducts used to transfer heat from exhaust gases to the incoming air …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Recuperator —   A heat exchanger in which heat is recovered from the products of combustion …   Energy terms

  • recuperator — re·cu·per·a·tor …   English syllables

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