A general review  of  heat recovery in furnaces 

GT V01 1960 187-190

The fuel situation since the war has changed from one of coal shortage to one of coal surplus;  the striving for efficiency, however, has not abated and the shift of emphasis from saving fuel for  national need to  one  of  reducing production costs  is discussed. Heat distribution  in  industrial furnaces and processes is compared and  the scope for waste-heat  recovery is considered. The importance of defining waste heat  correctly is emphasized, the term 'surplus' heat is often preferable. The importance of considering the furnace  primarily is stressed and every  effort should  be made to improve the inherent  design  before  considering waste-heat  recovery. Reference is made to the general problem of waste-heat  recovery in industry and the progress made and the importance of studying  the lessons learned in various fields. The advantages of waste-heat  recovery are endorsed but a plea is made for  considering the factory heat  demand as a  whole. Waste-heat boiler recovery  schemes  can materially reduce capital and running charges on other base load plants, but  at  the same time in certain conditions recovery of  waste heat can lead to difficulties in operation and cases are cited to illustrate this. The need for  exercising great  care at  the planning stage in waste-heat schemes is commented  on as the efficient operation of the primary furnace can be affected. Examples are given from various industries. Need for instrumentation and automatic control is discussed. 

H. B. Weston