Heatcatcher designs, installs and maintains Waste Heat to Power installations for energy intensive industries allowing companies to generate low carbon, cheaper electricity from heat that would otherwise be lost.

Our heat capture technology uses a heat exchanger to capture waste heat and an Organic Rankine Cycle to generate electricity which that then be used by the industrial site. The technology allows customers to not only save on the cost of electricity but also provides one of the mechanisms of meeting the strict requirements of the European Energy Efficiency Directive and hence avoids financial penalties for non-compliance.

Heatcatcher is building its first waste heat to power project at Steetley Dolomite’s rotary dolomitic lime kiln at Thrislington in the North East of England and is due for commissioning in September 2013. The system extracts 4MW of waste heat from the exhaust of the kiln and converts it to 0.5MW of low carbon electricity using GE Heat Recovery Solutions Organic Rankine Cycle technology. The exhaust heat is recovered using a 4MW heat exchanger built by Guertz International in Holland. The heat exchanger is fitted with a mechanically operated wire brushing device, continuously operating to avoid the build-up of dolomitic lime dust on the tubes of the heat exchanger. The Thrislington project is the first of a large sales pipeline of waste heat to power projects for manufacturers of lime and cement across Europe.

Despite what may appear to be a very clear business case, industry is concerned about the risk of disruption to an industrial process and also about the efficiency of conversion of waste heat to electricity of the system since ineffective heat transfer will result in less heat waste heat being captured and less electricity being generated. Heatcatcher recognises that developing intellectual property around heat exchanger technology is the key to its competitive advantage in the sector.

Heatcatcher would, therefore, like to develop innovative ideas to solve one or more of the following issues that relate to the heat exchanger:
Cost of manufacturing, installation and on-going maintenance
Ensuring good heat transfer
The avoidance of build-up/clogging when high levels of dust are present
Reducing back pressure resistance
Resistance to particle abrasion
Resistance to corrosion