Electricity Cogeneration Potential in Minas Gerais Cement Industry with Thermodynamic Cycles

To assess the electricity cogeneration potential in the Minas Gerais cement industry with thermodynamic cycles is the main purpose of this study. The potential was estimated based on Minas Gerais cement sector data. The Kalina cycle, the organic Rankine cycle, and the conventional Rankine cycle were technically and economically assessed. The technical evaluation considered the thermodynamic modeling with optimization including the mass, energy, entropy, and exergy balances and the heat transfer calculations for heat exchangers. The economic evaluation considered the economic modeling including the calculation of electric power generated specific cost, the total investment, cash flow, and payback. The result shows that the greatest irreversibilities are concentrated in the turbines and evaporators. The Kalina cycle confirmed more generated power and exergetic efficiency, but in terms of thermal efficiency, the values were very similar between the cycles. The three cycles can cover more than 35% of the energy demand, which means a considerable reduction in cement manufacturing costs. All cycles reveal a payback value lower than 3 years, a considerable value of cash flow, and high competitiveness in the current tariff scenario. The electricity cogeneration potential in the Minas Gerais cement industry is near 100 MW, and it is in the south-central region of Minas Gerais, where there is a greater population and energy demand concentration. This potential could save emissions of around 282,913 tCO2/year.