A method for improving the heating efficiency of steam wherein a polyamine represented by the following general formula (1) is caused to be present in a steam system to be used for heating. R.sup.1—[NH—(CH.sub.2).sub.m].sub.n—NH.sub.2 . . . (1) wherein R.sup.1 represents a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon group having 10 to 22 carbon atoms; m is an integer of 1 to 8, and n is an integer of 1 to 7; and when n is 2 or more, a plurality of NH—(CH.sub.2).sub.m may be identical or different.

A process for augmenting energy in a dryer used in processing is disclosed. The process includes providing a source of syrup having concentrated solids. They syrup is then directed through a syrup line to a recirculation pump where it is recirculated to a heat exchanger having a source of heat delivered thereto. The syrup is heated to a temperature above a flash point of the syrup. The heated syrup is delivered to a flash tank and water vapor is flashed off and then directed through a vent and into a dryer. Cooled syrup remaining in the flash tank is delivered through a cooled liquid line to the syrup line to repeat the process. The delivery of water vapor to the dryer results in an additional source of energy being transferred to the dryer.

Systems and processes provide for a thermal process to transform sludge (and a variety of other natural waste materials) into electricity. Dewatered sludge and other materials containing a high amount of latent energy are dried into a powdered biofuel using a drying gas produced in the system. The drying gas is recirculated and is heated by the biofuel produced in the system, waste heat (from turbines or internal combustion engines), gas (including natural gas or digester gas) and/or oil. The biofuel is combusted in a boiler system that utilizes a burner operable to burn biofuel and produce heat utilized in a series of heat exchangers that heat the recirculating drying air and steam that powers the turbines for electricity production.

A harvester high efficiency heat utilization device to be used in a harvester, includes: a drying chamber that dries grains of crops; a pipe that communicates with the drying chamber; a first heat exchanger provided in the pipe so as to communicate with an exhaust gas discharge port of an engine of the harvester; a combustion chamber that burns foliage of the crops; a second heat exchanger provided in the pipe so as to communicate with a high temperature gas discharge port of the combustion chamber; and a first blower that guides gas heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger to the drying chamber through the pipe.

In order to provide a treatment installation for treating workpieces that is of simple construction and enables optimised workpiece treatment, it is proposed that the treatment installation should include a treatment chamber and a conveying device, by means of which the workpieces are suppliable to the treatment chamber, are removable from the treatment chamber, and/or are conveyable through the treatment chamber in a conveying direction.

An apparatus (1) and method for drying polymer powders is described. The apparatus has an inlet (2) and an outlet (3) for the polymer powder, heat registers (5) installed in the interior space (4) and lines (7) for a heated gas (6a) for drying the polymer powder. The lines open into the interior space (4) and are connected to heat exchangers (9) for heating gas (6). The heat exchangers (9) are connected to a plant for the preparation of 1,2-dichloroethane (15) and/or for the preparation of vinyl chloride from 1,2-dichloroethane so that thermal energy from the plant can be utilized for heating the gas (6). The method comprises treatment of a polymer powder with a heated gas (6a) in the drying apparatus (1).

A method for drying biomass fuel using waste heat of flue gas from a power plant. The method includes: 1) stepwise recovering, by multi-stage condensation, sensible heat of flue gas; stepwise heating air using the sensible heat, to yield first-stage dry air and second-stage dry air; 2) convectively drying and dehydrating biomass fuel using the first-stage dry air having a temperature of between 150 and 180° C.; 3) further convectively drying and dehydrating the biomass fuel using the second-stage dry air having a temperature of between 80 and 100° C.; and 4) drying and dehydrating the biomass fuel using the third-stage dry air having a temperature of less than or equal to 25° C.

The invention relates to an evaporation dryer (1) for drying particles, having—a process chamber (10) with at least one product inlet (11) for supplying the particles to be dried into the process chamber (10) and a product outlet (12) for discharging dried particles from the process chamber (10), —a heat exchanger (20) arranged within the process chamber (10), —having at least one inlet (21, 211) into the heat exchanger (20) for pressurized steam as process steam and at least one condensate outlet (22, 222) from the heat exchanger (20), wherein—the at least one condensate outlet (22, 222) is connected to an expansion tank (30), wherein at least one pump (40) is connected to the expansion tank (30), and the expanding steam is pumped out of the expansion tank (30) and supplied to the process steam.

Systems and methods in accordance with the present invention provide for the efficient distillation of ethanol in an ethanol plant including a beer column. Heat is captured in the distillation process and utilized to drive operations in the ethanol plant.

Systems and processes provide for a thermal process to transform sludge (and a variety of other natural waste materials) into electricity. Dewatered sludge and other materials containing a high amount of latent energy are dried into a powdered biofuel using a drying gas produced in the system. The drying gas is recirculated and is heated by the biofuel produced in the system, waste heat (from turbines or internal combustion engines), gas (including natural gas or digester gas) and/or oil. The biofuel is combusted in a boiler system that utilizes a burner operable to burn biofuel and produce heat utilized in a series of heat exchangers that heat the recirculating drying air and steam that powers the turbines for electricity production.