Heat-to-Electricity Conversion Technologies: Advancing Energy Recovery and Low-Carbon Industrial Systems

Ralph Katz

Heat-to-Electricity Conversion Technologies: Advancing Energy Recovery and Low-Carbon Industrial Systems

Author(s)	Ralph Katz
Country	United States
Abstract	Industrial processes generate substantial quantities of waste heat, much of which is discharged into the environment despite containing significant recoverable energy. The conversion of waste heat into electricity represents an important pathway for improving industrial energy efficiency, reducing primary energy consumption, and supporting low-carbon manufacturing. Technologies such as thermoelectric generators, organic Rankine cycles, Kalina cycles, supercritical carbon dioxide cycles, thermionic converters, and thermophotovoltaic systems offer different approaches for transforming thermal energy into electrical power. This paper examines the technological foundations, performance characteristics, integration opportunities, economic considerations, and sustainability implications of heat-to-electricity conversion technologies in industrial systems. A conceptual qualitative methodology is adopted to compare major technologies according to temperature range, scalability, efficiency, operational complexity, and application suitability. The analysis indicates that no single technology is optimal across all industrial conditions; rather, technology selection should be based on heat-source temperature, continuity, available thermal power, spatial constraints, and electricity demand. Thermoelectric systems offer compact and relatively simple solutions for distributed low-to-medium-temperature sources, while organic Rankine cycles and advanced thermodynamic cycles are more suitable for larger and higher-temperature applications. Emerging thermophotovoltaic and supercritical carbon dioxide technologies could further expand the usable heat-recovery envelope. The paper proposes an integrated industrial heat-recovery framework combining thermal storage, heat cascading, intelligent monitoring, and electricity generation. It concludes that heat-to-electricity conversion should be integrated into broader industrial decarbonisation strategies rather than treated as an isolated energy-efficiency measure.
Keywords	Waste Heat Recovery, Heat-to-Electricity Conversion, Thermoelectric Generators, Organic Rankine Cycle, Industrial Decarbonisation, Energy Efficiency, Thermophotovoltaics, Supercritical CO₂, Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Energy Recovery.
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 2, March-April 2024
Published On	2024-04-27

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American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation

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Heat-to-Electricity Conversion Technologies: Advancing Energy Recovery and Low-Carbon Industrial Systems

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