Self-heat recuperation (SHR) theory: principle and applications

Abstract To alleviate the global climate changes driven by the utilization of carbon-based fuel, various countries of the world have put in more efforts in developing corresponding technologies that can curb global warming and reduce the use of fossil fuels in recent years. Self-heat recuperation (SHR) is a new energy-saving technology that guides the development of energy-consuming systems. Based on the theory of exergy recovery, SHR can minimize energy requirements and optimize energy structure. According to this theory, the heat of the whole process could be recycled into its designed exergy recovery process and circulated within the process without requiring additional heat sources. Herein, first, we introduce three principal analyses (energy analysis, exergy analysis, and entransy analysis) of SHR theory and its applications in distillation, drying, absorption, and other areas. Then, the advantages and existing issues of these applications are summarized in details. Finally, it is proposed that the future development direction for SHR theory should involve the integration of SHR with other energy-saving technologies for optimizing the energy-saving design and improving its industrial applications. This approach can help to achieve cascade energy utilization at the system level.