Foreword

It is an honour for me to write the foreword for the book titled “Thermal Cycles of Heat Recovery Power Plants,” written by Dr. T Srinivas. The scope of the book is in the area of heat recovery power generation and thermal cycle analysis. The book covers various heat recovery power generation systems and thermodynamic cycle analysis. Given the growing global energy demand, there is a need to improve power generation efficiency and to conserve energy resources. Global warming and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions demands higher efficiency fossil fuel-based power plants. The waste heat recovery and utilization will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cycle analysis plays a dominant role in understanding the heat recovery based power plants, including the performance. The book covers various thermal cycles and their analysis, including the performance of heat recovery based systems.

Srinivas is a well-known researcher in the areas of thermal power generation, combined cycle and cogeneration systems, waste heat recovery, solar energy, and exergy analysis. He has published extensively in journals and conference proceedings as an author and also with research collaborators. We have worked together on research projects in thermal power generation, waste heat recovery, and solar energy and published them in reputed journals and conference proceedings.

The “Thermal Cycles of Heat Recovery Power Plants” book covers the latest advances in heat recovery power generation systems, various thermal cycles, and analysis, including recent advances. The book incorporates recent advances in research and developments in heat recovery based power generation systems. I am confident that the book will be very useful to senior undergraduate level students, graduate-level students, researchers working in the area of thermal power generation and waste heat recovery power generation, and for practicing engineers in the area of thermal power generation, waste heat recovery, and energy management.

The power generation from the waste heat recovery is equivalent to the power from the renewable energy sources as it does not generate any new or additional carbon dioxide to the environment. Therefore, these power plants are also eligible to claim the carbon credits as per the policy norms. I wish this book on the power thermal cycle of heat recovery power plants nurtures new ideas of power plants to tap the waste heat recovery. This book deals with the thermodynamic analysis of very important vapour power cycles such as organic Rankine cycle, organic flash cycle, Kalina cycle, steam Rankine cycle, and steam flash cycle from the modelling to the optimization of performance parameters and highlighting the challenges and opportunities. The latest power cycles, including the Kalina cycle, organic flash cycle, and steam flash cycle, are thoroughly analysed with exhaustive models and examples. The book also covers important practical aspects of the power cycles with detailed case studies, which may be very useful for the students. I know that Dr. T. Srinivas is also an author of ‘Flexible Kalina Cycle Systems’, which is focused on cooling cogeneration cycle based on Kalina cycle working principle. The chapter on comparison of the power cycles based on various thermodynamic characteristics may be very useful to the students and researchers. I hope this book contributes to the understanding of the power cycle’s concepts, design, and development of new plants to the students, scholars, faculty, and practicing engineers for innovative developments.