Turning industrial waste-heat into electricity
<p><span word="Scientists">Scientists</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="enough">enough</span> <span word="energy">energy</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="wasted">wasted</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="fields">fields</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Texas">Texas</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="provide">provide</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="hundred">hundred</span> <span word="thousand">thousand</span> <span word="homes">homes</span>. <span word="Businessman">Businessman</span> <span word="Loy">Loy</span> <span word="Sneary">Sneary</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="using">using</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="waste">waste</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="create">create</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="profitable">profitable</span> <span word="company">company</span> <span word="called">called</span> <span word="Gulf">Gulf</span> <span word="Coast">Coast</span> <span word="Green">Green</span> <span word="Energy">Energy</span>.</p><p><span word="Mr">Mr</span>. <span word="Sneary">Sneary</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="sixty">sixty</span> <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="energy">energy</span> <span word="produced">produced</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="today">today</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="lost">lost</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="wasted">wasted</span> <span word="heat">heat</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="wants">wants</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="capture">capture</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="heat">heat</span> <span word="from">from</span> -- <span word="among">among</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="places">places</span> -- <span word="the">the</span> <span word="thousands">thousands</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="wells">wells</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Texas">Texas</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="turn">turn</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span>.</p><p><span word="LOY">LOY</span> <span word="SNEARY">SNEARY</span>: “<span word="We">We</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="got">got</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="generated">generated</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="coal">coal</span>-<span word="fired">fired</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="plants">plants</span>, <span word="natural">natural</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="fired">fired</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="plants">plants</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="nuclear">nuclear</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="plants">plants</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>. <span word="That">That</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="potential">potential</span> <span word="is">is</span>.”</p><p><span word="Deep">Deep</span> <span word="underground">underground</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="earth">earth</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="hot">hot</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="drive">drive</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="drill">drill</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="rock">rock</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="shale">shale</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="drill">drill</span> <span word="bit">bit</span> <span word="gets">gets</span> <span word="hot">hot</span>. <span word="Mr">Mr</span>. <span word="Sneary">Sneary</span> <span word="uses">uses</span> <span word="his">his</span> “<span word="Green">Green</span> <span word="Machine">Machine</span>” <span word="technology">technology</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="help">help</span> <span word="capture">capture</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="energy">energy</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="produced">produced</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="heat">heat</span> <span word="meets">meets</span> <span word="cold">cold</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="machine">machine</span> <span word="moves">moves</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hot">hot</span> <span word="well">well</span>-<span word="water">water</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="pipe">pipe</span> <span word="next">next</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="another">another</span> <span word="filled">filled</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="cooling">cooling</span> <span word="material">material</span> <span word="called">called</span> <span word="refrigerant">refrigerant</span>. <span word="This">This</span> <span word="refrigerant">refrigerant</span> <span word="boils">boils</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="produced">produced</span>. <span word="This">This</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span>.</p><p><span word="LOY">LOY</span> <span word="SNEARY">SNEARY</span>: “<span word="And">And</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="lower">lower</span> <span word="temperatures">temperatures</span>, <span word="hot">hot</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="sources">sources</span>, <span word="transfer">transfer</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="heat">heat</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="once">once</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="refrigerant">refrigerant</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="expanded">expanded</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="pressurized">pressurized</span>, <span word="from">from</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="turbine">turbine</span>.”</p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="wells">wells</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="provide">provide</span> <span word="waste">waste</span> <span word="heat">heat</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Green">Green</span> <span word="Energy">Energy</span> <span word="machines">machines</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="electricity">electricity</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="heat">heat</span>-<span word="recycling">recycling</span> <span word="technology">technology</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="solar">solar</span> <span word="energy">energy</span> <span word="collectors">collectors</span>, <span word="coal">coal</span>-<span word="fired">fired</span> <span word="power">power</span> <span word="plants">plants</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="internal">internal</span> <span word="combustion">combustion</span> <span word="engines">engines</span> -- <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="industrial">industrial</span> <span word="process">process</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="produces">produces</span> <span word="waste">waste</span> <span word="heat">heat</span>.</p>
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