Pre-heating boiler feedwater for expanded cork agglomerate production using a parabolic trough system

The production of expanded cork agglomerate involves significant heat demand, requiring superheated steam at temperatures ranging from 300°C to 370°C. The energy required to this process can be suitably provided by concentrating solar thermal collectors. This work considers the thermal energy needs of a real plant, presenting the technical and economical analysis performed for a solar heat for industrial process system using parabolic trough collectors to preheat the feedwater used by the boiler providing steam to the expanded cork agglomerate production process.