Patent ID: 8062410

Claim:
A method for heat treating a feed, byproduct, or product stream within an industrial plant operation that produces at least two different types of waste heat, such method comprising: (a) providing a heat treatment apparatus for receiving the feed, byproduct, or product stream, including means for receiving the heat content of at least two different sources of heat to be applied to the feed, byproduct, or product stream; (b) providing a first heat exchanger operatively connected to a thermal mixer that is operatively connected to the heat treatment apparatus; (c) providing a first waste heat source to the first heat exchanger; (d) providing a second heat exchanger operatively connected to the thermal mixer; (e) providing a second waste heat source different in type from the first waste heat source to the second heat exchanger; (f) combining predetermined amounts of heat content contained within the first waste heat source and the second waste heat source within the thermal mixer for delivering an aggregate heat content characterized by a predetermined temperature to or within the heat treatment apparatus; and (g) maintaining the feed, byproduct, or product stream within the heat treatment apparatus exposed to a desired amount of the aggregate heat content for a sufficient time duration to achieve the desired degree of heat treatment.