Heat recovery systems for a sustainable future

Rising electricity bills, Carbon reduction, Sustainability.

The cost and efficient use of energy will be high on your agenda, and this is especially the case if you rely on compressed air systems.

Approximately 10% of all electricity used in industry, powers compressed air systems. But did you know that it’s a thermodynamic fact that around 94% of this energy will, unavoidably, get converted to heat?

Heat that is typically lost to the atmosphere – when it could instead, be reused to help significantly reduce your energy bills.

So how can CompAir help you recover this wasted energy, by installing Heat Recovery?

Heat, which is created during compression, is absorbed by the cooling oil. This typically would be cooled by an oil cooler. By installing heat recovery, this hot oil would instead pass through a plate heat exchanger; where the heat is transferred to an incoming water supply. This can heat the water, anywhere up to 70° Celcius which can then be used for a variety of applications – such as Steam Generation, Washing Processes or Pre-heating Systems to name a few.

With oil-free compressors, where the heat can be recovered from the compressor´s cooling water, temperatures of up to 90°Celcius are achievable.

So why is having a CompAir Heat-Recovery System installed, such a great idea?

Effectively, you are reclaiming heat that would otherwise be wasted. You’ve paid for it, so you may as well make use of it. It’s really that simple to achieve significant savings on your energy bills. And with a surprisingly short payback period.

Additional heat that isn't captured in the cooling oil, exits the canopy roof as hot air.
But by installing heat recovery ducting, the hot air can be reused elsewhere in the factory.

If you want to future-proof your compressed air installation, come and talk to our expert team about installing a heat recovery system. It could be one of the best decisions you make this year.