Approximately 94% of the electrical energy used by an Industrial Air Compressor is converted into heat and loss through radiation in the compression process. The remaining 6% is converted into compressed air heat losses.
There is huge potential to harness the waste energy and convert them to more meaningful use for making a greener earth. Energy saved is energy created and adds to the bottom line. We can tap the waste energy from screw compressors by the use of heat recovery systems.
A properly designed heat recovery unit can recover anywhere from 60- 94 % of the available thermal energy (as low grade heat) to generate warm water. This warm water can be used as a driving energy source for Adsorption Chillers (Silica Gel + Water pair). The Adsorption Chiller can produce chilled water at 7 °C that can be used for air conditioning or process cooling as the case may be. This will save huge Electrical Energy being used for cooling applications and help in reducing the CO emissions. The payback period will 2 vary from 2.5 years to 4 years depending on the hours of usage and size of the compressor.
Greener Earth + SavingsTentative Cooling Potential from Oil Injected Screw Air Compressors |
||
Nominal Compressor |
Recoverable Energy (kW) |
Cooling Potential (TR) |
75 |
68 |
8.0 |
90 |
81 |
10.0 |
110 |
99 |
12.0 |
180 |
162 |
23.0 |
200 |
180 |
25.0 |
315 | 284 |
40.0 |
Typical Schematic on Waste Heat Energy Recovery for Adsorption Chiller from Screw Air Compressors