What is energy recovery? How energy recovery systems can reduce waste and cost

Manufacturing plants in a wide range of industries are always looking for innovative ways to reduce energy costs and consumption. In recent years, there has been an increase in attention paid to more sustainable methods of processing, through the reduction of harmful materials and more. Energy recovery is also a major aspect of manufacturing now, but what exactly is energy recovery? Continue reading to find out.

What is energy recovery?

In a bid to become more sustainable, more efficient, and to reduce operating costs, many manufacturing facilities and plants have turned to energy recovery.

Also known as heat or energy exchange, energy recovery is an extremely effective way of reducing operating costs because it uses energy from a source that’s already available. In short, the recovery devices collect energy that’s generated as part of the production process and then use it to supply heat or energy for other purposes.
If you have an air compressor system, running an energy audit can help you save costs and energy long-term. An energy audit can help you identify how much your compressed air system is costing you. It can also identify areas where you can save money, as well as improve the system’s efficiency and performance.

How does energy recovery work?

Energy recovery can be produced through waste in a similar way to conventional gas and coal combustion. This is when steam is made from the heat and used to produce electricity. Over time, energy produced from waste technology has been updated to use non-recyclable materials, instead of using fossil fuels.

Here is how the whole process works:

1. Waste is dried and combusted in a controlled air flow environment at temperatures higher than 850°C.
2. This high-intensity combustion generates heat, producing steam.
3. The steam drives a turbine that then generates electricity.

Any medium involved in the process is then cleaned to the highest standard in order to neutralise acid gases and remove dioxins and heavy metals.

Types of energy recovery systems

Energy recovery systems can be categorised into three main types:

• Air-to-air heat recovery system
• Air-to-liquid energy recovery system
• Air-to-waste heat boiler energy system.

Air-to-air heat recovery system

These types of energy recovery systems are extremely efficient solutions that help capture heat from an exhaust stack. They’re not as expensive as other types of energy recovery systems and still allow you to use the excess heat for a wide variety of applications.

Air-to-liquid energy recovery system

Air-to-liquid recovery systems are equipped with a heat transfer coil that’s installed within your system’s exhaust stack. These coils capture heat from the exhaust and use it to heat up and provide hot thermal oil, glycol, or hot water.

Air-to-waste heat boiler energy system

If the temperature generated by your system is high enough, you’re also able to employ air-to-waste heat boiler energy systems. They divert heat from the exhaust directly to a low-pressure heat boiler. This enhances production capacity for factories and plants that use steam as part of their process. It also potentially allows the main steam generator to work as a secondary system for energy recovery.

Energy audits and more at Glaston

To find out how your air compressor system can run more efficiently, saving you energy and running costs, consider an energy audit from Glaston.

As well as energy audits, we provide a lot more services at Glaston. We have a deep and extensive knowledge of air compressor systems, and more, so are able to perform high-quality air compressor maintenance as well as design and installation.

If you’re also in need of air compressor spare parts, you can find them at Glaston. For anything else, don’t hesitate to contact us today on 01695 51010.