Technologies

Heat recovery

Ecoserv is involved with development activities in the area of sustainable production process development. We are among the companies that have contributed most to the development of energy recovery technology 
 and reducing emissions into the environment. Thanks to the extensive experience of our technicians, we have developed a range of solutions responding to a variety of production and engineering needs. Thanks to significant investment in research and development activities, our company stands out as one of the most advanced companies in the industry.

Our solutions dedicated to the manufacturing sector consist in the design and implementation of heat recovery and the reuse of waste energy emitted by energy-generating equipment such as compressors, welders, turbines, motors, pumps, furnaces, stacks, sterilisers, and others. Our solutions allow to reduce energy intake from external sources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

The main methods of heat recovery are recuperation, recirculation, and regeneration. Recovered energy can be used to power central heating, DHW, and ventilation systems, as well as technological processes. Solutions, researched and developed to meet the specific energy optimisation needs of individual plants, result from synergistic collaboration with the technicians from customers’ companies. The most complex solutions developed in recent years include the field of cogeneration systems, where the company has successfully executed a number of new systems, sometimes taking on the role of system integrator.

Example - ceramics industry, tile production

The most important changes in the new designs mainly concern the integration of the recovery from cooling air or fumes from ceramic kilns with the recovery from turbine/engine flue gases.

By carefully analysing the energy consumption resulting from production processes, we are able 
 to offer our customers a range of customised solutions for energy recovery and pollution reduction. In the production process of ceramic floor and wall tiles, the machines requiring the greatest energy absorption are as follows (in decreasing order): atomisers and dryers (and kilns).

Ecoserv has developed a combined system focused on energy recovery from ceramic kilns: the primary source of recovery is the cooling air used in part 
 of the kilns, which is usually dissipated through the stacks. In addition, the smoke stacks also contain significant amounts of dissipated energy that can be recovered. The recovery of energy from the cooling air and the utilisation of the energy potential of the fumes, which is usually done using a heat exchanger, are combined to achieve maximum efficiency.

This example refers to a combined system in which hot air from the cooling stacks of the kilns is recirculated towards the combustion chambers of the atomisers. In this case, an inverter controls the fan speed. The described system can achieve 20-25% savings in annual energy consumption.

The heat contained in the fumes, normally dispersed through the stacks, requires appropriate treatment due to the corrosive content, which is the residue of combustion in the ceramic kiln. For this treatment, a smoke/air heat exchanger is usually used, 
 to generate a flow of clean, reusable hot air. This hot air flow is recirculated in pipes equipped with suitable thermal insulation to stop heat dissipation, thus achieving a loss of 1° C for every 10-15 metres of ducting. By properly implementing this system, savings of 25-30% of total energy consumption can be achieved.

BENEFITS

Proper implementation of our solution allows a significant reduction in energy intake from external sources and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.