Direct Contact Water Heating & Heat Recovery Saves University Thousands
This science complex at this major research university is a unique example of “green” building technology. Laboratory experiments using hazardous chemicals and toxic substances are routine, however, the air throughout the complex is always fresh, the labs are ultra-safe, and the room temperatures are comfortable all year-round.
The 250 glass-encased fume hoods, which form part of each laboratory work station, exhaust gases directly to the outside of the building, ensuring that contaminants never escape into the interior.
Exceeding the Heating Needs
The design engineers chose direct-contact waste heat recovery technology, which can recover nearly 100% of the heat contained in a boiler’s flue gases, to cool the heating plant’s exhaust gases to as low as 50°F (10°C).
The flue gas temperatures of a typical boiler range from 350°F (175°C) to 750°F (400°C). The science complex is therefore able to recover virtually all of the energy contained in the combustion by-products and recycle it. While waste heat is all but eliminated from the university’s smoke stack, greenhouse gas emissions are also reduced.
The LEED certified engineers did this by equipping the energy plant’s two steam boilers with a custom-engineered Hybrid FLU-ACE. This condensing stack economizer is equipped with an integral, fully modulating burner that can supply process hot water at temperatures reaching 185°F (85°C), actually exceeding the building’s heating needs.
Recovering More Than Heat
According to the university, this direct-contact heat recovery equipment saves over 285,000 cubic meters of natural gas fuelled energy every year. In terms of dollars and cents, that amounts to annual savings of approximately $157,260.
