Water source heat pumps convert cooling system waste heat into comfort heat
Cooling systems for industrial plant machinery like hydraulics, compressors, and chillers produce exiting cooling system water of 90-100 degrees. This low-grade heated "waste" water exits with high BTU potential that rarely is utilized for ambient "comfort" heat -- until now.
In recent work, we've had success efficiently extracting heat from cooling system waste water with water source heat pumps, with eye-opening results. On average, an industrial facility can save 75% on heating costs by using a heat pump system in comparison to burning heating fuel.
In addition, because water source heat pumps also function as water-cooled air conditioners in warm weather, you can lower air conditioning costs by 25% during the cooling season! This requires some forethought with an effective system configuration.
Another positive byproduct of this approach: when a water source heat pump is transferring heat to the ambient in the "comfort" heating mode, the cooling loop is simultaneously being cooled, which reduces energy, chemicals, and maintenance required for cooling towers.
This type of system is truly a "no brainer" for new designs/installations which are certain to produce quick and massive payback. Retrofits will require an energy study to quantify savings/return on investment.
The icing on the cake? These projects are encouraged by electric utilities and usually qualify for rebates.
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ABOUT JOE D’AMBROSIO
Joe D’Ambrosio is president and chief engineer of IMEC. An innovator in industrial and mechanical engineering, he has served as a consultant to the nuclear, petrochemical, biotech, semiconductor, electronic, food, power generating, and construction industries. He has created and conducted numerous training programs to educate industrial plant personnel, power generating advisors, and engineering consultants on a wide range of topics; and he has testified as an expert witness in industrial litigation.
D’Ambrosio became a nationally recognized expert in compressed air technology as CEO and chief engineer of Air Power of New England, where he led a staff of more than 50 employees and was a trailblazer in industrial service organization management. He is certified as an AirMaster+ by the Compressed Air Challenge, an initiative of the U.S. Dept. of Energy to build awareness of best practices in the design, installation, and maintenance of compressed air systems. He contributed to the creation of the Compressed Air Challenge’s Best Practices manual.
To satisfy a growing demand for industrial water recirculation system engineering and installation, D’Ambrosio founded Systems H2O in 2000. The turn-key design/build nature of these large energy-efficient projects led to opportunities as a general contractor for commercial construction requiring extensive heating and cooling systems. Systems H2O changed its name to IMEC (Innovative Mechanical Engineering and Contracting) in 2008 to better represent the company’s range of services. D’Ambrosio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Boston College.