BOOSTHERM – Heat recovery from cooling systems to produce free and eco-responsible hot water
Country of development/application:
France
Scope of innovation
☐ Office work
☒ Production / Service supply process
4. Sector-specific
☒ Yes / please, specify sector(s): food production, food processing, food retail, foodservice
☐ No (relevant for all sectors)
Description of the needs
Heat recovery is the process of collecting and re-using heat that would normally be lost. To produce the cold necessary to preserve foodstuffs, cooling systems need to extract heat from the cold rooms and release it in the atmosphere (just as any domestic fridge).
Boostherm is a heat recovery system that recovers all the wasted energy from cooling systems to heat water for free at 55°C minimum. It aims at reducing energy consumption in sectors where the waste heat can be easily recycled in free hot water production such as in food production, food processing, food retail and foodservice sectors.
Description of the solution
Thanks to an innovative technological process, Boostherm captures up to 100% of the excess heat to produce free hot water needed for cleaning and operation of the facilities. Heating of the premises can also be considered.
Installing a recuperator includes inserting a refrigerant / water heat exchanger between the compressor and the air condenser in order to heat water by using the heat extracted from the cooled premises / facilities. The refrigerant transports thermal energy from the cooled premise (evaporator) to the recuperator where it transfers calories to the water in order to increase its temperature. The heat exchanger is in the form of a brazed plate exchanger, the number of plates varying according to the power of the refrigeration unit.
Conventional recuperators recover only the heat of gases, which represents only 15 to 20% of the recoverable energy. In this case, the heat exchange temperature is poorly controlled: it is high in summer and low in winter. The Boostherm heat recovery unit works on all of the condensation heat released by the cooled unit. This makes it possible to heat water very quickly and to ensure a minimum temperature of 55°C even in difficult conditions. This is why installation of a Boostherm recuperator can be considered even on low power installations (recommended minimum cooling power = 1kW).
Boostherm operates with two successive operating modes during the refrigeration cycle:
1) At the start of the cycle, the “water condenser” mode favors water heating and overall energy efficiency as long as the water temperature allows the fluid to condense in the recuperator. The ventilation of the condenser is stopped: the heat extracted from the chamber and the heat generated by the compressor are transferred entirely to the water by the heat exchanger.
Boostherm’s electronic regulation varies the flow rate of the pump to ensure a water temperature of 55°C at the exchanger outlet. The water in the tank is preheated very quickly regardless of the ambient temperature. The condensation pressure of the fluid is measured by the electronic regulation and an alert is triggered if an anomaly is detected (prevention of leaks for example).
2) When all of the water is preheated, its temperature no longer allows the fluid to condense in the recuperator. The system then switches to “desuperheater ” mode. The electronic regulation activates the condenser of the installation. Depending on the ambient temperature and the characteristics of the fluid, the exchanger recovers part of the heat and brings the water to a higher temperature (up to 65°C and more). The residual heat is evacuated by the condenser.
The operating principle of Boostherm called Dual Condense Technology (DCT) is based on the complete condensation of the refrigerant allowing the recovery of all the energy released by the fluid during the desuperheating and condensation phases. To be able to achieve total condensation, Boostherm uses the cold water from the system stored at the bottom of the tank by circulating it in the heat exchanger of the system against the flow of the refrigerant: the “water condenser” mode. The temperature rise of the water in the exchanger then takes place in a single pass: the water is heated up to 55°C by exploiting the latent heat of condensation and the sensible heat of “desuperheating”. The performance of plate heat exchangers combined with the circulation of water against the flow of the fluid then makes it possible to heat the water to a temperature higher than the condensation temperature.
The customer is guided by the Boostherm team through all the stages of his project through:
• Sizing assistance.
• Studies / advices / systems implementation / schematic diagrams.
• Technical and economic studies adapted to the project’s progress.
• Special and technical specification templates available.
• An online and user friendly simulation tool.
Description of the effect
Boostherm benefits:
• An efficient solution: 100% of the heat recovered (against 20% with a classic desuperheater).
• A DHW compatible system with a permanent control on hot water production at a fixed set point.
• Compatibility with HFC/HFO refrigerants.
• Condensation problems solving (overheating or wasted water).
• Standing out by offering a simple, efficient and innovative solution.
• Short return on investment (2 to 4 years) and easy to estimate.
• Measurable performances (on request/optional: water and energy meters).
• System safeties giving priority to the refrigeration.
• An electronic regulation and a variable speed pump.
• A quality system developed and built in France.
Environmental benefits
• Recovers 100% of the cooling unit heat rejection; 5 times more efficient than a classic heating solution thanks to DCT® technology.
• Reduces the energy used to heat water and carbon footprint by 75%.
• Pre-heats the water at a minimum temperature of 55°C whatever the ambient temperature.
• Detects refrigerant leaks on the cooling system.
• Improves the cooling system efficiency in hot climates
The Financial benefits
• Less than four years payback time.
• Improves hot water availability.
Company/companies that developed/implemented/offer the innovation
Boostherm heat recovery systems are designed and developed by Boostherm, a company that uses its Dual Condense Technology (DCT), patented in 2009. The calorie recovery module was originally designed for milk coolers, distributed under the Ecolacteo brand.
With a team of only 5, Boostherm draws on more than 20 years of experience in the refrigeration industry and has forged industrial, commercial and R&D partnerships to offer sustainable and efficient energy-saving solutions.
Driven by an ambition to always offer solutions that best fit the needs and meet new energy requirements, Boostherm has access to innovative technologies such as speed variation, automatic PID regulation, leak detection by HP measurement.
Boostherm
Address: CD 996, ZA du Champ Pourceau, 21380 Messigny et Vantoux, France
Phone: +33 (0) 3 80 48 60 16
E-mail: contact@boostherm.com
Website: https://www.boostherm.com/
Additional information