OUR AIR COMPRESSOR SERVICES
Air compressors are not only one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can use, but they can also be one of the most energy efficient, too.
Even if you aren’t familiar with physics, you will probably have heard of the principle of the conservation of energy: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed.
Not only are modern air compressors efficient, but almost all the heat energy that could be lost, can be recaptured through heat recovery.
Heat recovery systems can save you money, help the environment, and can even lengthen the life of your air compressor.
Why Heat Recovery?
When air is compressed, most of the energy consumed is converted into heat, which can be captured using an energy recovery system. Industry leaders like Atlas Copco estimate that 70-94% of this energy can be reclaimed, providing significant benefits.
One major advantage is cost savings. Using the recovered heat for tasks like heating water to 70°C or space heating reduces the need for additional fuel sources, such as fuel oil or natural gas, leading to lower operating costs. Many facilities see a return on investment within two years.
Heat recovery also contributes to sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions and the overall carbon footprint of your operation. In the UK, the widespread adoption of heat recovery could cut industrial energy consumption by nearly 2%, equivalent to the energy use of over 1.5 million households.
Additionally, an air compressor heat recovery system can enhance the efficiency of your equipment. By managing excess heat—especially in rotary screw or oil-free compressors—you reduce wear and tear, lowering life-cycle costs and extending the lifespan of your compressors.
Types of heat recovery
Heat recovery in air compressors primarily involves two methods: air heat recovery and water heat recovery, each with distinct benefits.
Air Heat Recovery
Air heat recovery captures the warm air generated during compression, often reaching temperatures suitable for space heating or industrial processes like drying. This method, particularly effective with oil-free compressors, helps reduce the need for additional heating sources and enhances energy efficiency.
Water Heat Recovery
Water heat recovery uses a heat exchanger to transfer the compressor's exhaust heat to water, heating it up to 70°C. This hot water can be used for production processes, sanitation, or heating systems, significantly lowering energy costs. For fluid-injected compressors, the system can efficiently dissipate heat and repurpose it, leading to substantial savings.
Choosing the Right System
The best heat recovery method depends on the compressor's make and specific facility needs. Consulting with experts can ensure that the design maximises energy savings and operational efficiency.
The benefits of heat recovery
Significant savings
Using heat recovery is cost-efficient and means you can save money elsewhere, and the amounts saved can be significant. While the exact benefit will depend on your installation and energy use, the return-on-investment of installing heat recovery can be as short as two years.
Environmental benefits
Whether you are simply trying to be greener, or have specific corporate environmental targets to meet, heat recovery can make a dramatic difference. By minimising the energy wasted, you are also helping to minimise your carbon emissions. It’s estimated that air compressor heat recovery would reduce the total energy consumption of UK industry by nearly 2%, that’s the equivalent of more than 1.5 million households' energy use.
Improved efficiency
Heat recovery can also help improve your efficiency. As well adding another function to your already multitasking compressor, by helping to remove excess heat from the compressor itself, you can minimise wear and tear, reducing life cycle costs and extending your compressor’s lifespan.
How to start with heat recovery
Implementing heat recovery technology can be remarkably easy.
With a new compressor
If you are getting a new compressor, or replacing an old one, there’s a good chance that it will come ready for heat recovery, with the compressor’s cooling system and other components ready for connection to begin heat recovery.
With your existing compressor
How heat is recovered will depend on your compressor. If you have an air-cooled compressor, heat recovery is relatively simple, meaning that it can be worthwhile to install a heat recovery system even on small compressors.
Water-cooled systems may need additional components installed, such as pumps and heat exchangers. However, most air compressors can be retrofitted, and the payback time can be surprisingly short.
Start recovering energy from your compressor
Putting it bluntly, although compressed air is vital for many industries, it does not make sense to lose up 94% of the energy costs of producing it.
Heat recovery can be a simple and straightforward way to recover most of the energy used for compression, so that energy can be used elsewhere. Heat recovery can slash your bills and drastically reduce your carbon footprint.
Whether it’s a new compressed air system, or retrofitting your existing air compressor, Anglian Compressors can help. We’ve been providing and installing, servicing and maintaining compressors for almost fifty years, and we simply cannot begin to count how much we have saved our customers by making sure they are getting as much out of their compressor as they can.
Get in touch today, we can help you consider your options, and begin a process that will help you save money, and the planet.
Frequently Asked Questions about Heat Recovery for Air Compressors
Up to 70-94% of the energy used in air compression can be recovered as heat, according to experts like Atlas Copco UK.
By using this recovered heat—such as heating water to 70°C or in other processes—you can significantly reduce electricity costs and CO2 footprint.
You can use a heat recovery calculator tailored to your system for specific savings.