Heat Recovery
The Heat Pipe Advantage
ECONOTHERM® heat pipe exchangers offer many distinct advantages over more common technologies.
All ECONOTHERM® heat pipe heat exchangers are made of individual heat pipes filled with a working fluid. They can be used to transfer heat from gas to gas, gas to liquid (or vice versa) or liquid to liquid.
A heat pipe can transfer up to 1000 times more thermal energy than copper, the best known conductor; that too with less than -17°C per foot temperature drop. One of the amazing features of the heat pipes is that they have no moving parts and hence require minimum maintenance. They are completely silent and reversible in operation and require no external energy other than the thermal energy they transfer. Heat pipes are ruggedly built and can withstand a lot of abuse.
Specific advantages include:
- Integral design minimizing the adverse effects of metal expansion
- Reliable operation due to the individual heat pipes not depending upon another
- Good level of sensible effectiveness for rapid payback
- No moving parts for virtually maintenance free operation
- Zero cross contamination
- Reduced pressure drop across exhaust
- The unit can be easily cleaned even by removing heat pipes
- Available in a wide range of custom sizes or bespoke designs
- Various coatings and construction materials available to protect the units against a variety of exhaust air conditions
- Collection of condensate in the exhaust gases can be arranged
Suitable Applications
Industrial heat recovery (return to process or process to process)
- Furnace exhaust to feed air (Recuperator)
- Steam or water boiler exhaust to feed water (Economiser)
- Kiln or oven exhaust to feed air
- Thermal oxidiser exhaust to process hot water of air
Waste to energy processes
- Incinerator exhaust to hot water or comfort air for buildings
- Within municipal waste to energy processes to improve efficiency
Specialised applications
- Gas engine exhaust to thermal oil to drive ORC turbines
- Isothermal ovens for semi-conductor industry
- Heavy oil pre-heating
Furthermore Econotherm’s patented low cost manufacturing process ensures rapid payback to the client.
