A wet laid non-woven manufacturer was using significant amounts of energy with their floatation dryer in order to evaporate a water-based coating on a random short fibre web.
Although our initial investigations into the drying process enabled our engineers to correct a few faults and to tune the process to optimum levels, there was still a considerable about of energy being discharged to atmosphere. This air was hot but also contained water vapour, resins and fibres.
After careful consideration and discussion with the customer, our engineering team used the wealth of knowledge developed over 90 years of manufacturing thermal process equipment applied that experience to develop in independent heat recovery system.
The bespoke solution collected waste heat from the dryer exhausts and pre-heated the feed air to the floatation dryer.
The Energy Optimisation and Heat Recovery approach enabled the existing equipment to be operated to its best efficiency then our heat recovery solution was able to recovery significant amounts of energy from a dirty process waste stream and return clean usable energy to the process.
Over 750 kWh of energy is typically recovered with a value of £165,000 per year.
*UK Energy Costs 2021.