MONTREAL, QC

This first in North America industrial energy recovery project in Montreal, was initiated in a two phases, Phase I, a medium-temperature energy recovery and Phase II a high-temperature energy recovery.

Phase I of this project, consists specifically of tapping into the plant’s centrifugal air compressor cooling systems, recover and transfer this un-usable heat energy to usable domestic water heating.

Under normal operation the air compressors produce a substantial amount of heat that must be removed in order to maintain correct block temperatures, prevent over-heating and compressor failure.

Conventional heat removal consisted of either cooling tower or refrigeration cooling via chill water heat exchanger. These conventional systems have associated operating and maintenance costs, they tax existing cooling systems and have no energy recovery or operational contribution.

 New plate and frame heat exchangers are used to extract heat and preheat the potable water before the high temperature heat pump of Phase II.

.

Phase II of this project introduces heat pump technology to the energy recovery system. A portion of the heat contained in refrigerant compressors high side discharge gases is transferred to the plant’s hot water system.

This form of high temperature energy recovery permits year round water heating to over 140^oF by utilizing heat that was dissipated into the atmosphere.

As an added bonus the energy consumption of the evaporative condensers is reduced due to lower refrigerant gas handled, the heat pump is also acting as a refrigerant condenser.

             Table 1. Projected Savings           

             Single Line Diagram (The line diagram is best viewed with Internet Explorer 6 or better)