Demonstrating Replicable, Innovative, Large-Scale Heat Recovery in the Industrial Sector

The Opportunity 

Twenty-five of the 100 quadrillion British thermal units of fuel consumed per year in the United States are wasted as low-level heat (less than 300 degrees Fahrenheit [149 degrees Celsius]). This costs the United States economy more than $200 billion per year and contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of metallic heat exchangers has increased from less than $100 per kilowatt thermal to between $500 and $1000 per kilowatt thermal, making them undesirable for low-level heat recovery. An eighty percent recovery of this low-level waste heat would create more than $50 billion per year of opportunity. 

The Solution Technology 

Plastic heat exchangers recover this low-level heat at 80-percent lower cost than conventional metallic heat exchangers, without incremental emissions. Plastic heat exchangers are a lowcost, mass manufacturable, modular technology that is easy to deploy in disadvantaged communities. The assembly can be three-dimensionally printed for rapid prototyping and cost advantages. Heat conduction in plastic tubes is enhanced by innovative design and material choices. Plastic materials offer significant weight reduction and flexibility in sensitive applications such as food processing and pharmaceuticals. 

Technology Progress 

The feasibility of plastic heat exchanger manufacturing and assembly processes has been successfully demonstrated in a laboratory environment. Plastic heat exchanger performance for low-level heat transfer has been successfully validated at a kilowatt-class level, followed by scaleup to 10 kilowatt-class level. Plastic heat exchanger units with additional components were successfully installed and commissioned for testing at a brewery and a winery in California. Performance recovering low-level heat met all goals for this California Energy Commission project, with excellent stability. The technology promises to be a highly effective tool in achieving California’s mandated decarbonization goals.