When Air Heats Up, Your Energy Bills Should Go Down
When air is compressed, the molecules collide, generating heat. The more air is compressed, the more heat is produced. Remarkably, 94% of the energy used in the compression process is converted into heat, while only a small 4% remains in the air as potential energy for factory operations. Traditionally, this excess heat has been wasted, released into the environment through cooling systems. Energy recovery from air compressors is often overlooked, partly because older technologies fail to achieve high recovery rates or sufficient liquid temperatures.
At Tamturbo, we’ve made energy recovery a core design principle. Our compressors can reclaim up to 90% of input energy as heat. With our Standard Heat Recovery (SHR) and Boost Heat Recovery (BHR) options, you can generate hot water up to 90°C (194°F) for applications such as boiler makeup water, wash-down processes, heating molds, production materials, or facilities, and other process needs. For added precision, our optional Heat Management Unit (HMU) ensures temperature regulation tailored to your requirements.
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Turn Compressor Heat into Usable Energy
Tamturbo has revolutionized this process by designing an optimal cooling system for energy recovery. By capturing the heat management process at various stages and employing liquid cooling for critical components like frequency converters, electric motors, and turbo heads, Tamturbo compressors recover up to 90% of input energy as heat. This advanced system is a built-in standard feature, ensuring maximum energy efficiency. For even greater performance, our patented Boosted Heat Recovery (BHR) delivers liquid temperatures up to 90°C (194°F), suitable for a variety of production processes.
Integrating energy recovery into a plant system has often been a challenge, but Tamturbo makes it seamless with our Heat Management Unit (HMU). This compact module simplifies connections between the compressor and the plant, minimizing installation work and making heat energy integration easy and cost-effective. Tamturbo transforms wasted heat into a valuable resource, driving efficiency and sustainability in your operations.
Be Aware of False Energy Recovery Percentages
Some compressor manufacturers claim energy recovery percentages over 100%. In reality, their actual energy recovery is closer to 70–80% of the energy used. The high claims are based on carefully selected inlet conditions. When the inlet air temperature is higher than the cooling liquid temperature, the heat recovery percentage increases by pulling “extra” energy from the air. Conversely, when the inlet air temperature is lower than the cooling liquid temperature, the heat recovery percentage decreases as energy is used to warm the air. At Tamturbo, we base our heat recovery percentages on standard compressor inlet conditions. We don’t rely on the compressor acting as a heat pump to boost numbers for marketing purposes.
