Challenge
In the vibrant landscape of South India’s hospitality industry, a major challenge confronted a large hotel – the efficient management of both cooling and heating needs.
The hotel relied on 250-ton screw chillers for central air conditioning, operating alongside a diesel boiler dedicated to generating hot water in the 45℃ to 52℃ range. While the chillers efficiently cooled various hotel spaces, a significant amount of heat, a valuable resource, was being overlooked and wasted.
Diesel at today’s rate is the most expensive source of generating heat and a large FMCG facility in India was using it to generate hot water.The facility, grappling with soaring diesel prices, was consuming 300 to 500 liters daily to elevate process water temperatures from 30℃ to 80℃.
Solution
A forward-thinking solution emerged with the implementation of a heat recovery system designed to capture and repurpose the waste heat generated by the 250TR chiller. Operating with R134a refrigerant, the chiller’s relatively low discharge temperature of 65℃ became a strategic asset.
The heat recovery system was tailored to efficiently capture this waste heat and redirect it to offset the reliance on the diesel boiler, thereby creating a more sustainable and cost-effective energy ecosystem for the hotel.
Impact
The impact of this innovation was substantial and multi-faceted. The waste heat from the chiller, once neglected, now played a pivotal role in generating hot water at 52℃. A remarkable 70kW of heat was recovered from the 250TR chiller, leading to an impressive 80% reduction in diesel consumption.
Beyond the immediate gains in operational efficiency, the entire project exhibited financial prudence with a payback period of less than 12 months.
Hot Water Generated
Using the waste heat from the chiller, hot water of 52℃ was generated
heat Recovered
70kW of heat recovered from the 250TR chiller
Decrease in Diesel Consumption
Diesel consumption reduced by 80%
fast ROI
The entire project has a payback of less than 12months
