New heat exchange technology …. ROI & water recovery!

Aquatherm’s new heat exchange module – the Transport Membrane Condenser (TMC) – is stated to improve process efficiency and recover pure water in commercial laundry industrial applications. At the L&N Uniform & Costume in the US – part of the Aramark family of businesses – this module has been installed to recover heat and pure water from the intensive process. Apparently ROI has already been confirmed.

According to model supplier, only a few commercially operable solutions to-date can recover pure water and heat from high-moisture and low temperature process gas streams. Although this type of solution has been in high demand within various industries for quite some time now, the economics have never been favourable enough to justify investments.

The TMC is based on a nanoporous ceramic membrane to extract a portion of the water vapour and its hidden heat from exhaust and process gas streams for plant uses. Water vapour passes through the membrane and is then condensed in direct contact with a low-temperature water stream. Contaminants such as CO2, O2, NOx, and SO2 are obstructed from passing through the membrane by its high selectivity. The recovered water is of high quality and mineral free, and can be used as supplemental makeup water for almost all industrial processes.