SBIR Phase I: Innovative Latent Energy Exchanger for Effective Recovery of Industrial Wet Exhausts

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是在向环境排放湿废气的各种工业和商业应用(如锅炉、烘烤炉、炉子、打样机、暖通空调系统)中节约用水和能源。例如，仅美国面包烘焙市场一项，就可以通过拟议的技术每年节省超过5000万热量的能源和超过4亿加仑的水。该项目将为能源回收和提高能效创造一种新的高效和高性价比的设备。这个SBIR第一期项目为高效和低成本的相变能源转换开发了独特的能量转移概念。最先进的热交换过程使用线性热传递机制。相反，所提出的方法考虑了冷凝过程中的非线性热分布。结果表明，部分冷凝混合物的质量沿流道变化，从而引起局部露点的相应变化。这种方法定义了一种有效捕获和最大限度地从湿气流中回收潜在能量的设计配置。提出的概念成功地利用了螺旋通道和热虹吸管的热流体优势。该项目将解决关键的技术差距，并解决包括在可变通道几何形状和变化的流动参数下的冷凝可持续性，以及热虹吸管在非常规条件下的最佳性能等问题。将定义和模拟非线性相变换热机制，然后对通道几何形状和热虹吸管阵列进行灵敏度分析和设计优化，以进行后续的原型设计和性能演示。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to save water and energy across a wide spectrum of industrial and commercial applications (i.e. boilers, baking ovens, furnaces, proofers, HVAC systems) that emit wet exhaust into the environment. For example, the U.S. bread baking market segment alone may save over 50 million therms of energy and over 400 million gallons of water annually with the proposed technology. The proposed project will create a new class of high-efficient and cost-effective equipment for energy recovery and energy efficiency improvement.This SBIR Phase I project develops a unique energy transfer concept for high-efficient and cost-effective phase-change energy conversion. State-of-the-art heat exchange processes use linear heat transfer mechanisms. In contrast, the proposed approach accounts for the non-linear heat distribution during the condensation process. As a result, the mass of partially condensed mixture changes along the flow channel, and thus causes a corresponding change in local dew point. This approach defines a design configuration for efficient capture and maximal recovery of latent energy from the wet gas flow. The proposed concept successfully exploits the thermo-fluid advantages of spiral channels and thermosiphons. The project will resolve key technological gaps and address issues including condensation sustainability at variable channel geometry and changing flow parameters, and the thermosiphon’s optimal performance at unconventional conditions. The non-linear phase-change heat transfer mechanisms will be defined and simulated, followed by a sensitivity analysis and design optimization of the channel geometry and thermosiphons array for subsequent prototype design and performance demonstration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.