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

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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.