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Thermo Challenges Limited is registered in England under number 10176511 at Barclays Bank Chambers, Bridge Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6AH, United Kingdom and represented by its director Hussam Jouhara.  

Person responsible for content: Hussam Jouhara

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Thermal Recovery

Optimising energy efficiency in production plants has its limits. Waste heat is unavoidable when products or hot air needs to cool down – especially in industries requiring high temperatures. The good news: the high amount of excessive heat offers industries great potential for increasing efficiency, reducing their energy input and saving costs.

When it comes to thermal energy recovery, heat exchangers play a critical role. With their help, waste heat can be channelled to other processes within the same facility. Waste air flow can be recovered to preheat combustion air, for example.

To address the specific challenges of different industries, Thermal Challenges has developed and patented different types of technological solutions, which will collect waste heat from waste streams of the industrial processes and this heat will then be used for other industrial processes, such as automotive parts heat treatment or tiles drying, for example.

Heat Pipe Technology
Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger
Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser
Digital Twin Capabilities

Heat Pipe Technology

Heat pipes are at the core of our thermal solutions, as they are an incredibly efficient tool to recover heat from one industrial process, allowing the recovered heat to be used in a different process.

A heat pipe transfers thermal energy passively from a hot to a cold stream by a boiling condensation cycle inside a hermetically sealed metal tube. In this way, heat from the hot area can be transferred very efficiently to a cold part of the pipe.

The sealed pipe contains a working fluid. Absorbing heat at the lower end, the liquid vaporises and carries the thermal energy upwards to the condenser section, where it encounters a lower temperature. As a consequence, the vapour condensates (back to a liquid) and thereby releases heat. The liquid runs down the inner walls back to the evaporator section where the process starts over again

Thermal Recovery
Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger
Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser
Digital Twin Capabilities

Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger

Within a heat exchanger unit many heat pipes work together in parallel in a container where the hot production steam passes by at the bottom to heat the liquid inside the tubes. At the other end of the heat exchanger, cool air flows along, absorbing the heat of the condenser sections. This heated air can now be transported to parts of the production line where it can be re-used.

The challenge: within the production lines there are different exhaust streams at different compositions, flow rates and temperatures that could possibly damage the system. With more than 100 units designed and commissioned for various industrial sites, our team will develop the optimal design and select the right materials for the heat pipes so that the thermal recovery will work efficiently inside your plant’s environment and within the temperature range applied. Moreover, our team will ensure that the re-use of the recovered heat in the recipient processes will not compromise the quality of the production process.

Thermal Recovery
Heat Pipe Technology
Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser
Digital Twin Capabilities

Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser

Similar to a Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger, also a Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE) contains numerous heat pipes that work in parallel within a container, where hot exhaust air passes through the bottom, heating the liquid inside the tubes and transferring the heat to a stream of fresh air or water. The HPCE has an additional feature, that it also collects water from the humid and hot exhaust air as it condenses on the exterior of the pipes, dripping to the bottom of the unit. This dual recovery of heat and water makes the HPCE an efficient solution for industrial applications with humid waste streams.

The animations show the heat pipe principle operating within the context of a HPCE. The sealed pipe contains a working fluid. Absorbing heat at the lower end, the liquid vaporises and carries the thermal energy upwards to the condenser section, where it encounters a lower temperature. Consequently, the vapour condensates (back to a liquid) and thereby releases heat. The liquid runs down the inner walls back to the evaporator section where the process starts over again.

Traditional heat exchangers face several challenges in industrial settings due to corrosive and fouling exhaust gases, which contain particulates or suspensions that can settle on the surface. The fouling caused by solid particles and other contaminants can be effectively mitigated in an HPCE through appropriate design and the application of coatings or surface treatments.

Our team has developed this concept design within the EU funded project iWAYS and is currently installing, commissioning and testing three units in for a steel tube manufacturer in Spain, a chemical factory in Sweden and for the ceramic industrial site in Italy. These installments are used to recover water vapor generated during moisture removal processes or from combustion. As part of this assignment, we have developped both numerical models of fluid dynamics and coating or surface treatments to optimise HPCE functioning.

Thermal Recovery
Heat Pipe Technology
Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger
Digital Twin Capabilities

Digital Twin Capabilities

At Thermo Challenges Ltd., we leverage cutting-edge digital numerical simulation tools, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and 0D/1D simulations, to create detailed physical digital twins of proposed systems and components. By modeling these systems virtually before implementation, we gain a comprehensive understanding of their behavior and performance. Our multi-approach numerical modeling includes thermo-fluid-dynamics simulations of complex phenomena, such as multi-phase and multi-component flows and multi-physics modeling. This advanced capability ensures that every aspect of the design is thoroughly evaluated, allowing us to visualize complex fluid dynamics and thermal interactions.

Utilizing these digital twins allows us to optimize designs by identifying and addressing potential issues early in the development process. By simulating real-world conditions, we can test various scenarios and configurations to find the most efficient and effective solutions. This proactive approach helps us refine and enhance system performance, leading to more robust and reliable designs. Additionally, our software-in-the-loop solutions for control system optimization enable us to fine-tune control strategies, ensuring that systems operate at peak efficiency and reliability.

Beyond design optimization, our digital twin technology supports ongoing system monitoring and maintenance. Once a system is in operation, its digital twin can track performance, predict maintenance needs, and identify areas for improvement. This continuous feedback loop allows for proactive management, ensuring that the system operates at peak efficiency throughout its lifecycle. By integrating physical digital twins and multi-approach numerical modeling into our consultancy and engineering services, Thermo Challenges Ltd. provides clients with innovative solutions that enhance reliability, reduce costs, and improve overall operational efficiency.

Thermal Recovery
Heat Pipe Technology
Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger
Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser