Compressor discharge for radiant?

Don Walsh

I'm working with a grocer who is planning to build a new store. There will be in excess of 100 tons of refrigeration used in this place, and the idea of using the compressor hot gas discharge, as source for heating water for radiant floors is up for discussion. Have any of you done this before? What types of problems have you faced?


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Wayne_12

Moving heat

I do not have all the solutions to the questions to be asked, but incorporating the heat used from compression to heat additional areas that require a heat source is a great idea. Many stores use some sort of heat reclaim to condiiton air or reheat air after removing moisture from the conditioned space.

My ideal systme would incorporate geo thermal loop system into the equasion. This way the ground water becomes the medium to move heat around and can be done cost effectively.

Then use the ground water to remove heat from refrigeration condensers and move to the ground loop. Eleminate additional air conditioning costs by not venting condensing air temperatures into a building space. The flip side is the heat pumps are able remove heat from the water to heat areas requiring heat, while at the same time the refrigeration systems are rejecting heat.

Move the heat from where it is not needed to an area that needs heat. Talk about efficiency.

Now I realize the upfront costs may be higher than conventional boiler systems, heaters and refrigeration systems etc.

Look at the efficiencies available today with current equipment, future energy cost savings and the flexability to add or remove equipment to the existing system with out rebuilding the whole system. Less noise in mechanical rooms, smaller refrigeration systems and refrigerant charge.

Set up a primary/secondary pumping system to move the water from the ground loop piping to the individual heat exchanger coils then back to the ground loop piping.

Now the system has the capacity to add heat to the ground loop or remove heat from the ground loop piping to utilize the effective heat transfer properties of water.

Then the green factor comes into play for those that ecology has meaning to. Do not get me wrong, I believe we all need to be responsable comsumers of our natural resources.

This is the ideas I have, there are many different manufactures of equipment, controls etc. required to meet the needs of the building/owner.

Explore the options of recovering the heat of compression and heat tranfer to place the heat to perform work in completely different area.

HAve a great day, Wayne

bigdog

hot water

supermarkets, use storage tanks and pump hot discharge gas through to heat domestic hot water, maybe you can use this to make a radiant floor system work, check with a local refrigeration co. that specializes in supermarket service. this has to be done right.

Joe C

Heat reclaim

I have never seen radiant heat in a supermarket yet but, I have never been in a supermarket that did not have some form of heat reclaim. I would not use it as the only heat source but make it the primary or first stage after you temper your outside air.

John@WattsRadiant

Waste heat from compressor

Yes, we have done it many times but primarily for perma-frost protection underneath freezers (prevent heaving of freezer floor). We have done a few jobs where the supermarket wanted a heated floor in front of the refrigerated foods section - makes it MUCH more comfortable as customers walk by (and they even hang around longer, more likely to buy things).
All you're doing is using a heat-exchanger to transfer energy from the compressor's gas to hot water; typically using a setpoint control to control the water temp and btus injected.
Just need to correctly size heat-exchanger for the temp water the radiant system needs.
Email me or call me on Friday at 800-276-2419 and I'd be glad to discuss the application in more detail.
John