Duluth, Michigan has received a $700,000 grant from the US Department of Energy to install a pilot system for a heat pump system that recovers heat from wastewater. These types of systems typically draw heat from treated wastewater just before it goes back into the river. The grant will pay for up to 90% of the installed cost.
Heat is removed by pumping it through a heat exchanger (the evaporator of the heat pump) and cooling the water by a few degrees. Because the flows are high, a few degrees of cooling can produce a lot of heat that can be used to heat buildings in the area with a closed loop heating system. The same can be done in the summer to produce air conditioning by heating the water by a few degrees – though operators have to be careful to not overheat the water prior to returning it to the river.
So, the next time you run the faucet, take a shower, or take care of business in the bathroom, think about how it could be used to keep someone warm in the winter. – Steve Terry, DTC HVAC & Refrigeration Instructor
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