Conservation Technology Series:
Simple Heat Exchangers for Commercial Automatic Ice Makers
Robert Monaghan, P.E.
Course Outline
This four-hour
course is part of a series of courses designed to promote energy and resource
conservation. This course introduces the reader to an energy-saving mechanism
for use on commercial automatic ice makers. Potential benefits and application
features of this technology are explored. Critical performance factors are identified
within the coursework to allow the reader to evaluate the cost-effectiveness
of a site-specific application. Case studies are also presented as examples
for further analysis. At the conclusion of the course study, the reader must
complete a multiple-choice quiz to demonstrate competency is the course material
and obtain PDH credits.
This course includes
a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding
of the course materials.
Learning Objective
Upon the successful conclusion of this course, the student will have learned how to:
Waste chill recovery
(WCR) heat exchangers can be retrofit to commercial-size automatic ice makers
to improve the energy efficiency and capacity of the icemaker. Commercial ice
cube makers produce ice via a batch process. This ice-making process concentrates
any impurities in the residual water, leaving the cube relatively pure and clear.
Thus, some portion of the water charged to an ice maker must be purged to avoid
scaling within the sump or on other ice maker components and to ensure that
clear cubes are produced. The purge water is often near freezing or at least
considerably cooler than the makeup water. The WCR device is a type of "shell
and tube" heat exchanger that pre-cools makeup water being charged to the
ice maker with cold purge water being discharged from the icemaker. As a result,
the amount of heat that must be removed from the water by the ice maker's refrigeration
system is reduced along with the electricity required to drive the refrigeration
system. Reducing the amount of makeup water-cooling also reduces the cycle time
between harvests, which increases capacity. The cost-effectiveness of a WCR
heat exchanger varies considerably depending on machine-specific and site-specific
operating conditions. This course presents detailed information and procedures
that a student can use to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of potential WCR heat
exchanger applications. WCR heat exchanger operating principles, design variations,
energy-saving mechanisms, and other potential benefits are explained. Specific
procedures and equations are provided for estimating energy savings. Proper
application, installation, and operation and maintenance impacts are discussed.
Two hypothetical case studies are presented to illustrate the evaluation procedures
and equations.
Course Content
For course content, the reader is directed to a Federal Energy
Management Program (FEMP) publication known as a Federal Technology Alert. Federal
Technology Alerts include a description of the technology; the technology's
reported performance; summary of applications; field experience reported from
users; a case study designed to help the reader assess the technology application;
a list of identified manufacturers; and a list of where to go for further information.
Worksheets help readers determine whether the technology featured is cost effective
for applications under consideration at a particular site.
The following Federal Technology Alert is outlined in the next section. The
complete document is available below in PDF format for viewing, printing, or
download:
Waste Chill Recovery Heat Exchangers for Commercial-Size Automatic Ice Makers .
Table of Content
Abstract ………………………………………………………………...................................………………..1
About the Technology......................................................................................3
Application Domain...........................................................................................3
Energy-Saving Mechanism ................................................................................4
Other Benefits ................................................................................................4
Variations .....................................................................................................
4
Installation......................................................................................................4
Federal Sector Potential..................................................................................
.4
Estimated Savings and Market Potential ...............................................................4
Laboratory Perspective......................................................................................5
Application .....................................................................................................5
Application Screening........................................................................................5
Where to Apply................................................................................................8
Maintenance Impact.........................................................................................8
Equipment Warranties ......................................................................................8
Codes and Standards .......................................................................................8
Costs.............................................................................................................8
Utility Incentives and Support............................................................................9
Technology Performance..................................................................................
9
Field Experience ..............................................................................................9
Energy Savings................................................................................................9
Maintenance ..................................................................................................9
Environmental Impacts .....................................................................................9
Case Studies...................................................................................................9
Facility Data .................................................................................................10
Ice Maker and WCR Heat Exchanger Data............................................................11
Energy Savings...............................................................................................12
Life-Cycle Cost ..............................................................................................12
The Technology in Perspective..........................................................................13
The Technology's Development .........................................................................13
Technology Outlook.........................................................................................13
Manufacturers ...............................................................................................16
Who is Using the Technology ............................................................................16
For Further Information....................................................................................16
Trade Associations ........................................................................................16
User and Third Party Field and Lab Test Reports ..................................................16
Patents ........................................................................................................16
References....................................................................................................16
Appendix A - Federal Life-Cycle Costing Procedures
and the BLCC Software ..................................................................................
18
Appendix B - Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Summary:
Energy Conservation Investment Program...........................................................
19
Once
you finish studying the
above course content,
you need to
take a quiz
to obtain the PDH credits.
