ENERWATER
Lead Research Organisation:
Edinburgh Napier University
Department Name: School of Eng and the Built Environment
Abstract
This project involves the research and development of novel systems to recover and re-distribute energy in food processing
and manufacturing premises, especially where there are demands for refrigeration and heating on-site and localised. The
project also aims to optimise the production of heated water as a process requirement for heating, cleaning or sterilisation,
by re-cycling both the waste heat and treating the waste water stream, so that it may be recoverable and re-cycleable.
The user industry attraction will be local energy recovery for useful purposes, including water supply streams. Treatment of
water itself for recycling is an additional attraction reducing external energy, resource treatments and requirements. The
proposed developments may be applied within an industrial complex that can provide source and "sink" needs, or interbusiness
or community to other industrial or domestic premises.
This approach therefore minimises the industrial consumption of energy and diverts it to other localised energy users,
which could be a range of uses, such as aligned similar site or other local heat consuming processes or domestic or office
localised heating needs.
and manufacturing premises, especially where there are demands for refrigeration and heating on-site and localised. The
project also aims to optimise the production of heated water as a process requirement for heating, cleaning or sterilisation,
by re-cycling both the waste heat and treating the waste water stream, so that it may be recoverable and re-cycleable.
The user industry attraction will be local energy recovery for useful purposes, including water supply streams. Treatment of
water itself for recycling is an additional attraction reducing external energy, resource treatments and requirements. The
proposed developments may be applied within an industrial complex that can provide source and "sink" needs, or interbusiness
or community to other industrial or domestic premises.
This approach therefore minimises the industrial consumption of energy and diverts it to other localised energy users,
which could be a range of uses, such as aligned similar site or other local heat consuming processes or domestic or office
localised heating needs.
Planned Impact
The proposal addresses all the requirements of the Research Council impact strategy with a prime focus on the first:- Fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom
- Industrial food processing is a major industry throughout the world. Increasing energy resource costs is having a negative
impact on the sustainability of the sector. The technological systems proposed will both enhance the economic efficiency of
the food processign sector and deliver localised energy and water inputs to local community users, and has the prospect of
implementation both in the UK, the EU and globally.
As the UK commercial partners will have first access to the technology, and since dissemination will be carried out initially
in the UK, the project will enhance the UK's economic competitiveness.
- Increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy.
This will be affected indirectly, via the project's impact on GHG reductions and their related industrial targets. Energy
savings made will directly impact the environmental footprint of the dairy products on a throughput comparison basis.
- Enhancing quality of life, health and creative output.
The project may have indirect benefits when cost-efficient models for localised energy and water are implemented, offering
the opportunity for cost-attractive heating inputs for domestic consumers for example. There will be a reduced
environmental footprint from more efficient use of energy in energy-intensive industrial processing.
The make up of the consortium is designed to pull the appropriate skill base together to meet the technical challenges, but
also to facilitate end user uptake, by including processing partners, to assist in dissemination/impact both economic and
societal. The commercial partners include complementary SME engineered product manufacturers (WHR Ltd and Atlantic
Water Ltd, as well as demand side representatives (Muller-Wiseman Ltd and Mackies of Scotland Ltd. The project outputs
include a pilot demonstrations of an infrastructure expoiting the developed equipment hardware and support services. This
should lead to changed business practices where exploitation can benefit efficiencies in the processing sectors.
- Industrial food processing is a major industry throughout the world. Increasing energy resource costs is having a negative
impact on the sustainability of the sector. The technological systems proposed will both enhance the economic efficiency of
the food processign sector and deliver localised energy and water inputs to local community users, and has the prospect of
implementation both in the UK, the EU and globally.
As the UK commercial partners will have first access to the technology, and since dissemination will be carried out initially
in the UK, the project will enhance the UK's economic competitiveness.
- Increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy.
This will be affected indirectly, via the project's impact on GHG reductions and their related industrial targets. Energy
savings made will directly impact the environmental footprint of the dairy products on a throughput comparison basis.
- Enhancing quality of life, health and creative output.
The project may have indirect benefits when cost-efficient models for localised energy and water are implemented, offering
the opportunity for cost-attractive heating inputs for domestic consumers for example. There will be a reduced
environmental footprint from more efficient use of energy in energy-intensive industrial processing.
The make up of the consortium is designed to pull the appropriate skill base together to meet the technical challenges, but
also to facilitate end user uptake, by including processing partners, to assist in dissemination/impact both economic and
societal. The commercial partners include complementary SME engineered product manufacturers (WHR Ltd and Atlantic
Water Ltd, as well as demand side representatives (Muller-Wiseman Ltd and Mackies of Scotland Ltd. The project outputs
include a pilot demonstrations of an infrastructure expoiting the developed equipment hardware and support services. This
should lead to changed business practices where exploitation can benefit efficiencies in the processing sectors.
Publications
Mokhtar M
(2017)
Exploring multi-objective trade-offs in the design space of a waste heat recovery system
in Applied Energy
Turnbull R
(2019)
A Two Year Comparison of Energy and CO2 Emissions of an Industrial Refrigeration Plant after the Installation of a Waste Heat Recovery System
in Energy Procedia
Description | The Enerwater team is working closely with industry sites (Muller and Mackies). Research to date has facilitated opportunity to review energy exploitation across the sites and enabled the multidiscipline team to assess integration and location options for installation of the new technology. An computer based energy modelling tool is being developed to enable further assessment and verification of the technologies within the milk processing systems. Note that this modelling technique is still being researched and will be verified through assessment in the UK and North America. |
First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
Sector | Energy,Environment |
Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
Description | Quality Precision Technology Limited Addition to the Enerwater Team |
Organisation | Quality Partnerships Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The research team has secured the support of QPT in further research, development and exploitation of the waste water purification system. QPT formally joined the Enerwater consortium in February 2016. |
Collaborator Contribution | QPT Limited have designed and manufactured a water purification system that forms the basis to Enerwater initial research in waste streams. QPT now operate as an integral collaborator within the consortium to research and develop further integrated systems for the food processing sector. |
Impact | QPT have provided a waste water processing system for test and computer model assessment. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Meetings and Workshops with Employees at Muller and Mackies |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Detailed presentations on technology and research plans. Workshop discussions with industrialists at company sites to consider implementation and integration requirements of the new technologies. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Project progress review meeting with Innovate UK |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Research progress review with all the Enerwater collaborators and Innovate UK representatives. Meetings Quarterly. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Scottish Government Food and Drink Seminar organised by Interface |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Approximately 100 industrialists and professionals from the food & drink sector attended a seminar to discuss research and knowledge exchange activities and projects related to the industry sector. The research team organised an exhibition booth in order to display research technologies, models being developed and the multidisciplinary nature of the research, There was considerable interest from the seminar attendees in the Enerwater research. The research team prepared a flyer and computer based rolling presentation for display on the booth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |