How recovered heat can be used

Recovered heat from compressors can be used across a wide range of applications and industries. Wherever there is a demand for heat, energy recovered from compressed air systems can provide an efficient and sustainable solution.

Atlas Copco offers a range of energy recovery solutions for most types of compressors, and customers’ needs including both integrated and retrofit options. Combined with our expertise, this allows customers to identify and implement the most effective applications for their recovered heat.

These applications are found across all industries., where there is a continuous demand for heat in both utilities and processes.

Hot air

Hot air recovered from a compressor can be ducted into warehouses and workshops for space heating, either as primary or supplementary heat source. It can also be used in industrial processes such as drying, curing and heating in ovens or dryers.

Ducting systems for hot air reuse are typically implemented by the customer or third-party suppliers.

Hot water

Hot water from your compressed air system can be used for feed water preheating, space heating, and process heating. Typical applications are space heating with radiators, laundries, industrial cleaning, and sanitary facilities.

Process heating applications are particularly diverse. Recovered hot water is used in coffee roasting, chocolate production, brewing, dairy processing, spray painting, and automotive manufacturing. Many of these industries have multiple uses for hot water or steam, making them ideal for compressor energy recovery.

Atlas Copco supports these applications with integrated and standalone heat exchanger solutions that can be applied to both new and existing compressor installations.

Later in this eBook, we will take a closer look at selected industries and how they benefit from compressor heat recovery.