Co-Designing
This key step aims at co-designing a solution with Zambian stakeholders that can recover waste heat across multiple locations and scale, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit society.
Co-designing a pilot site with our partners at Zambeef Products plc
The REHEATZ solution will be prototyped and tested in two stages:
1. The available waste heat at Zambeef has been quantified. This work began in the Concept Phase where the team have installed temperature sensors at key locations in a number of Zambeef processing facilities in the Lusaka and Chisamba districts.
2. The pilot WWHR system has be co-designed with Zambeef stakeholders and simulated using numerical modelling and lab-scale experimentation. This task includes design of the heat exchanger (HX) dimensions and material to optimise heat recovery on-site. The novel HX and WWHR system will be modelled numerically and experimentally to optimise the design prior to installation in the field.
In February 2024, the WWHR will be installed at a selected site in Zambeef facilities. The scheme in the figure below illustrates illustrates the waste heat flows at Zambeef facilities which will be exploited using pilot testing in the Seed Phase.
This pilot test will monitor the heat saved over an extended operating period to assess the potential for reductions in boiler fuel use and emissions. Based on the preliminary data gathered in step 1 during the Concept Phase, the pilot test is planned to be conducted across 3 locations all at Huntley Farm processing facility. We will test our technology at the boiler blow down discharge, at the combined blowdown and open drainage channel, and at the Dairy Clean-In-Place discharge. Testing will be conducted for 1-2 months each, at the three locations to assess longer term performance.
Figure 1. REHEATZ wastewater heat recovery system flow chart for pilot to be developed and tested in Seed Phase
Boiler blowdown at Huntley Farm