Abstract
Falling-film drain water heat recovery (DWHR) systems are heat exchangers used to recover energy from warm water travelling down vertical drainpipes. DWHR systems are rated at constant inlet temperatures at multiple flow rates while maintaining an equal flow rate through both sides of the heat exchanger. The outcome of the rating system is an effectiveness value that is the main metric used to sell DWHR systems to the public. Unfortunately, the rated conditions may not be representative of what occurs during operation in a typical house. The present work aims to bridge this gap by presenting several semi-empirical correlations that are combined into a model capable of predicting the steady-state performance of a DWHR system at variable temperatures and flow rates, based on data generated during the rating process. This model is then validated experimentally for eight different DWHR systems for a total of 135 validation cases. The results show that the model is very effective at estimating the performance of DWHR systems for validation cases, and the mean absolute percentage error for the model predictions versus the experimental results is less than 3%.
Highlights
Water heating is a large contributor to the total energy consumed in residences
One of the main inefficiencies associated with water heating is that a significant portion of the energy that is put into heating of water goes down the drain at elevated temperatures
Annual simulations are based upon a constant effectiveness value, and for plumbing setups similar to what was shown in Figure 5C where the flow rates through both sides of the heat exchanger are equal
Summary
Water heating is a large contributor to the total energy consumed in residences. In Canada, for example, surveys have shown that 19.4% of the total energy consumed in residences in 2015 was attributed to water heating [1]. One of the main inefficiencies associated with water heating is that a significant portion of the energy that is put into heating of water goes down the drain at elevated temperatures. Hot water going down the drain retains 80–90% of its thermal energy relative to the mains cold water supply [4]. According to a report by Schmid, 15% to 30% of the thermal energy provided to buildings is lost via the sewage system, with higher percentages attributed to low-energy buildings [5]
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