Cool results with heat recovery

Energy and water saving solutions are top of the list for most laundries, says Christeyns, not only from a cost saving point of view but also in terms of improved sustainability.

Innovation in the chemistry used in laundry formulations has made huge improvements in the wash conditions, working in tandem with the latest heating solutions, so there is no longer the need for extremely hot water temperatures.

Christeyns’ Heat-X Energo system is an energy saving unit that recovers heat from wastewater and transfers that energy into the incoming fresh water, saving on average 50% on energy usage in the wash process. The heated fresh water is used for warm rinsing to increase the efficiency of the rinse process and reduce water consumption.

Warm rinsing increases textile temperature and press efficiency and with less moisture retention in the linen, drying times are reduced providing an additional cost saving, as well as increasing drying capacity. Reduced temperature in the wash process also prolongs the life of the linen.

Imperial Linen Services in Mansfield installed a Heat-X Energo and water management system in summer 2019. The aim was to reduce the freshwater consumption on the CBWs from 6.5L/ kg to 4.5L/kg by recovering and filtering water from the CBW and then re-using it in the rinse process. Further reductions are expected as the system continues to bed in.

Anticipated annual savings are as follows: a total water saving of over 12,000m3 per annum, a total energy saving of 1550 MWh per annum with a carbon reduction of 295 tonnes per annum. To date the Heat-ex Energo has saved over £15k for Imperial.

In January 2020 Swiss Camplings opened its new 38,000 sq.ft facility in Cambridge which now houses some of the most technically advanced and sustainable laundry systems in Europe and is capable of processing up to 500,000 pieces of linen a week. Christeyns’ trade marked Cool Chemistry, a patented innovation that combines equipment and chemistry, is being used at the site working together with a range of equipment that includes the latest auto-dosing units and Laundry X-Pert, an advanced laundry management information software (MIS).

High tech water and energy handling equipment was also installed by Christeyns, including the Heat X Energo heat exchanger, allowing Swiss to run a Zero Steam laundry where both water and energy are recycled. This has dramatically reduced water usage per kilogram washed, while increasing the amount of water that can be re-used.