Atlas Copco's Thermo Kit is a package of energy recovery components that the firm says can be installed quickly and easily to provide efficient supplementary hot water production at no additional cost.
Ken Revell, sales manager for Atlas Copco's Industrial Air division, says the new package was developed to overcome installation challenges that have hampered widespread uptake of compressed air energy recovery.
Using this system, a typical Atlas Copco GA45+ compressor could achieve savings of £2,330 on a user's annual gas bill, he says, pointing to evidence that suggests up to 94% of electrical energy used by an industrial air compressors is converted into heat and lost through radiation.
"The potential of compressor energy recovery ... is well proven and, in a period of high energy prices and environmental concern, this cannot be underestimated," states Revell.
"Many businesses are benefitting from energy recovery today but installation has traditionally presented challenges since there is no universal template for connecting the compressor and central heating system," he continues.
"We wanted to bridge that gap and that's why Thermo Kit heralds such a transformation in the way energy recovery is implemented."
Revell says Thermo Kit – which comprises a choice of two buffer tank sizes, connections, circulation pump and control unit – is intended to be as simple to install as a system of solar panels. Only a limited amount of engineering work is required and installation is usually swift and seamless, he insists.
The 400-litre buffer tank, which has a 50kW heat exchanger, is designed to work alongside Atlas Copco's 11—45kW compressors, while the 800-litre tank, which has a 90kW heat exchanger, can be connected to 55—90kW compressors.