Intelligent heat recovery reduces energy demand
In 2012, Fertigungstechnik NORD, a member of the NORD DRIVESYSTEMS Group, developed a concept for heat recovery on machine tools. Since then, the recovered energy has been used for heating production facilities and offices as well as for hot water production. NORD is continuously improving and expanding the system to become more and more independent of fossil fuel sourced energy.
In Gadebusch, components for NORD drive solutions are produced, including housings, shafts and gearing components. The machines used for component processing generate heat, which had previously been dissipated directly to the environment via electrically powered cooling systems. This left resources unused, and in the summer months, the five production halls in Gadebusch became considerably hot. Therefore, in 2012, the company developed a heat recovery concept, which has since been consistently implemented.
The heat recovery was implemented using plate-type heat exchangers, which were coupled to the machines’ various cooling systems with matching consumption capacities. The internal machine circuits have thus been connected to an external circuit, which – being a cooling water circuit – dissipates excess heat and feeds it into a central heat recovery system. Up to now, Fertigungstechnik NORD has connected more than 80 machines to the system, which is networked with the production department and the production hall ventilation. In the recovery system, two heat pumps generate hot water for heating the five production halls and several offices. In summer, the heat is dissipated from the production areas via three cooling devices.
Continuous refinement
Fertigungstechnik NORD has been investing in heat recovery since 2012. Currently, the production halls’ temperatures are held at approximately 28°C, even in summer. The system operates without additional heating when outdoor temperatures are above 0°C. If temperatures drop below zero, the system also uses gas for heating to ensure a basic heat of 19 °C in the production halls and offices.
Currently, Fertigungstechnik NORD saves approximately one third of its former consumption of 583,000 kWh of fossil fuel based energy. This corresponds to a reduced CO2 emission of approximately 117 t. In the current year, the shower water will also be heated with the residual heat from the production department to stop excess heat from dissipating into the environment during the summer. In the context of a complete bundle of measures, this once more shows that resource conservation, cost reduction and environmental performance are firmly established in the NORD Group’s future.
