The initial situation
A production line for multilayer barrier films generates large volumes of high-temperature exhaust air during the drying process. Before being discharged to the atmosphere, the exhaust air passes through an exhaust air purification system.
Despite the thermal treatment process, a considerable amount of valuable energy remained available in the cleaned exhaust air stream and was previously lost through the stack.
The customer was therefore looking for a solution to recover this waste heat and reuse it within the production process.
The challenge
For the plant operator and system supplier, the new solution had to meet several requirements:
- Recover high-temperature waste heat efficiently
- Reduce primary energy consumption
- Integrate seamlessly into the existing process
- Ensure reliable operation under industrial conditions
- Minimize maintenance requirements
- Deliver a short payback period
The objective was to improve the overall energy efficiency of the plant while maintaining production reliability.
The Polybloc solution
Polybloc supplied a custom-designed stainless steel crossflow heat exchanger installed between the exhaust air purification system and the stack.
The recovered thermal energy is transferred to ambient air, which is then fed back into the drying process as preheated supply air.
This significantly reduces the energy required by the primary heating system while utilizing energy that would otherwise be wasted.
Customer:
Dürr Systems AG
Industry:
Packaging Industry
Application:
Dryer Exhaust Heat Recovery
Product:
Polybloc Stainless Steel Crossflow Exchanger
Results that make a difference – performance at a glance
-
1,352 kW
Recovered Thermal Energy
-
69 %
Heat Recovery Efficiency
-
127 °C
Supply Air Temperature
-
41,280 kg/h
Air Mass Flow
Key benefits
The project delivers measurable benefits for both plant operation and sustainability:
- Significant reduction in primary energy demand
- Lower operating costs
- Reduced CO₂ emissions
- Improved overall plant efficiency
- Reliable and maintenance-free operation
- Utilization of previously wasted process energy
The successful implementation demonstrates how industrial waste heat can be transformed into a valuable energy source through intelligent heat recovery technology.
Engineering heat recovery for industry
For more than 40 years, Polybloc has been developing and manufacturing high-performance heat recovery solutions for industrial processes and HVAC applications.
Our systems help customers worldwide reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and improve process efficiency through reliable and sustainable heat recovery technology.