All components of the heat recovery system are integrated and connected to generate the maximum amount of power from the waste heat source.

In Distiller, the heat recovery system aims to capture the maximum flow of waste heat through the WHRU heat collector inserted inside a chimney.

 

Figure. Heat collector in contact with the gas

The heat recovery system requires water supply for the proper operation and to avoid thermal collapse of the system.

 

Figure. Water cooling system diagram

 

The water is distributed through two water manifolds. Thus, the water enters the water block at the bottom and flows through the heat exchanger to its outlet. The collectors are equipped with an air vent valve to remove the air from the circuit and prevent possible failures.

 

Figure. Water manifold

 

An electrical cabinet receives the electrical energy generated by the system. In this cabinet, the energy is treated to maximize its efficiency.

 

Figure. Electrical cabinet

 

The temperature must be controlled to ensure the proper operation of the system.

Therefore, two IoT nodes are installed inside the electrical cabinet, one to measure the temperature of the hot and cold side of the thermoelectric generator modules, as well as the inlet and the outlet temperature of the hot gas flow.

The temperature sensors are inside the WHRU and are connected to the IoT nodes installed inside the electrical cabinet.

 

Figure. Sensing diagram

 

Wattmeter IoT node is used to measure the power generated by the system.

The IoT nodes send the sensor data to a gateway via LoRa. In turn, the gateway that receives the sensor data from each IoT node sends them to the server through the Internet and displays them on the DAEVIS platform.

 

 

Figure. Communication architecture

 

Figure. System configuration

 

 

Figure. WHRU prototype in the test bench

 

 

Figure. Electrical cabinet test