2005, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (www.ashrae.org).

Reprinted by permission from ASHRAE Journal, (Vol. 47, No. 6, June 2005). This article may not be copied nor distributed in either paper or digital form without ASHRAEs permission.

Condensate Water Recovery

Increases in water and sewer rates have made the investment of condensate recovery systems very cost-effective. The rst condensate recovery systems in San Antonio have worked so well that San Antonio recently became the rst city to require all new commercial buildings to design drain lines so that condensate capture is practical. By KAREN GUZ condensate recovery also has been successful. Bahrain Airport Services in the Middle East uses 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million L) per year of condensate water for diverse purposes such as toilet ushing, washing and landscape. At the University of Texas in Austin, the massive central cooling systems include condensate recovery for cost savings. In all of these places, the best news about air-conditioning condensate recovery is that water is produced as a natural by-product during periods of high heat and humidity when it is most needed. At rst glance it might seem that only a region such as south Texas or Florida would have enough heat and humidity to justify condensate capture systems. Relative humidity in San Antonio hovers at 50% 83% during summer months. However, Chicago summers are known for high discomfort with humidity reaching 62% 80%. Philadelphia humidity can also get high at 55% 76%. While these northern cities have fewer days that reach over 90F (32C), downtown buildings still use massive air-conditioning systems that keep conditions bearable during peak summer months. Condensate Production Rates Condensate production is inuenced by how a building is used. Manufacturing processes, human activities, machinery and lighting all place a greater load on air conditioning than an empty building. Companies that require closely controlled humidity conditions for facilities like technology manufacturing or pharmacy storage are particularly good candidates for condensate recovery. Shopping centers where a high turnover of indoor air exists also produce higher levels of condensate. In tall buildings where air handlers are on many oors, the ones where outside air is brought in will have the greatest water yield. A visit to a facility to observe the condensate drain rate will give the quickest and most realistic estimate of production. It has been a challenge to predict condensate production for new buildings. San Antonio Water System planners Eddie Wilcut and Brian Lilibridge analyzed model projects to develop an estimate of production based on load factor and tonnage. A typical rate of production for large buildings during summer months is 0.1

ondensate from air-conditioning systems is an untapped water source for cooling towers or outdoor irrigation. It should no longer be viewed as a waste product to be sent down sanitary sewer lines. Increases in water and sewer rates have made the investment of condensate recovery systems very cost effective. The rst condensate recovery systems in San Antonio have worked so well that San Antonio recently became the rst city to require all new commercial buildings to design drain lines so that condensate capture is practical. Background Projects capturing air-conditioning condensate in San Antonio have yielded surprising quantities of water. The downtown mall generates 250 gallons (946 L) each day from its air handlers. A central library system produces 1 gpm (0.06 L/s) or 43,200 gallons per month (163 500 L). These impressive quantities can be attributed to weather conditions in San Antonio. However, other locations exist where

Design Components For Cooling Tower Use

Raise the slab for the air handler an additional 12 in. (0.3 m) from the oor of the mechanical room. Collection tank for cooling tower collection should be at least 1,000 gallons (3800 L) with overow to sewer line. Pump to transfer water from condensate to cooling tower. Noncorrosive pipes for transfer of water to cooling tower. 54 ASHRAE Journal

Design Components For Irrigation Use

Raise the slab for the air handler an additional 12 in. (0.3 m) from the oor of the mechanical room. Common drain to outside storage tank that can hold enough water for one irrigation cycle for system. Pump to pressurize water from tank to irrigation system. Chlorine injection system to keep low level of chlorine in water to prevent bacterial growth. June 2005

to 0.3 gallons of condensate per ton of air conditioning (0.1 to 0.3 L/kW) for every hour the cooling system is operated. This range is based on average production rates measured at a small number of large facilities. Based on this limited data, the following formula is used: (tons of capacity) (load factor) (0.2 gallons) = _____ gph For those planning buildings in hot, humid climates, an estimate of expected condensate production also can be made from the square footage of climatecontrolled space. Peak condensate production during summer months can be assumed to be approximately 0.5 to 0.6 gph/1,000 ft2 (6 to 7 mL/s/1000 m2) of cooled area. When we apply this formula to planned capacity for various commercial buildings, we find only buildings over approximately 100,000 ft 2 (9280 m2) typically yield enough condensate to justify the expense of condensate recovery for either cooling towers or landscape. Uses of Condensate Condensate water is more pure in content than most tap water. It can be used for manufacturing processes, cooling towers, decorative fountains and landscape irrigation. There are considerations for each use that help determine which is the most economical for a given site. Cooling Towers. Condensate is exceptional for cooling towers because of the low mineral content, and such use normally will be a first choice when designing a system. Cooling towers can increase their effective number of cycles by blending low-mineral condensate water with tap water that is usually higher in mineral content, especially if the regional water source is from groundwater. Landscape Irrigation. Condensate production in a large building may produce more water than needed by a small commercial landscape in an urban area. The holding tank must hold the number
June 2005

of gallons needed to run a portion of the irrigation system at a time. Because irrigation controllers can be programmed to run different zones or stations each day, it is not necessary to store enough water to irrigate the entire property at once. Water Features. Decorative ponds, fountains and other features are ideal for condensate use. Large golf resorts often draw irrigation water from water features on the property. Having the water features replenished with condensate water is a low-cost way to lower the irrigation water bills on-site. No need exists for additional water tank storage for these uses. Design Considerations Condensate water is distilled, pure water when it forms on the condensate coils

of an air handler. However, it can pick up bacterial contamination during formation and transport. As with any water stored in a tank, it must be considered unsafe for human contact without the addition of chlorine or ozone. Chlorine injectors are relatively simple to add to tanks when the water will be used for fountains or aboveground irrigation systems. Treatment is not necessary if condensate water goes directly to cooling towers where biocide procedures will prevent a problem. An additional design consideration is that the condensate is more corrosive than ground or surface water because of its high purity. Materials that are used for steam condensate and other high purity water should be used in system components.

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ASHRAE Journal

55

Cost of Condensate Recovery James Sewell of Beyer Mechanical in San Antonio estimates that condensate recovery systems add approximately 3% to 5% to the total cost of mechanical engineering for a new building. For a building where a customer is spending $100,000 to install their cooling, they will spend about $3,000 in additional costs if they are adding condensate recovery for their cooling towers. Retrot costs to add condensate recovery to existing buildings are somewhat higher, but still reasonable. One of the more expensive examples is a system installed at a manufacturing plant in San Antonio. The system was built by an outside contractor for $13,000. Costs included design, piping, insulation, a new cement slab, containment tanks, pumps, permits and staff time. A simpler retrot at the Memorial City Plaza building in Houston cost only $1,300 using in-house labor for construction and design. Costs are higher if the condensate recovery is used for landscape irrigation because storage costs increase and a biocide program must be included if aboveground irrigation will be used. Landscape needs vary by region with expected rainfall and plant need. In San Antonio an all grass landscape may require up to 1 in. of irrigation each week to thrive during peak summer months. For a 10,000 ft2 (929 m2) landscape this translates to about 7,000 gallons (26 500 L) of irrigation need. A 100,000 ft2 (9290 m2) building provides more than enough condensate water to meet this need. A four thousand gallon (15 100 L) tank could be used in this case with an irrigation controller that divides the water need into portions of the landscape. Payback on Investment The fastest payback for investment for condensate recovery is using the water for cooling tower makeup. Condensate recovery ranges from accounting for 5% of the makeup water to up to 15% of required makeup water. This variation is due to how cooling towers are managed and how effectively recovery systems collect all available condensate on site. The collection rates for the Memorial City Plaza building in Houston are shown in Figure 1. Payback can be less than a year when recovered water reduces water purchased for cooling tower makeup. The savings for the Memorial City Plaza building would be: Gallons Saved = 550,000 gallons (208 000 L)

100 90 Gallons Per Month (In Thousands) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D

Figure 1: Collection rates for the Memorial City Plaza building.

Cost of Water = $5/1,000 gallons ($1.32/1000 L) Annual Savings = $2,775 Payback Period = Approximately six months In the previous example, the cooling tower in the building uses 3.6 million gallons (13.6 million L) of water annually. The condensate recovery system is able to provide approximately 15% of that need for substantial savings. Because it is a hot and humid location, Houston gives the best possible yield and payback scenario. However, even if yield in another region is half of this example, a one-year return on investment still makes consideration of a retrot attractive. Conservation water rebates also are available from water companies in some cities to help pay for the investment in new technology, which further decreases the payback time period. Summary Water and energy considerations are becoming more important in selection of cooling systems for commercial buildings. Although cooling towers are efcient for large buildings, they also are often the largest user of water at a property. Drought conditions are common in many areas of the United States, and water prices are increasing. This creates new challenges to keep cooling systems energy efcient and water efcient. Condensate recovery should be one tool used to improve resource efciency. Karen Guz is a conservation planner for the San Antonio Water System in San Antonio.

Left: Condensate pipes. Center: Steady streams of condensate go unused to storm water or sewer lines rather than being used. Right: Air handlers at the downtown Rivercenter Mall produce thousands of gallons each month from condensate. A simple system sends the collected water to cooling towers for makeup water. 56 ASHRAE Journal June 2005