EXHAUST GAS HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR PLANT BED HEATING IN GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION

Hot air heater with light oil combustion is the most common heater for greenhouse heating in the winter season in Korea. However, since the heat efficiency of the heater is about 80%, considerable unused heat in the form of exhaust gas heat discharges to atmosphere. In order to capture this exhaust gas heat a heat recovery system for plant bed heating in the greenhouse was built and tested in the hot air heating system of greenhouse. The system consists of a heat exchanger made of copper pipes, ${\phi}\;12.7{\times}0.7t$ located inside the rectangular column of $330{\times}330{\times}900mm$, a water circulation pump, circulation plastic pipe and a water tame The total heat exchanger area is $1.5m^2$, calculated considering the heat exchange amount between flue gas and water circulated in the copper pipes. The system was attached to the exhaust gas path. The heat recovery system was designed as to even recapture the latent heat of flue gas when exposing to low temperature water in the heat exchanger. According to performance test it can recover 45,200 to 51,000kJ/hr depending on the water circulation rates of 330 to $690{\ell}$/hr from the waste heat discharged. The exhaust gas temperature left from the heat exchanger dropped to $100^{circ}C$ from $270^{circ}C$ by the heat exchange between the water and the flue gas, while water gained the difference and temperature increased to $38^{circ}C$ from $21^{circ}C$ at the water flow rate of $690{\ell}$/hr. And, the condensed water amount varies from 16 to $43m{\ell}$ at the same water circulation rates. This condensing heat recovery system can reduce boiler fuel consumption amount in a day by 34% according to the feasibility study of the actual mimitomato greenhouse. No combustion load was observed in the hot air heater.