ENG. ANDREW OMWENGA

Section 1.0 — Simulation & Facility Metadata

Section 2.0 — Executive Summary

Industrial boiler flue gas condensing heat recovery system installed on three 15 t/h steam boilers at a commercial brewing facility, capturing waste heat and saving 8 million liters of water annually while cutting natural gas consumption by 16%.

Section 3.0 — Problem Statement & Operating Bottlenecks

Brewing operations require intensive steam for wort boiling, mash tun heating, pasteurizing, and bottle washing. The facility's steam boilers discharged flue gas at 195 °C directly to atmosphere, resulting in severe sensible and latent heat loss while drawing substantial freshwater for boiler make-up and pasteurization.

Section 4.0 — Objectives & Rigorous Simulation Methodology

Thermodynamic combustion and condensation modeling in Aspen HYSYS. Flue gas cooled from 195 °C to 38 °C, extracting both sensible heat and latent heat of moisture condensation into incoming process water loops.

Section 5.0 — Simulation Results & Thermodynamic Findings

The two-stage condensing system preheats boiler feed water to 85 °C and pasteurization water to 68 °C simultaneously. The reclaimed condensate is neutralized and recycled for utility cooling tower make-up, delivering significant dual-utility (gas + water) savings.

Section 6.0 — Core Engineering Takeaways

Section 7.0 — Model Assumptions & Future Recommendations