WaterSavings+ =

EfficiencySavings+CostSavings

Waste Heat

Waste Water

For more information on ATEX plates please view our product information flyer by

clicking on this link to our website: www.furphys.com.au/what-we-do/atex

The BenefitsThe Energy required to heat the feed water in the plant operations is considerable

given the high heat capacity of water. Cooling the hot waste water with the feed water

used in the plant negates the need for a significant amount of energy, reducing the gas

bill dramatically without the need for additional complicated systems to be put in place.

FFor Gouge, it was particularly important that the new system did not jeopardise the

smooth and continuous operation of the laundry given the complexity of their

production process. Specifying a ‘drop-in’, low pressure ATEX unit with no additional

controls or cleaning systems for either the effluent of the feed water sides was an

important factor. The absence of any additional pressurised units and an open heat

exchange interface also negates the need for additional risk mitigation and complex

cleaning systems.

The SynergyWaste Heat Energy is often not considered as an easily attaninable source of cost

saving, just as water saving methods are often considered to present more problems

than they fix. Peter Tapscott, General Manager of Furphy Engineering describes how in

this project, success is a direct result of the synergy between these two problems:

With such an efficient system the ATEX unit takes up only 2m3 in the settling tank,

but has been measured with an output of 764kW. By reducing the amount of energy

needed to heat up the feed water, Gouge have noticed a significant 14% average

decrease in their total plant gas bill. The payback period on their investment will be less

than a year, based solely on the direct savings from the unit.

TTwo traditionally difficult cost saving exercises have not only been made possible,

but also present a highly beneficial economic argument for undertaking them. For

businesses keen to improve their efficiencies and reduce costs, ATEX provides a

fantastic ‘drop-in’ solution that provides both direct and indirect savings without complex

systems and disruption to production.

“I couldn’t be happier.”Phil Priestly, Managing Director at Gouge Laundry

“To achieve a 14 % gas saving across our plant is really quite amazing.”

Phil Priestly, Managing Director at Gouge Laundry

Furphy Engineering Staff Installing the ATEX unit on site

Effluent In Temp: >55ocFlow: 7.5 l/s

Effluent OutTemp: <38ocFlow: 7.5 l/s

Feed Water In <20oc, 8.5 l/s

Feed Water Out>35oc, 8.5 l/s

Schematic of the Fuphy Engineering ATEX Design

Saving on TotalPlant Gas Bill

20% + 14% Saving on WaterUsage by Plant

The ChallengeGouge Linen and Garment Services, based in Northern Victoria, process tonnes of

laundry daily and are constantly trying to improve their process efficiencies. Gouge’s

Managing Director Phil Priestly explains how, through their efforts to reduce water

usage, other problems arose that required new ways of thinking to solve.

The SolutionWaste processing is typically challenging for traditional heat exchanger systems and

Gouge were looking at installing an expensive and convoluted control system. As Adam

Furphy illustrates, the benefits of the new ATEX technology negate those traditional

issues and provide a solution that is both simple and effective:

“Initially we set out on a course to reduce our water consumption, which is a

significant cost in our industry. We achieved considerable reductions via a number

of internal adjustments, but unfortunately we drove our discharge temperature way

beyond Goulburn Valley Water’s upper limit. Research suggested that we could use

our incoming water to cool our discharge water by using a heat exchanger. I was

not convinced that installing pumps and control systems was the best solution.

Contact was made with Adam Furphy from Furphy Engineering and a solution was

boborn with their dimple plate heat exchanger system.”

“An ATEX heat exchange unit is perfect for this application for 2 reasons:

Primarily because their parrallel plate

assembly enables installation in Gouge’s

existing settling tank allowing the effluent

to flow over the heat exchange plates

without blockage and fouling issues.

SSecondly because of Furphy

Engineering’s custom manifold and plate

design that allows for exceptionally low

coolant pressure drop. This is important

for Gouge because their feed water is

the coolant, meaning no additional

pumping requirements are needed to

cocontinue production as usual.”

“Waste heat is typically considered to be a low grade heat and we have to design

large surface area units to recover significant amounts of energy. What makes this

system so successful in terms of the energy recovery and power saving is the high

grade heat that is the negative result of the water saving measures. In this case

two negatives are making a significantly positive outcome.”

How increasing process efficiencies and saving water in your plant can now save on your power bill as well

Cost Saving Synergy: A Furphy Case Study