Analysis of the use of thermal energy from wastewater to supply heat to selected buildings located on the Main Campus of the Warsaw University of Technology (CiezeŚ)
Project title: Analysis of the use of thermal energy from wastewater to supply heat to selected buildings located on the Main Campus of the Warsaw University of Technology (CiezeŚ)
Project leader: dr inż. Apoloniusz Kodura, prof. uczelni
Lead entity implementing the project at the WUT: Faculty of Building Installations, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology
Call, programme or project name: IDUB
The CiezeŚ project assumes the use of free waste heat from sewage to supply heat for the preparation of domestic hot water and central heating of selected buildings located on the Main Campus of the Warsaw University of Technology. Waste heat from sewage is a kind of “renewable source of heat” of anthropogenic origin, which is currently not used in a systemic way in Poland.
The heat from the sewage will be captured by heat exchangers installed in the sewage collectors and transferred to the heat pump evaporators, which will transform it to a higher temperature level and deliver it to the heating installations in the buildings. This heat can be used to heat domestic hot water throughout the year or to support the central heating system in winter and transitional periods (autumn, spring).
The applied solution will allow e.g. to improve the energy efficiency of the facilities of the Warsaw University of Technology, as well as to diversify heat sources and use renewable energy sources for heat production. In addition, the implementation of the installation and conducting research using it will allow the development of procedures for implementing such solutions in other locations in Warsaw and Poland. In addition, the solution will reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by reducing the use of fossil fuels. At the same time, the implementation of the installation and conducting tests during its operation will allow the development of procedures for implementing such solutions in other locations in Warsaw and Poland.
The partner of the project will be the Municipal Water and Sewage Company in Warsaw S.A., which is the administrator of the sewage network. MPWiK S.A. expressed keen interest in the project. The concept of using waste heat from sewage is part of the company’s business area, but the lack of a reliable and proven methodology for selecting and calculating the efficiency of the installation was a significant obstacle in the implementation of the works. MPWiK S.A. declared its readiness to provide the necessary technical documentation of the sewage network in the area of the Main Campus, as well as participation in all kinds of field inspections and support in obtaining data characterizing the network. The methodology for the selection and calculation of municipal wastewater heat recovery installations developed under the project will be able to be used in the future in the implementation of similar solutions in other locations of the sewage network.
The proposed project and its effects are part of the Strategic Fields of Influence, and more precisely in field no. 3 – “Healthy, sustainable living environment”. The technology used is environmentally friendly, enables significant use of renewable energy in the heating process, which is currently irretrievably lost, and is an innovative solution that can be implemented in cities and housing estates, bringing benefits to both their inhabitants thanks to the effective use of natural resources (including waste) and improving the quality of outdoor air by eliminating low emissions from traditional heat sources, as well as increasing energy security.
