Should Your Test Cell Incorporate a Water Recirculation System (WRS)?

A Water Recirculation System (WRS) will not only save you money, but it has a positive impact on the environment.  Instead of continually using fresh water from a well or municipal source and discharging it to a sewer, the WRS will cool the water allowing it to be reused.  The reduced water consumption allows you to immediately reduce your dynamometer operating costs.

Using a Water Recirculation System

If you do not have an adequate fresh water supply and/or engine/dynamometer water cannot be discharged into the local sewer system, a WRS must be installed. With this system, water is recycled by cooling the discharge water for use as supply water. Only a small amount of fresh water is then required for make-up water.

The typical WRS has two major additions – a water recovery storage tank and a water cooler (typically an evaporative cooling tower). Additional items such as pumps, controls, valves and piping are also used.  Hot wastewater from the dynamometer and test engine drains into the hot water compartment of the recovery storage tank. Cold water from the water storage tank is circulated through the engine and dynamometer.  As this water warms, the WRS controller begins to circulate the hot water through the water cooler and returned to the water storage tank.  Cool water is then pumped back to the dynamometer and test engine to be reused as supply water.

Heat Recovery Systems

In cold weather climates, it may be feasible to install a heat recovery system. This system uses a portion of the heat from the engine and dynamometer water to supplement the building’s heat system.

At Taylor Dynamometer, each WRS is uniquely engineered by for your testing environment.  Our engineering team will consider your test cell layout, the local environmental conditions, the equipment in your test cell, as well as the engine heat load when designing your system.  Our experience with these designs allows you to have confidence in your process water system without having to contract an outside engineering firm to design it.

Estimate your water savings by using Taylor’s payback analysis tool here.

To learn more about WRS or other Test Cell Solutions, visit here or contact us at: (414) 755-0040, email sales@taylordyno.com