Direct Contact Hot Water System

Aurora Specialty Textiles
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora specialty Textiles (AST) plant uses more than 10 million gallons of fresh water at 185 F annually in its bleaching process. The hot water is generated through a steam injector where high pressure steam is mixed with cold water from city mains. The water is not recyclable and is wasted.
Steam is generated by large steam boilers with an estimated seasonal efficiency of about 56%. A direct contact water heater , a 2000 gallons capacity storage tank, and a hot water pressure booster pump system was provided to eliminate the steam injection to generate water. The direct contact water heater has a system thermal efficiency of 96%.

Environmental Equivalency

By making these efficiency improvements, Aurora will prevent the waste of the equivalent of:

CO2: 4,134 Metric Tons

Gasoline: 465,178 Gallons

Coal: 4,523,015 Pounds

Passenger Car Travel: 10,132,438 Miles

The upgrade in 2017 was saving AST about 150,000 therms of natural gas annually. Further water heater upgrades and the installation of an energy management system have increased the savings to 500,980 therms of natural gas and 1,988,485 kWh of electricity.