Broad Applications

The unique features of the Wilson Heat Exchanger™ can greatly benefit many industrial operations that use gas-to-gas heat exchange. An ultra-effective heat exchanger is one of the most fundamental components of numerous high-temperature, process-heating and power-generation systems, including biomass combustion and fuel cells. The waste heat recovered by the regenerator is valuable thermal energy that can be added back into an operation by preheating the direct charge or the inlet air to improve combustion efficiency, or used to optimize the efficiency of boilers and hot-air systems.

When retrofitted to an existing heat-exchanger application, the Wilson Heat Exchanger can recover more energy. Because the ceramic core can better withstand high inlet temperatures (that would rapidly deteriorate the metal core of other heat-transfer technologies), the Wilson Heat Exchanger can be uniquely used to improve the fuel utilization of processes at temperatures greater than 800°C – and up to 1,400°C. For certain applications, the ceramic core of the regenerator can be coated with a catalyst to perform simultaneously as a heat exchanger and an industrial-scale, emissions-abatement system.

The ability to recover otherwise wasted heat energy more effectively is an important factor in reducing both energy costs and harmful emissions. The breakthrough efficiency of the revolutionary Wilson Heat Exchanger can enhance the productivity of many industrial and commercial thermal processes, opening new opportunities for energy savings and profits. And the ability to operate at high temperatures can increase the yield or throughput of some processes. As fuel prices increase, this higher level of effectiveness can provide many businesses with significant savings for process heating — and a competitive advantage that could be profound.

Candidates for significant energy savings include most systems currently using conventional gas-to-gas heat exchangers. Many high-temperature processes that previously could not incorporate the benefits of recovered heat (because high temperatures can destroy conventional metal heat exchangers) are excellent applications for the Wilson Heat Exchanger.

Wilson TurboPower is developing and testing other variations of its regenerator technology that use stationary blocks of ceramic media (instead of a rotating disk) for very large high-flow-rate industrial applications typically found in steel mills and other industries. Please contact Wilson TurboPower for the most recent development results.

Typical Configurations

Combustion Air Preheat

In some applications, the Wilson Heat Exchanger™ can directly replace a conventional metal heat exchanger to offer equal or higher performance – plus all the additional benefits of a ceramic regenerator.

Process Gas Preheat

The high temperature-handling capabilities of the Wilson ceramic heat exchanger can generate significant energy savings for many industrial processes up to 1,400°C (2,500°F).

Combustion Gas Preheat Plus Direct Load Preheat

The high effectiveness, high operating temperature, and relatively small size of the Wilson ceramic heat exchanger can provide breakthrough efficiency for externally-fired gas turbines.