Typical applications of compressor heat recovery

Employing compressor energy recovery is a well-established practice across a wide range of industrial processes.

Let’s take look at the most common uses of recovered hot water.

Space heating

Recovered heat can be used for space heating in buildings such as workshops, warehouses, or production areas. It can serve as either a primary or supplementary heat source, particularly in colder climates or during winter periods

Recovered heat can be directly reused in industrial processes that require thermal energy, such as drying, washing, rinsing, or maintaining process temperatures.

Process heating

Typical applications include CIP (clean-in-place) systems and industrial cleaning processes, where heated water is essential for effective cleaning. This reduces the need for dedicated heating equipment and lowers overall energy consumption. Depending on the temperature level, the heat can be used for low- to medium-temperature applications across various industries, improving both sustainability and cost efficiency.
Two examples:

Cleaning in Place (CIP)

CIP systems use hot potable water to clean production lines, tanks, and equipment, especially in industries like food and beverages. Recovered compressor heat can provide this hot water (typically 55–75°C), reducing the need for separate heating. Combined with a storage tank, large volumes can be delivered quickly when needed. This is a simple and highly accessible application, requiring minimal integration and control.

Industrial washing / cleaning

Hot water is widely used to clean products such as bottles, cans, or machined components. These applications typically require significant volumes of water at temperatures up to ~75°C for short periods. Compressor heat recovery provides a reliable and energy-efficient source, reducing or eliminating the need for additional heating systems.

Steam!

Steam is used in countless industries, often in continuous processes. For these applications, recovered hot water can contribute to operational energy efficiency.

Pharmaceuticals: temperature maintenance, drying, sterilization, and anti-bacterial treatment

Food & beverage/dairy: pasteurizing, scalding, drying, cleaning, and sterilizing
Textile: dyeing, spinning, weaving, and finishing
Paper: cooking pulp and drying
Chemical: breaking raw materials into base chemicals
Painting: degreasing, drying, tempering, and baking

Boiler feed water pre-heating

Boilers are widely used in industrial facilities for heating and steam generation. They heat water and can produce hot water, pressurized hot water, or steam - though in industry they are most often used for steam. Recovered compressor heat can preheat boiler feed water (typically up to ~85°C) before it enters the boiler. This reduces the energy needed to reach the target temperature, improving efficiency, lowering costs, and reducing thermal stress - especially in systems with continuous steam demand.

But did you know?

There are also some lesser-known uses of recovered waste heat. It doesn’t make them a less interesting solution for many businesses. On the contrary. Here are some examples of compressor energy recovery you might not know…

Generating cold water

You don’t need to focus on applications that require heat. You can use your compressor’s hot water supply in combination with an absorption chiller to generate water with a temperature as low as 7°C/ 45°F for applications that need a continuous or prolonged supply of cold water. These include HVAC systems, and manufacturing that uses (and needs to cool) molds for metal profiles or plastic items such as bottles and containers. With an Atlas Copco energy recovery system, 100 kW of hot water can generate 70 kW of cold water.

Selling waste heat to neighboring companies

If you have no use for all your waste heat, you can sell your excess hot water to neighboring companies who can use it for heating or cooling purposes. For example, a swimming pool in The Netherlands has relied for years on the heat captured by its next-door manufacturing plant to heat its pool water. This smart re-use has allowed them to keep energy costs down and to meet their sustainable building goals.

Selling waste heat to a district heating system

If you have a district heating system nearby, you can also sell them your excess waste heat.