Wastewater & Water Treatment
Recover energy from corrosive, code-mandated ventilation — and fight condensation — with equipment built to survive the airstream.
Recover Energy. Protect the Process.
Recover Energy Without Compromising Air Quality.
Water and wastewater treatment plants are among the most corrosive built environments. The decomposition of organic matter generates gases that create odor, corrosion, and safety concerns. To maintain safe operating conditions, these facilities require continuous ventilation of enclosed process areas. At the same time, cold water surfaces often sit below the surrounding air’s dew point, causing persistent condensation that can corrode pipes, tanks, valves, and electrical systems while increasing maintenance requirements.
That combination of high ventilation demand and a corrosive, humid airstream creates two key opportunities for air-to-air technology: recovering energy from the ventilation air required by the process and helping control condensation. Innergy Tech manufactures heat pipes and sensible and enthalpy plate exchangers that keep the supply and exhaust airstreams physically separated, with corrosion-protection options such as epoxy-coated media. This allows energy to be recovered from aggressive exhaust air without carrying contaminants back into the supply airstream. A passive dehumidification wheel (I4-D) is also available. As always, energy recovery is designed to support, never compromise, facility ventilation requirements and safety objectives.
One of the Harshest Environments in Building HVAC
Toxic Gases and Challenging Air Streams
Wastewater treatment processes generate gases that create odor, corrosion, and safety concerns. Managing these gases is a primary driver of facility ventilation and air-quality control strategies.
High Ventilation Demand
Enclosed process areas require continuous ventilation to maintain safe operating conditions. Conditioning these large volumes of outdoor air year-round creates a significant and continuous energy load, making energy recovery an attractive opportunity.
Relentless Corrosion
Corrosive gases combined with high humidity can accelerate deterioration of equipment, piping, and building systems. As a result, wastewater HVAC systems often utilize corrosion-resistant materials, protective coatings, and equipment designed for harsh environments. Any energy recovery device operating in these airstreams must be built to withstand these conditions.
Condensation from Cold Water Surfaces
Cold water systems can keep pipes, tanks, and valves below the surrounding air’s dew point, leading to persistent condensation. This moisture can contribute to corrosion, increase maintenance requirements, and impact the reliability of electrical and mechanical systems. Effective humidity control helps protect equipment and maintain facility performance.
Odor and Community Impact
Many treatment facilities are enclosed and located near populated areas, increasing the importance of odor control and exhaust management. Containment, source-capture ventilation, and odor-control systems help maintain a safe and acceptable environment for both facility personnel and surrounding communities. Energy recovery solutions must integrate seamlessly with these ventilation and odor-control strategies.
Recovery Built for a Brutal Airstream
Innergy tech is a comprehensive air-to-air energy recovery manufacturer offering energy recovery wheels, sensible and enthalpy plate exchangers, and heat pipes. For water/wastewater, the separated-airstream, corrosion-aware devices are most relevant:
- Heat Pipes (Thermogain): Passive thermosiphon devices with no moving parts, no external power, and physically separated airstreams — well suited to corrosive, odorous WWTP exhaust where the exhaust must not be carried back into supply air. Innergy Tech markets its heat exchanger for industrial applications as a certified no-cross-contamination product with corrosion-protection options such as epoxy-coated media. Confirm coating/material limits for H2S/chlorine service.
- Sensible Plate Exchangers: Fixed-plate, sensible-only recovery with separated airstreams and no moving parts — a robust choice; industry WWTP energy recovery units use epoxy-coated flat-plate exchangers in aluminum construction. Confirm Innergy Tech’s coated-plate options.
- Enthalpy Plate Exchangers (IPE6-PM): Total-energy fixed-plate exchangers with a polymer washable membrane — useful on makeup air to pre-dry humid outdoor air; confirm suitability for the specific exhaust class.
- Passive Dehumidification Wheel (I4-D): A fully aluminum passive dehumidification wheel offered to support dehumidification duty — complementary to the plant’s condensation-control strategy.
- Energy Recovery Wheels (I4, I4R): Rotary wheels for higher total-energy recovery on CLEAN, non-hazardous streams (e.g., administrative/lab/blower-building comfort ventilation). Because a wheel rotates between airstreams, it is generally NOT applied to contaminated/odorous process exhaust; epoxy-coated media/frame options are available for corrosive-adjacent service.
Run-Around Coil Loop
Where the supply and exhaust ducts cannot be brought together, or full separation is wanted for hazardous/odorous exhaust, a run-around glycol coil loop keeps the coils in physically separate ducts. If Innergy tech offers or partners on run-around coils, describe that here; otherwise present it as an alternative approach and focus on heat pipes and plates.
Hazardous-Location Integration
For Class I, Division 1/2 areas, the air-handling unit and its motors/electrical must carry the appropriate hazloc rating (explosion-proof motors, etc.), provided by the AHU builder/system integrator. Innergy Tech’s recovery components are incorporated into such units; confirm the integration path and any limitations for a given project.
Recovery Technology Fit
Benefits & Value Drivers
Recovers Energy on Mandated Ventilation
NFPA 820 and worker-safety rules require high ventilation in many areas; recovering energy from that continuous, code-driven airflow cuts heating/cooling cost. State project-specific savings from modeling or AHRI-certified selections.
Built for a Corrosive Airstream
Heat pipes and plates keep supply and exhaust physically separated and, with epoxy-coated media/coils and aluminum/stainless construction, are built to survive H2S-laden, humid exhaust — where unprotected equipment can fail prematurely.
Supports Condensation Control
A passive dehumidification wheel (I4-D) and enthalpy recovery on makeup air complement the plant’s dehumidification strategy, helping hold dew point below cold-surface temperatures to curb corrosion, mold, and slip hazards.
Separated Airstreams for Odorous Exhaust
Physically separated devices avoid recirculating odorous/contaminated exhaust into supply air — important as plants are increasingly enclosed and near communities.
Compatible with Hazardous-Area Design
Passive recovery cores integrate into hazloc-rated AHUs (explosion-proof motors, Class I Div 2 construction) provided by the AHU builder, supporting — not compromising — NFPA 820 life-safety design.
Certified Performance
Innergy Tech states its products are AHRI-certified and provides certified data through Winnergy Pro.
Designing Energy Recovery for a Water or Wastewater Plant?
Our team can help match corrosion-aware, separated-airstream recovery to your ventilation and dehumidification needs, and provide AHRI-certified performance data for your design.