Local man devises energy-saver for large dishwashers, is patenting his new system

CALEDONIA Royse Myers, who made his fortune in the heat-exchanger business, says hes designed a new heat-recovery system that could save energy and water used to run commercial dishwashers.

Myers proprietary heat recovery system was designed to make commercial dishwashers operate more efficiently. The Caledonia resident has formed Myers Heat Recovery Systems LLC and is patenting his new system.

Now hes ready to prove it will do what he says it will.

In 1969, Myers founded Thermal Transfer Products, now at 5215 21st St. The company built air-cooled and liquid-cooled heat exchangers. Its employment peaked at more than 300 people and $28 million in annual revenues when Myers sold it in 1999.

Myers said he started tinkering with his idea for a heat-recovery system for commercial dishwashers about five years ago, but plumbing code issues were interfering.

So I got a computer and started looking up components that were giving me problems, he said. I discovered some components from China that were just exactly what I wanted.

Low-temperature commercial dishwashers use water as it comes out of a water heater at 160 degrees, Myers said. High-temperature dishwashers have internal electrical heaters that boost the water temperature to 180 to 190 degrees.

Usually, the discharged dishwater goes directly down the drain, carrying its heat energy, he said. But Myers design would use a separate loop of liquid to capture some of the dishwaters heat before it goes to the sewer.

The captured heat would warm water before it enters the water heater, reducing the amount of energy needed to bring the next batch up to dishwasher temperature.

Myers hasnt even built a prototype system yet, and he knows his company is embryonic. His system is theoretical at this point, but I know its going to work, he said. He has a plumbing contractor ready to build his system, one order at a time.

Link:
Local man devises energy-saver for large dishwashers, is patenting his new system