SWEP and Ecogetec provide efficient heating to Tauá resort in Brazil

Tauá Resort in Brazil.

Ecogetec found more efficient methods of heat insulation

Ecogetec systems use biomass for heating. The raw material comes from the wood of reforestation and its derivatives - pellets, briquettes and chips. Reforestation wood can save customers up to 90% in comparison to other raw materials.

After years of study, the Ecogetec team has developed an exclusive reforestation wood combustion system that could concentrate all the materials inside the heaters, optimizing the wood burning process and preventing residues from being released into the environment. 

The Ecogetec-designed heaters stop smoke and pieces of the combusted product from being released. This is thanks to the high-quality sealing system, one of the key characteristics of Ecogetec equipment. Currently, Ecogetec equipment meets all European standards, where reforestation wood is also being used for fuel in most countries.

The Ecogetec team has also found more efficient methods of heat insulation, making 100% of the energy generated inside the equipment useable for heating and preventing it from dissipating to the environment. This unique technology can deliver energy gains of more than 15% – a level of efficiency that sets Ecogetec’s heaters apart from the competitors. Ecogetec is dedicated to sustainability and conducts ongoing research to continue to develop heater technology that does not harm the environment.

We lead the conversion to sustainable energy

SWEP is here to lead the conversion to sustainable energy usage in heat transfer, constantly creating more from less energy, material and space. Using our heat exchangers instantly improves energy efficiency and helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions in a variety of applications. Our heat exchangers make efficient use of renewable energy sources in a wide array of applications, such as: wind power, solar heating, heat pumps, and municipal waste heat re-distribution through district energy. SWEP is dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations, production and products. Every time we are faced with a choice that has an environmental impact, our aim is to move towards a climate-neutral and environmentally friendly solution. SWEP’s Sustainability Report contains information on our internal and external activities that are working towards more sustainable solutions.

Effective and compact brazed plate heat exchangers

With each company dedicated to making sure their technology is a positive influence for our environment, a SWEP & Ecogetec collaboration was a perfect fit. Another factor that made SWEP a great choice for Ecogetec is SWEP’s vast experience in residential heating for both comfort and tap water heating. Typical applications for our brazed plate heat exchangers are gas boilers, heat pumps, and solar heating, along with other decentralized heating technologies such as micro-combined heat and power systems and absorption heat pumps. The effectiveness and compactness of SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers are ideal for these types of applications, and the overall footprint of the system can be shrunk by using a brazed plate heat exchanger solution rather than one of the older heat exchanger technologies such as shell & tube and PHE’s (gasketed). The list of applications that operate more efficiently with compact brazed plate heat exchangers is a long one: boilers, steam, snow melting, floor heating, solar panels, cooling towers, district heating and sanitary water applications. New applications are being added regularly and today you will find SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers in virtually all kinds of solutions around the world.

Solving heating needs in western Brazil

In this recent collaboration, Ecogetec and SWEP worked together to help solve the heating needs for Tauá Resort Caeté, a large resort in western Brazil.  For over 25 years, Tauá has become the idyllic vacation destination for families who want to have fun in a relaxing setting. The combination of beautiful natural surroundings and family-friendly leisure provide fun for the entire family. The resort also provides the perfect setting for events which are a draw for not just vacationers, but also members of the corporate world that are looking for an ideal place to hold their conferences or sales meetings. Today, the Tauá Resort Caeté features bowling alleys, a movie theater, nightclub, mini-mall, restaurants, bars, and a large pool complex with several thermal pools as well as a whirlpool spa.

Tauá Resort has 4 separate buildings with 349 apartments and a leisure area that boasts 7 swimming pools - four of these pools are outdoors and three are indoors.

Energy savings of 80% by using the biomass water heater

The system that supports the pools also supports a spa and the laundry service for the resort. By using the biomass water heater instead of the gas and electricity, there was an energy savings of 80%. The Ecogetec heater in conjunction with SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers saved approximately BRL 420,000.00 (USD 110,000.00) per year in energy consumption.  In addition to the energy and cost savings to the resort, the heated swimming pools bring another level of luxury for guests to enjoy during their stay.

The Ecogetec biomass system with the SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers are interconnected in a “primary system” which heats the entire complex’s water system (i.e. tap water, bath, and swimming pools). With a volume of more than 1,500,000 liters (395,000 gallons) circulating through the SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers, the swimming pools have individual control of their temperatures and can maintain an average temperature of 34 °C (93,2°F).

Due to the high efficiency of the system, SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers were able to transfer the energy to the secondary circuits with excellent performance while simultaneously enabling the systems to keep their required high temperatures at all times. Despite the great distances between the buildings and swimming pools on the resort’s grounds, just having one Ecogetec heater in one location and the (46) SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers at another location on site can provide all the heating that the complex requires.  This is compared to the site’s original heating set up which was comprised of 26 secondary systems that heated different sections of the resort.

SWEP B120T & B10T models installed at the resort.

More SWEP B10T models installed on the site
More SWEP B10T models installed on the site.

A strong partnership 

Ecogetec appreciates the strong partnership that they have built with SWEP over the past few years. The quality of SWEP’s heat exchangers as well as the company’s commitment to provide outstanding customer support and service to their customers are all things that Ecogetec truly value in a supplier. In turn, SWEP greatly appreciates the opportunities Ecogetec has provided and looks forward to working with them again as their heat exchanger partner on future projects.