User:Allisonfore/sandbox

Sewerthermal The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago coined the term "Sewerthermal" in May 2012 to explain a new heating and cooling system that harnesses energy from effluent water (treated wastewater). The MWRD expects this new energy source to supply the Kirie Water Reclamation Plant in Des Plaines, Illinois, with up to 40 percent of its heating and cooling energy needs. This plan could provide a model for heating and cooling energy needs at other MWRD facilities and for other facilities around the world. The sewerthermal system takes advantage of relatively constant high temperatures of effluent water and uses only 20 percent or less power than what is needed for a traditional, direct heating system. Rather than extracting heat from the ground as is common for geothermal systems, the MWRD’s system is designed to extract heat from the effluent water, which holds a steady minimum temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago