2017.01.19

INOAC HOUSING & CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS CO., LTD. received 2016 Environment Minister's Award for Global Warming Prevention Activity for the new spiral heat exchanger that can utilize geothermal energy.
This award was established by the Ministry of the Environment in 1998 to commend individuals or organizations for their significant efforts in preventing global warming. We received the award in Technological Development and Commercialization.

[Development of spiral heat exchanger for geothermal heat]

To utilize heat in shallow ground, we developed a spiral type heat exchanger that can transfer larger amount of heat per unit depth than other heat exchangers. While conventional geothermal energy constructions need massive amount of investment to cover high drilling cost, since the construction of our heat exchanger does not require deep drilling, construction costs can be reduced.

The spiral heat exchangers were installed in houses in Misato Town in Miyagi Prefecture, which is located in the northern part of Japan.
The exchanger reduced CO₂ emissions by 44% compared to kerosene heating boiler as well as construction cost by 20% compared to conventional U-tube heat transfers.