Development and testing of a steam compression heat pump for low-grade waste heat recovery
conference paper
Industrial high-temperature compression heat pumps are considered a technology suitable for decarbonizing
industrial processes through electrification. This technology utilizes synthetic or natural working media to
operate. Depending on the type of working medium, each of these has a specific disadvantage: (1) the
environmental impact of the synthetic and (2) the flammability or toxicity of the natural working media (i.e.,
hydrocarbons or ammonia). Water is a non-flammable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly alternative, and
it has been studied extensively as a natural working medium. However, industrial waste heat is usually below
its atmospheric boiling point, making it challenging to implement. In this work we developed and tested a
250 kWth semi-open type Steam Compression Heat Pump (SCHP) for steam generation. The SCHP can use
waste heat from 60°C as a heat source. Steam is generated in a vacuum boiler and later compressed by a
two-stage compressor to deliver steam at 5 bara.
industrial processes through electrification. This technology utilizes synthetic or natural working media to
operate. Depending on the type of working medium, each of these has a specific disadvantage: (1) the
environmental impact of the synthetic and (2) the flammability or toxicity of the natural working media (i.e.,
hydrocarbons or ammonia). Water is a non-flammable, non-toxic, environmentally friendly alternative, and
it has been studied extensively as a natural working medium. However, industrial waste heat is usually below
its atmospheric boiling point, making it challenging to implement. In this work we developed and tested a
250 kWth semi-open type Steam Compression Heat Pump (SCHP) for steam generation. The SCHP can use
waste heat from 60°C as a heat source. Steam is generated in a vacuum boiler and later compressed by a
two-stage compressor to deliver steam at 5 bara.
Topics
TNO Identifier
1000380
Source title
16th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants, College Park, Maryland, USA 2024
Pages
1-12
Files
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