Technical guidance for high-temp heat pumps

Industrial heating currently accounts for around 37% of global energy use, and around two-thirds of that energy is used for heating, according to the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).

To support the industrial sector in improving energy efficiency and contributing to decarbonisation of global supply chains, the deployment of new technologies including high temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) is necessary.

The newly-released Technical Brief on High-Temperature Heat Pumps (HTHPs) authored by Professor Ruzhu Wang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China and an international team of experts aims to inform practitioners, policy makers and the owners and operators of industrial and manufacturing facilities on the key operational aspects of HTHPs. It covers three main system categories including compression, absorption, and hybrid absorption-compression high-temperature heat pumps.

“High-temperature heat pumps are the key to decarbonising industrial heat supply and providing thermal energy via renewable electricity,” says Professor Ruzhu Wang.

“Working fluids, energy efficiency, stability, scalability, electricity-to-thermal energy conversion and regulation, as well as thermal storage, are the core key elements. It is urgent to research and develop various types of high-temperature heat pumps to replace fossil fuel–fired boilers and electric boilers.”

In its media release the IIR notes that HTHP technology has progressed significantly, with commercial systems now available that can deliver heating temperatures of between 90°C and 300°C. Capacity ranges from small units in the kilowatts to 100 megawatt units.

The IIR has also produced a two-page Summary for policymakers, which incorporates the key findings and makes recommendations for scaling up adoption, including government incentives for pilot and demonstration projects.

Access the Technical Brief and summary documents here.

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