Paper No 004 – Environmentally friendly steam generation using VHTHPs at a pharmaceutical research facility – 13th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Jeju, Korea
This paper presents a case study where steam at 1 MPa and 183°C (~140 psi/360°F) is produced using very high temperature heat pumps (VHTHPs) at a pharmaceutical research facility. Steam as an energy carrier has many benefits, and steam systems are also flexible when it comes to the primary source; steam can be generated using heat from combustion of fossil- or renewable fuels, nuclear reactors or directly from electricity. Generating steam using a heat pump can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At full-scale operation the potential reduction in CO2-emissions is more than 80%. The heat source for the heat pumps is mainly waste heat from cooling compressors at around 40°C (~100°F). The refrigerant is a natural refrigerant R-704 (Helium). Helium has both global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depletion potential (ODP) equal to zero and the toxicity and flammability classification of Helium is "A1". The working medium stays a gas throughout the cycle, which makes the heat pump process very suitable for use as VHTHPs while the heat pumps are highly adaptive to any changes in the sink or source temperatures.