24 August 2023
Annex 58 High -Temperature Heat Pumps Task 3– Applications and Transition Task Report
Decarbonization has already become a high priority for industrial companies, making company- and site-specific decarbonization strategies necessary. Easy-to-implement, low-cost, and low-risk measures that have a rapid impact on decarbonization are typically implemented quickly. However, these measures are hardly sufficient for complete decarbonization, so further measures must be implemented. Nonetheless, without a structured strategy, previously implemented measures may hinder further measures, such as efficiency. By eveloping a strategy that takes a holistic view of an entire site, such effects can be prevented or at least minimized. Developing such a etailed strategy is often complex as it requires a lot of knowledge about available technologies and the company’s production processes.
Furthermore, the definition of strategy needs to consider external conditions and the company’s objectives. A long-term decarbonization strategy should include technologies that are available today and those that will become available soon. This puts special emphasis on HTHPs, which are a key technology for decarbonized process heating but are not yet fully commercially available. HPs increase the efficiency
of processes and electrically driven heat pumps are also an electrification measure. Instructions for creating decarbonization strategies were developed in Task 3 of IEA HPT Annex 58 to improve technology integration. These instructions have been summarized in a guideline with illustrations. This guideline aims to support companies in developing their decarbonization strategy for the process heat supply, which can also be summarized as complete or partial reduction of the so called “Scope 1 emissions”. The content of the guideline is explained in more detail in this report. The following four main questions are addressed and answered in the guideline:
• How to define a decarbonization goal?
• How to describe the current status/reference scenario?
• How to develop and evaluate concept solutions for decarbonized systems?
• How to derive the decarbonization path?
First, it is addressed that the development of a decarbonization strategy starts with setting an overarching goal, the timeline in which the goal has to be achieved, and the fact that the development process is not linear but often requires several iterations. Interim targets can be derived from the overarching goal, which should be continuously evaluated regarding their feasibility during the strategy development. The goal, interim targets and timeline can be influenced by various factors. Some examples of such influencing factors are mentioned. The importance of the level of ambition for goal achievement and the importance of communicating goals clearly and well is also addressed.
The second question deals with the collection of data on the current status of the site under consideration, which is essential for the development of concept solutions for implementing the decarbonization strategy and the definition of the reference scenario for evaluating the solutions. The required information is described. The information needed to identify the feasibility of efficiencyenhancing measures such as HPs and heat exchangers is highlighted explicitly. It is also emphasized that information on boundary conditions, such as site-specific conditions, the connection between individual processes, and information on future developments is also required. The importance of an upto-date, detailed overall picture of the site under consideration is highlighted. The next question focuses on developing and evaluating concept solutions for decarbonizing an industrial site’s heating demand. An overview of the possible technologies is provided, divided into different categories. In the further course of the report, the focus is on HP technology. The possible integration levels for HP technology are explained in more detail, and methods such as Pinch analyses, physical modelling, and mathematical optimization for concept development are presented. It is also emphasized that the efficiency of a measure can be significantly increased if the process temperature or the supply temperature level is reduced. The HP integration concepts and HP concepts for various applications developed in IEA HPT Annex 58 Task 21 can also support for concept development. The evaluation of the developed concepts is also discussed in more detail. The selection and weighting of the evaluation criteria necessary for a company is important here. These evaluation criteria can be
economic (e.g. investment or operating costs) and non-economic (e.g., space requirements and feasibility). When evaluating concept solutions for decarbonization, the reduction of CO2 emissions is an essential evaluation criterion.1 IEA HPT Annex 58, Task 2 – Integration Concepts https://heatpumpingtechnologies.org/annex58/task-2-
integration-concepts/9
The last question deals with the development of an implementation roadmap. Various influencing factors, such as the technology readiness level, are presented, and tips for minimizing risk are given. The factors affect the concepts and the division into sub-projects considered in the roadmap, and the timeline. Determining the team and whether only internal or external know-how is required is essential.
The definition of milestones is also part of the roadmap preparation. A theoretical example of a roadmap is given at the end. Here, it is emphasized that the influence of the implemented measures should be evaluated during implementation, and the strategy and roadmap should be adapted accordingly