Developing a high-temperature heat pump technology concept using natural refrigerants
High-temperature heat pumps show great potential for delivering process heat between 100 °C and 200 °C at high efficiencies compared to conventional boiler technology. Exploiting the potential and achieving the highest possible efficiencies for various applications requires various technical solutions. This article presents a technology portfolio based on the natural refrigerants CO2, steam, and hydrocarbons and outlines the application potential through three representative case studies. A spray dryer for proteins, a brewery with a hot water requirement at 145 °C, and a dairy culture working with an inlet pressure of 8 bar steam were analyzed. The heat was supplied while reaching COPs between 2.02 and 4.93, ensurin g efficient electrification.