Heat pump-based steam generation for pharmaceutical production: First operation insights
At a pharmaceutical production site in Vienna, an advanced heat pump system is implemented to provide steam at 11 bar(a) / 184°C. The heat source is the central chiller system that supplies cold water for the production site. The chiller is connected to an ammonia heat pump that produces hot water for space heating at 70°C. Since space heating is only required in winter, heat is available for further use in the new heat pump system, which is a combination of a steam generating heat pump using n-butane (R600) as refrigerant and a steam compressor. The heat pump system has a nominal heating capacity of 1.7 MW and provides steam for the production process. It replaces fossil steam boilers and thus has the potential to supply CO2 free steam for ca. 7 months a year. The heat pump system was integrated at the production site in mid-2025. This contribution provides an insight in the operation experience, such as the coefficient of performance for the most relevant operating states occurring in the first weeks of operation.