High temperature heat pumps and steam compressors: a combined pathway to decarbonize chemical industry processes
The chemical industry is one of the largest industrial consumers of industrial heat, with a significant share of its energy demand dedicated to steam production for processes such as drying, distillation, evaporation and stripping. Traditionally, this steam is generated by fossil-fuel-fired boilers, representing a major source of CO2 emissions and increasing operating costs. To meet decarbonization targets and improve energy efficiency, the steam electrification through steam generation & high-temperature heat pumps (SGHPs) is emerging as the most promising & economically viable solution. This paper presents an innovative approach combining a standard range of steam-generating heat pump (SGHP) with steam compressors (SC) to electrify the steam production in chemical plants using low-grade industrial waste heat (30–90 °C) generated by these processes. The system is designed to produce steam up to 230°C, covering a wide range of typical chemical processes. This work focuses on an application achieving COP of 3 featuring a high-performance centrifugal compressor. It includes an assessment of capital and operational expenditures, payback periods, and sensitivity analyses under varying electricity prices and carbon costs. The studied SGHP + SC solution shows the potential for over 2,000 tCO2/year avoided per MW. Beyond the environmental benefits, the findings underscore the economic viability of high-efficiency SGHPs in industrial applications, particularly in regions with favorable electricity-to-gas price ratios and strong climate policy incentives, with short payback periods compatible with industrial investment cycles. The paper concludes with recommendations for deployment strategies and policy frameworks to accelerate the adoption of SGHPs in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. The presented architecture offers a scalable and replicable pathway for the deep decarbonization of process heat in the chemical sector, enabling a shift from fossil-based steam to high-efficiency, electrified systems.