Paper No 83 – Industrial High Temperature Heat Pumps – Ongoing Research in the USA – 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Chicago, USA
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it is estimated that approximately 35% of industrial energy input for process heating is lost as waste heat in the form of exhaust gases, cooling water, and heat loss from product heating. The waste heat inventory in the industrial sector in the United States is estimated to be on the order of 1500–3000 trillion Btu per year [1.58 – 3.17 EJ]. The development and testing of a novel heat pump funded by the California Energy Commission in the United States is presented in this paper. This work effort is aimed at developing an industrial heat pump that can capture low-grade industrial waste heat (around 70 – 80oC) and transform it into high-temperature useful heat, specifically in the form of steam. The paper also discusses the use of a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant (R1233zd (E)) that can provide a temperature lift of at least 40oC, thereby producing steam, with coefficient of performance (COP) greater than 3.4. Industries such as food processing, chemicals, paper and textile industries can make use of this steam.