Presentation No 949 – Thermoacoustic heat pump for very high temperature applications – 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Chicago, USA
Industrial heat pumps are gaining increasing interest as a way to decarbonize the industrial heat system. Waste heat is upgraded to useable temperature levels, leading to lower energy demand, lower energy costs and lower CO2 emissions. Industry needs heat pumps which can operate at high temperatures (?200?) and can achieve large temperature lifts. Conventional heat pumps do not have the capability to accomplish these requirements. The thermoacoustic heat pump (TAHP) is an auspicious innovative technology which uses acoustic power to lift heat from a low-temperature source to a high-temperature sink. High temperatures and large temperature lifts can be achieved by making use of Stirling cycle with a gas (helium) as working fluid. This paper presents the design, development, and test of a TAHP driven by a piston compressor which produced steam at 170°C with a high temperature lift. The heat pump has the potential to produce steam at a high temperature of at least 250?.