Turning industrial waste heat into value – enabling carbon-free steam with steam compressor solutions
Industrial decarbonization requires viable solutions for replacing fossil-based process steam while maintaining high reliability and economic performance. A large share of industrial energy demand is released as low- to medium-temperature waste heat, which is still insufficiently utilized. Open-loop industrial heat pump systems based on mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) represent a technically mature option to upgrade such waste heat directly into usable process steam. This applied research paper investigates the performance and applicability of an open-loop heat pump system using multi-stage radial compressors. After outlining the technical fundamentals and methodological framework, the paper presents a large-scale industrial use case currently under implementation at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The system converts waste heat from a steam cracker into carbon-free process steam with a thermal capacity of up to 50 MWth. Key performance indicators such as achievable temperature levels, coefficient of performance (COP), and scalability are discussed. The results demonstrate that open-loop, multi-compressor heat pump systems can reliably generate high-temperature process steam (>200 °C) with competitive efficiency and represent a robust pathway for electrifying industrial steam supply.