Development of an Advanced High Temperature Heat Pump for the Efficient Recovery of Low-Grade Industrial Waste Heat
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
Recipient
Palo Alto, CA
Recipient Location
13th
Senate District
23rd
Assembly District
$1,998,211
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
This project has been completed. The results from the laboratory testing show that with the newer and emerging refrigerants, efficient compressors, and innovative control designs, a higher COP heat pump (COP 3.6) that can effectively recover waste heat from the industrial processes is achievable. The industrial waste heat recovery heat pumps offer multiple benefits to the industrial customers It produces useful heat in the form of steam, and it lowers the fossil fuel energy use by reusing the otherwise wasted heat energy, thereby reducing combustion emissions. And finally, if clean energy sources are used, it helps in industrial decarbonization.
The Issue
Low temperature waste heat streams account for most of the industrial waste heat recovery. Currently, there is no commercially available heat pump technology in United States that combines a single stage heat pump with a low GWP refrigerant that can cost effectively recover low grade waste heat from industrial processes to transform into useful heat such as low pressure steam.
Project Innovation
This project develops and tests an advanced high temperature heat pump (HTHP) for the efficient recovery of low-grade industrial waste heat. The prototype system can produce low pressure steam for use in the industrial facilities and employs a very low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant and offers a very high coefficient of performance (COP) that is greater than 3.4.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
The recipient will develop an advanced high temperature heat pump system with the following characteristics:
1. The near-zero GWP refrigerant has characteristics to operate it in a sub-critical mode with an ability to exist in two-phases and can help to extract low grade waste heat to transform to high temperature useful steam.
2. The control system and heat pump design could deliver the temperature lift of more than 40 degrees centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit) with a 3.4 coefficient of performance (COP).
Key Project Members
Ammi Amarnath
Subrecipients
Creative Thermal Solutions, Inc.
EDF, INC dba EDF Innovation Lab, Inc.
Match Partners
Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
