Electrification of Industrial Heat with High-Temperature Steam-Generating Heat Pumps
Skyven Technologies proposes to bring an innovative, industrial-steam-generating, heat pump technology to low-rate initial production (LRIP).
Skyven Technologies, Inc.
Recipient
Richardson, TX
Recipient Location
$844,873
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
In 2024, Skyven made progress towards its project goals. Skyven has completed 100 percent specification engineering which entails having a primary and a secondary OEM along with their respective part numbers selected for every component in the system. This will enable Skyven to move through integration engineering, which is the creation of all the 2-D and 3-D CAD models and drawings for each subsystem. Water pump skid and pipe skid components have also completed detailed mechanical design at 100% complete and receiving vendor quotes for fabrication. The team is also conducting further refinement of the software modeling tool to accommodate off-design operating conditions and incorporation of selected equipment
The Issue
A key barrier to achieving California’s statutory energy goals is a lack of efficient and economically attractive technologies to electrify the massive thermal energy demands associated with steam production in the chemicals, food and beverage, and pulp and paper sectors. State-of-the-art industrial heat pumps today are unable to reach the temperatures required to produce medium-pressure saturated steam required by many California industrial facilities. State-of-the-art electric boiler technologies, on the other hand, are indeed able to reach required temperatures and pressures, but they do so with a low coefficient of performance (COP) of 1.0 or less. This results in excessive electricity consumption, making these systems uneconomical to operate. Additionally, the high electricity consumption may add undue strain on the state’s electric power grid.
Project Innovation
Skyven Technologies proposes to bring an innovative, industrial-steam-generating, heat pump technology to low-rate initial production (LRIP). This new electric heat pump technology recycles industrial heat waste to aid in the production of industrial steam at temperatures and pressures that have only been achievable using traditional fossil fuel fired boilers. Skyven has already proven the efficacy of this technology in custom-engineered installations. With this grant, they seek to substantially lower installation costs by bringing a packaged, pre-engineered family of systems into LRIP. This simplified design and production process will create a commercially viable solution for electrifying industrial steam generation.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
The proposed technology directly produces steam at pressures up to 20 barg (290 psig) and does so with a COP that is 50% higher than state-of-the-art heat pumps at apples-to-apples operating conditions, resulting in proportionally lower electric demand and operating costs. The proposed technology uses water as a refrigerant, with the benefits of being low-cost, safe, non-toxic, and zero-GWP. Achieving LRIP will also help mitigate the perceived risks of custom engineering and one-off assembly of this technology.
Affordability
Compared with the leading alternative steam electrification technology, electric boilers, the proposed technology will consume at least three times less electricity.
Reliability
Industrial electrification supports greater grid reliability due to the baseload nature of the electrical loads. Adding baseload to the grid reduces the magnitude of the duck curve in proportion to the total grid load, leading to greater grid reliability.
Key Project Members
Arun Gupta
Subrecipients
Bay City Boiler & Engineering Co., Inc.
PILLER Blowers & Compressors
Match Partners
Skyven Technologies, Inc.
