DryFiciency: high temperature heat pumps for industrial processes [24]

Decarbonization of industrial production is a key element to achieve the climate goals of the European Union. This requires drastic reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as the switch to renewable energy supply. Increasing energy efficiency of industrial processes will contribute significantly to achieve these goals, however, new processes are also needed, such as electrification to replace fossil energy supply. Industrial heat pumps enable both efficiency increase and electrification and will therefore play a major role in the future energy system. With heat pumps that deliver high temperature heat up to 160°C, a larger range of applications in industry can be covered. Within DryFiciency, an H2020 project, two heat pump demonstrators are developed, constructed and operated in a real industrial environment. They are closed loop compression heat pumps operated on OpteonMZ, a synthetic refrigerant, which is environmentally friendly and suitable for high temperature applications. One of the heat pumps supplies heat for starch drying at a production site of Agrana Stärke GmbH, an Austrian company specialized in processing and refining of agricultural raw materials such as corn, wheat and potatoes. The second heat pump is integrated in the brick dryer of Wienerberger AG, the world’s largest brick producer. This presentation will cover essential findings of construction and commissioning and will also include the first results of operation of the demonstration plants.