Recap of the NEFI Technology Talk 'Industrial Waste Heat Utilisation with High Temperature Heat Pumps'
- News
The NEFI Technology Talk on "Industrial waste heat recovery with high-temperature heat pumps" on April 3rd, 2024 was a complete success. Around 90 participants came together to discuss the latest developments and challenges in this field. This dynamic online event, moderated by our NEFI expert Veronika Wilk (Thematic Coordinator Efficiency in Industrial Processes and Systems, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), brought together a diverse and engaged audience.
Solutions for utilising industrial waste heat with high-temperature heat pumps were the focus of this NEFI Technology Talk, which aimed to increase participants' knowledge of high-temperature heat pumps.
Thomas Fleckl, Head of Competence Unit Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems at AIT, opened the event with a keynote speech in which he highlighted the prerequisites for a successful roll-out of this technology. Efficiency, availability of the technology and the adaptation of processes for integration were named as decisive factors. He emphasised the advantages of high-temperature heat pumps and the importance of projects to demonstrate their reliability. He also pointed out that political measures to create a suitable infrastructure framework are essential for successful decarbonisation through electrification.
Jonas Lundsted Poulsen, Senior Specialist at DTI, presented an overview of the high-temperature heat pumps available on the market. As part of the Annex 58 project, a total of 37 manufacturer descriptions for various products in the high-temperature heat pump sector were collected, and the development up to 2030 for various capacities and temperature ranges was also presented. It is expected that high-temperature heat pumps will be established as the preferred technology for temperatures below 120°C by 2027 at the latest.
Benjamin Zühlsdorf, Innovation Director at the DTI, presented strategies for the decarbonisation of industrial process heat and emphasised the need to adapt the framework conditions for the integration of heat pumps. He emphasised that companies should invest now in order to avoid a technological lock-in.
Sabrina Dusek, project leader of LEAP at AIT’s Center for Energy, presented two application examples of steam-generating heat pumps analysed as part of her NEFI project LEAP – Low Pressure Steam Heat Pump. The payback period was examined, taking various influencing factors into account.
Michael Formann from KPC provided information on funding opportunities for industrial heat pumps and the application process.
In the final round, there was a discussion about what industry could look like in 10 years' time. The participants agreed that industry will be largely electrified and decarbonised and that the importance of waste heat will increase.
The NEFI Technology Talk provided a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas and showed how high-temperature heat pumps can make a significant contribution to sustainability in industry.
IEA HPT ANNEX 58 is being carried out as part of the IEA research cooperation on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.