Heat Pump Applications in Industry

The most common waste heat flows in the industry cooling water, waste water, condensate, humidity and heat from the condenser cooling plants. Due to fluctuations in waste heat supply, it may be necessary to use large reservoirs for accumulation to ensure stable operation of the heat pump. Some common applications can be summarized as follows

Space heating: Thermal pumps can use the usual sources of heat for heating of greenhouses and industrial buildings, or they can recover industrial waste heat, which cannot be used directly, and provide the lowest and average temperature of heat that can be used inside or outside for space heating. Mainly electric closed-cycle compression heat pumps are used.
The process of heating and cooling of water: In many industries, warm process water in the temperature range from-40-90VC is needed, especially for washing, sanitation and clean. Heat pumps offer good potential for such applications and can be part of an integrated system that provides cooling and heating. Although electric closed-cycle compression heat pumps mainly installed some absorption heat pumps and heat transformers can find application.
Steam production: industrial processes in large quantities of low, medium and high pressure steam at temperatures ranging from 100-200C consumed. On the market, at present, high-temperature heat pumps can produce steam to 300VC. In this regard, open and semi-open MVR systems of the closed cycle of compression heat pumps, cascading system and some thermal transformers operate.
Drying and dehumidification: Heat pumps are widely used in industrial drying and drying processes at low and moderate temperatures (maximum 100VC). Main areas of application drying of pulp and paper, various food products, timber and sawn timber. Drying temperature-sensitive products, is also interesting. Heat pump dryers, as a rule, has a high coefficient of performance (COP 5 to 7). and often improve the quality of dried products as compared to conventional drying. Because drying is carried out in a closed system, the smells from the drying of food products and other reduced. As a closed-cycle compression heat pumps and MVR systems are used.
Evaporation, distillation and concentration processes: Evaporation, distillation and concentration of energy-intensive processes, and the majority of heat pumps installed in these processes, in chemical and food industry. In the processes of evaporation of the remainder of the principal product, while a pair (distillate) is the main product in the distillation processes. Most of the systems are open or semi-open MVRs, but closed cycle of compression heat pumps are applied. A small temperature lifts as a result of high performance with PS in the range from 6 to 30.

In addition to the above mentioned processes, there are some important application of heat pumps, covering a very broad range from the connected loads a few watts to thermoelectric heating/cooling units in the food industry, loads of several megawatts for a large vapor compression plants in the industry, including:

A small, mass production, water heaters, sometimes in combination with refrigerators and with the connected load between 200 and 800 W.
Heating, heat pumps for individual rooms, cottages, small office buildings, restaurants, and similar projects. Package heat pumps (in closed casings), also available in the form of split-indoor and outdoor section for installation in the open. Mass production, sometimes on a large scale, these thermal power often additional heating (electric, liquefied gas, warm water) up to 120 kW, and the connected load from 2 to 30 kW.
Heat pumps for heating and heat recovery for large air conditioning office buildings, shops and similar projects. Accordingly adapted to mass production of chilled water units and systems separately, compiled from the usual components for large refrigeration plants are used. Thermal capacity to more than 1200 kW, and power consumption ranges from 20 to 400 kW. If the heat pump is also used for cooling in the summer, it is often better to use it for heat recovery from exhaust air in winter than use additional recuperative heat exchanger.
Heating-cooling, heat pumps for cooling and heating of premises, of objects of mass flows. The main task of these plants, as well as the definition of control, usually for either cooling or heating, and not with another effect of an additional prize, which is not available during non-working periods of the system and can only be supplied in a store, for example. hot water boiler.
The waste heat of the use of heat pumps for the disposal or reuse discharged heat, which cannot be re-used directly because of its low temperature. For example, in drying processes, in which waste heat contained in the extracted water, steam is used to heat the drying air, or in laundries, where almost all of the applied heat energy discharged with waste waters and can be restored using the heat pump. Plants are controlled heat demand, often in combination with the storage of waste heat.