SPH Sustainable Process Heat is becoming the trailblazer of high temperature steam producing heat pumps

Published 26-02-2024

Read about how SPH Sustainable Process Heat is becoming the trailblazer of high temperature steam producing heat pumps!

In this Newsletter you can read about the latest developments of the ThermBooster™ of SPH, as the key technology for the reduction of costs and CO₂ emissions for the production of industrial process heat. The ThermBooster™ is the industrial, high temperature heat pump developed and produced by SPH Sustainable Process Heat GmbH. Caramelli Energy S.r.l. is the market promotor for this machine in Italy and Southern Switzerland. Today, sales contracts for 8 units have been signed and the first two machines have been installed in 2023.

1 – High-Temperature Heat Pump Symposium 2024

SPH was actively present at this important event as Silver Exhibitor and with a presentation of Tim Hamacher, Managing Director of SPH, entitled “Steam production with piston compressor based heat pump”.

Tim explained how the ThermBooster™ heat pump can produce steam up to 160 °C, using either HFO’s or HC’s and can reach 200 °C in the near future. The condenser of the refrigeration cycle has been integrated in the steam generator in order to have a more efficient steam production (see the figure her below).

The steam generator with integrated condenser of the ThermBooster™

Results of laboratory test on the ThermBooster™ were presented as well (see the graphics here below). The graphics shows the dynamic behaviour of the heat pump after a sudden change in setpoint of the vapour pressure.

Steam production under variable conditions

Explainer: Line 1 = steam pressure (scale: 2 to 4 [bar])

Line 2 = condensing temperature (scale: 110 to 150 [°C])

Line 3 = steam temperature (scale: 110 to 150 [°C])

Line 4 = pressure at compressor outlet (scale: 16 to 25 [bar])

Line 5 = steam production (scale: 0 to 400 [kg/hr])

Line 6 = position steam outlet valve.

From this graphic, it can be seen that the heat pump adjusts itself very quickly to new operating conditions. In less than 20 minutes after a new set-point is imposed, stable operating conditions are re-established.

The principle conclusions of the tests after more than 600 hrs of operation are:

The calculated performance of the heat pump is well in line with the measured performance,
The transient conditions can be managed very well, there is hardly any influence on the refrigeration circuit,
Pressure increases lead to a short-term drop in the steam production,
Pressure drops lead to an increased vaporization rate,
For steam production very high efficiency is achieved due to the small difference between the steam temperature and working fluid condensation temperature.

Tim Hamacher, Managing Director of SPH, addressing the audience at the HTHP Symposium 2024

The HTHP Symposium in Copenhagen is organized by Danish Technological Institute, SINTEF and DTU Construct.

You can download the full presentation here.

2 – News from the PUSH2HEAT project

PUSH2HEAT is an EU-Funded project that aims at addressing the technical, economic, and regulatory barriers that prevent heat upgrading technologies to be widely deployed. It is doing so by scaling up four different heat upgrading technologies and to optimise their efficiency and economic performance. One of these technologies is the production of low pressure steam with a heat pump. In addition, the project is focusing on integrating these technologies into the relevant industrial sectors such as the paper and chemical industries.

For one of the Demo project of Push2Heat, the goal is to generate low-pressure steam at approximately 2 bar for use in the paper industry. SPH has been selected as partner, to supply the heat pump for this important demo project. The installation of the ThermBooster™ is planned for Q2 of this year. The exhaust heat from a paper dryer is used as the heat source for the heat pump. Because a relatively high temperature lift is needed, a two stage cycle will be used.

You can download the fact sheet of the demo project here.

In the context of the Push2Heat Project, on November 28th, 2023, Franz Helminger, Project Manager at SPH Sustainable Process Heat, took the stage at the Paper & Beyond conference in Brussels for a presentation of this demo project.

Paper & Beyond is the annual event of the European Paper industry and its value chain, bringing together pulp and paper producers, paper and cardboard product manufacturers, technology suppliers, EU policy makers, researchers & scientists and the press.

During his intervention, Franz shared some insights of the ongoing the work, focusing on the integration of heat pump technologies for the reuse waste heat and, by doing so, to improve the sustainability of the paper industry.

Franz Helminger, Project Manager at SPH, at the Paper & Beyond conference in Brussels

Key data of the Push2Heat demo project in Weissenborn, Germania

3 – SPH wins award in the “Start-up” category

At this year’s business event “Wirtschaftsnacht Rheinland”, SPH prevailed among three finalists and won the prize in the “Start-up” category. The event, which was hosted by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien together with its partners, brings together representatives from business, finance, research and the media. This year, the award ceremony took place in the spectacular setting of the Cologne Musical Dome

Four companies that offer particularly future-oriented products or services in the categories of digitalisation, sustainability, start-up and technology were honoured. SPH was able to convince the jury with the ThermBooster™. Its core component, the innovative compressor developed by SPH, ensures that high-temperature industrial heat pumps can recycle waste heat and generate process heat up to 165 °C or higher. Indeed, with this patented piston compressor technology, the ThermBooster™ is a game changer for process manufacturing across a variety of industrial sectors looking to decarbonize their processes.

Andreas Mück, Managing Director of SPH (at the right), after the award ceremony

4 – SPH present at the HeatExpo in Dortmund

SPH was also present at the first HeatExpo in Dortmund which was held in November 2023. This fair is one of the most prominent events in the heating industry.

Stand of SPH at the HeatExpo in Dortmund

5 – News from the AHEAD Project

The AHEAD (Advanced Heat Pump Demonstrator) research project by pharmaceutical manufacturer Takeda has received the Net-Zero Industries Award 2023. The prize is awarded by the global initiative “Mission Innovation – Net-Zero Industries (MI-NZI)” and honours solutions and innovations that accelerate the use of technologies to decarbonize industry. An independent international jury of experts selected the winners from almost 70 submissions. The AHEAD project won the national prize for Austria in the “Outstanding Projects” category. SPH is partner in this project and has been selected to supply the heat pump for this venture.

Key data of the AHEAD Project

AHEAD aims to achieve sustainable pharma production at the biopharmaceutical company Takeda’s production site in Vienna. To this end, the Thermbooster™ of SPH, will convert the existing heat from the Takeda hot water system into superheated steam. The Thermbooster™ carries out the decisive step in a cascade of systems: the generation of steam at circa 120°C. This steam is further compressed with a MVR (steam compressor) and thus brought up to the 11 bar required at Takeda. The entire system reduces the CO₂ emissions of the site by about 90 % and enables a completely CO₂-free production for around seven months of the year. This saves 1.900 tons of CO₂ emissions each year.

6 – Thomas Nowak, the Secretary General of European Heat Pump Association visited the SPH establishment in Overath (Germany)

SPH was pleased and honoured to welcome Thomas Nowak, the Secretary General of European Heat Pump Association, in February 2024, in Overath and to show him the test facilities and future projects.

Thomas wrote an encouraging endorsement on LinkedIn:

The navel of the large heat pump world may be in the small village of Overath, “irgendwo im Bergischen”. This is where I met Tim Hamacher and Andreas Mück, two hard-boiled thermodynamics pros and entrepreneurs. What they have developed is quite unique: a heat pump that will eventually provide 186°C to a pharmaceutical process in Takeda (the unit is also part of the EU Push2Heat project.

With this type of industrial heat pump, we can decarbonise 43% of all heat demand in industry – an opportunity we can not let go.

If you are operating drying processes, dairy plants, distilleries, breweries, coffee roasteries, bakeries, or anything similar to this – reach out Tim and Andreas, the European Heat Pump Association (Alessia Del Vasto), or the chairs of our large HP working group Veronika Wilk Dr. Christian Huettl).

Visit of Thomas Nowak, Secretary General of European Heat Pump Association, to SPH in Overath

For more information:

Requests for further information or quotations can be send to: dolf.vanhattem@caramellienergy.eu