Pump It Up

Heating accounts for approximately half of the total global energy consumption, making its decarbonization a crucial element in the journey towards net-zero emissions. A significant amount of low-temperature waste heat (50 °C - 70 °C) continues to be rejected while industries require heat at much higher temperatures (100–150 °C) to support critical processes.
High-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) emerge as a promising solution for bridging this gap. This project focuses on demonstrating  a techno-economic systems model for waste heat sources around GreenLab, can be harnessed and elevated to meet on-site heat demands through tailor-made heat pump concepts.

Heat pumps with R1233zd was identified to be the optimal refrigerant. The cost of TES for providing 6MW heat is significantly (one tenth) less than that of heat pumps. The cost of tank material in TES and the cost of compressor in heat pump is significant. There is a possibility of using heat pumps as a heat stabilizing component when TES is charging. When TES is discharging, the heat pump can be used to upgrade waste heat to 95^oC with higher COP (>3). This strategy can be used to earn revenue and carbon credits by providing back to heat network. 

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