Prior the DryFiciency project, and since well before the year 2000, ROTREX was developing automotive superchargers based on centrifugal compressors, the key being is the ultra-high-speed planetary drives, with units mechanically exceeding shaft speed of 340.000 rpm. 

As a forerunner in the DryF project, project partner SINTEF identified centrifugal turbo compressors to be a potential solution for high temperature heat pumps components as they offer high volumetric capacity and are “oil-free” heat pump solutions. As the DryF open loop is re-compression of high temperature steam – the compression solution was not achievable with existing compressors as the open loop MVR requires high volumetric capacity, due to the lower density of steam. New ways had therefore to be sought out to solve the hurdles of getting relatively high pressure ratio and high temperature into the heat pump system. ROTREX took on this task with the development of a two-stage MVR compression system. Several designs were completed and verified under extreme conditions and stable operation speeds up to 80.000 rpm achieved. The testing and results were well-matched for the DryF demonstration partner Scanship, and the compressors are currently being tested on their open-loop industrial steam dryer at Lindum waste management site in Norway.

“With this the foundation for industrial compressors achieved DryF have introduced ROTREX to a completely “new world”." says Schmidt. "Thanks to DryFiciency the challenges of going from automotive to industrial processes have been identified. “Supercharging” the industry towards a carbon free future may well be one of the new segments of ROTREX in the years to come.”

Stay tuned on the developments of high temperature turbo compressors and heat pumps and download the full presentations here.

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