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PUMP IT UP CONFERENCE

FULL CONFERENCE VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE

09 Juli 2021|Views: 3337|Tags:

PUMP IT UP - Industrial heat pumps for a climate-neutral European Industry Conference held on the 6th July presented the exiting results of the EU research project DryFiciency. The industrial applications at AGRANAWienerberger and Scanship were demonstrated and confirmed the use of industrial waste heat creating vast potential for energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

„Mr. Net Zero 2050“, Timur Gül, Head of the Energy Technology Policy Division IEA, together with Peter Levi, Industry Sector Lead, of the Energy Technology Policy Division IEA, opened the  DryFiciency Conference attended by leading experts from Research, Industry and Policy.  A pathway from near-term milestones to long-term targets, towards Net Zero by 2050 was highlighted in the context of the transition of the energy system looking at an array of technologies and sectors. 

Veronika Wilk, scientific coordinator of the H2020 project DryFiciency, and Senior Research Engineer and Thematic Coordinator at the Center for Energy at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology , provided an in depth assessment of the project and specifically the key results out of the almost 7000 operation hours achieved at the closed loop demonstrations that confirmed the successful development for high temperature applications in terms of compressors, lubricant and refrigerant. Result clearly confirmed that heat pumps are a future proof process for heat supply technology for CO2 emission reduction and waste heat recycling. The technology developed showed in the first tests running across Europe that heat pumps can deliver process heat of up to 160 °C. Compared to natural gas, the DryFiciency heat pumps have the potential to increase energy efficiency by up to 80 per cent, reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent and also cause up to 20 per cent less productions costs.

Michael Bantle, Senior Researcher, SINTEF Energy Research and Jan Haraldsen, Chairman of EPCONdetailed the 2-stage 500kW open loop heat pump demonstration in Norway achieving temperature lifts of 45 degrees, COP higher than 4 and the "recycling" of waste heat of 80-100 percent with the potential of no greenhouse gas emissions. The Norwegian demonstrator shows improvements in the efficiency and capacity of the dryer of almost 100 percent while reducing energy consumption by 70 percent.

The view of industry and the potential for heat pumps to make a lasting change on the global perspective from the view of the demonstrators was presented and discussed during the first panel discussion showing the impact and the way forward for lasting change for industry, economy and society. Norbert Harringer CTO & Member of the Board of AGRANA Group, a global player in the segments of fruit, starch and sugar, as well as Johannes Rath, CTO, Wienerberger Building Solutions, the world's largest producer of bricks, and Paal Jahre Nilsen, VP Innovation, Scanship all confirmed the potential of high temperature heat pumps within their organisations.  The three demonstrators explicated the prospect of the technology in each organization within the next years with regards of decarbonization strategy and future energy savings.

Thomas Nowak, Secretary General, European Heat Pump Association looked at the impact of DryFiciency for industrial strategy and policy elaborating on the potential of using excess energy of one service as the resource of another. It was made clear that by combining renewable sources, heat pumps are facilitating to position industry at the heart of the EU energy transition and also facilitating the decarbonisation of industrial processes.

The second panel consisting of leading energy experts and key industry players from the DryFiciency External Expert Advisory Board, Sander Geelen, Managing Director, Geelen Counterflow, Paul Simons, Global Technology Manager, at EFFEM – Mars, Matthias Schmuderer, Owner, Enerbasics, joined the previous key note speakers to discuss the measurement of attractiveness of industrial heat pumps and the incentives needed to be implemented to make heat pumps even more attractive. Interactive audience participation and polls established the importance of Co2 pricing to making the prospect of high temperature heat pumps grow more rapidly. The significance of CAPEX and OPEX as well as more demonstrations projects was also identified as key in future advancements and uptake. 

Overall this conference delivered stimulating contributions defining pathways from near-term milestones to long-term targets, the view of industry and the potential for heat pumps to make a lasting change on the global perspective. The impact of this conference will hopefully contribute to the imperative topic of placing heat pumps in the center of strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and reduce productions costs in European Industry. 

Keep on Pumping it up!

The full recording of the event is available for viewing here.