From Today's Pain Points to Long-Term Competitiveness<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy is a heat pump "above 120 \u00b0C" needed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In processes such as food drying, pulp bleaching, and synthetic fiber setting, the most common heat transfer medium is saturated steam at 4\u20138 bar (125\u2013170 \u00b0C). This type of steam mostly comes from gas-fired or oil-fired boilers, with an efficiency of approximately 80\u201385 %, and emits nearly 2 tons of CO\u2082 per ton of steam. With both carbon costs and gas costs rising, manufacturers urgently need solutions to simultaneously reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditional heat pumps can only provide hot water at \u2264 90 \u00b0C and cannot directly replace high-temperature steam. It wasn't until the last decade, with the commercialization of new refrigerants and two-stage compression technology, that high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) emerged, capable of providing stable heating temperatures of 150\u2013165 \u00b0C. Therefore, the emergence of HTHPs is not simply about "making heat pumps hotter," but rather a result of energy policies, carbon tax pressures, and the reuse of process waste heat. It unlocks the low-to-medium grade waste heat that was previously discarded into cooling towers or chimneys within factories, boosting this "free heat source" to a usable temperature, creating a positive cycle that saves money and reduces carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basic physics and sources of efficiency of heat pumps<\/h2>\n\n\n\nCarnot cycle and COP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A heat pump is essentially a reverse-cycle refrigeration system that "transfers heat from the cold end to the hot end".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its theoretically optimal efficiency is determined by the Carnot cycle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
COPCarnot<\/sub>=Thot<\/sub> \/ (Thot<\/sub>-Tcold)<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Thot<\/sub>Tcold<\/sub> Measured in absolute temperature (K).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The smaller the difference (\u0394T) between the two, the smaller the denominator, and the higher the theoretical COP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Real-world unit COP \u2248 0.45\u20130.55 \u00d7 COPCarnot<\/sub>Due to irreversible losses caused by compressors, throttling, oil separation, heat exchange, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Why can high-temperature heat pumps save more energy than boilers?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Boilers are primary energy conversion systems that convert the chemical energy of fossil fuels into heat "in one go," achieving a thermal efficiency of only about 85 %.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heat pumps, on the other hand, "transfer heat": electricity only drives the compressor to heat low-grade waste heat. If COP = 2.5, it means that for every 1 kWh of electricity consumed, 2.5 kWh of heat can be output, with an equivalent thermal efficiency of 250 %. Even considering the efficiency of the power generation end, high-temperature heat pumps still have an energy advantage of 1.8\u20132 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n