In today’s carbon neutral target sweeping the world, industrial high temperature heat pump is quietly becoming a key technology for the green transformation of manufacturing industry.
As China’s “Dual Carbon” strategy advances, the industrial sector – a major energy consumer – is facing unprecedented pressure to reduce emissions. Nearly half of global energy production ultimately gets converted into thermal energy, with over 100℃% of this thermal energy consumption accounting for more than 4%. This thermal energy is widely used across various industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and textile dyeing and printing.
Traditional industrial heating mainly relies on coal and gas-fired boilers, which has many disadvantages such as low energy utilization efficiency and large environmental pollution. However, the emergence of industrial high-temperature heat pump technology provides a new green, efficient and low-carbon heating path for manufacturing industry.
01 Industrial heating reform: the rise and advantages of high temperature heat pump
In the wave of green transformation of manufacturing industry, industrial high temperature heat pump is gradually replacing traditional heating equipment with its unique advantages. So, what is industrial high temperature heat pump? What are its significant advantages compared with traditional heating methods?
Industrial high temperature heat pump is a kind of equipment that uses the principle of reverse Carnot cycle to absorb heat from low temperature heat source and “pump” it to higher temperature level so as to provide high temperature heat energy required by industrial production.
At present, the application of 100-200℃ thermal energy in various industrial fields is about 2.3×1010GJ per year, mostly using fossil energy combustion to generate steam heating.
This situation is changing with the development of heat pump technology, and the three core advantages of industrial high temperature heat pump are increasingly prominent:
-Energy saving and high efficiency: Heat pump does not create heat, but transfers heat, so it has very high energy efficiency. The COP (energy efficiency coefficient) of ordinary heat pump can reach 3-5, which means that 1 part of energy consumption can produce 3-5 parts of heat, and the energy saving rate is usually up to 30%-70%.
-Environmental protection and low carbon: electric energy is used to drive the direct operation process with zero carbon emissions. If green electricity can be used, zero carbon heating can be achieved throughout the whole process.
-Stable and reliable: modern industrial high temperature heat pump adopts advanced compressor and control system, can meet the needs of continuous and stable operation of industry, and low maintenance cost.
02 Core technology breakthrough: the realization path of high temperature heat pump
Industrial high temperature heat pump technology has made significant breakthroughs in recent years, especially the significant increase in water outlet temperature, so that its application scope continues to expand. These breakthroughs mainly focus on several core technical areas:
High-temperature compressor technology has become the key to improving heat pump outlet water temperature. The high-temperature screw compressor independently developed by Zhongguang Outes adopts an efficient rotor profile design combined with a variable frequency drive system for regulation, achieving an ultra-wide outlet temperature range of 40℃ to 125℃.
The super high temperature two-stage magnetic levitation steam compressor launched by Midea Building Technology combines self-developed high precision magnetic levitation bearing technology and modular series connection, which can achieve the highest steam output of 200°C.
The intelligent control system is the brain that ensures the high efficiency and stable operation of the high temperature heat pump. The intelligent control center independently developed by Zhongguang Outes can accurately link the operation control of the unit, sensors, actuators, relays and switches for detection, and coordinate the whole system for intelligent regulation.
The ice wheel environment relies on the Zhihui Cloud platform to build a digital twin hub, which drives the leap of energy efficiency through real-time monitoring and AI dynamic tuning.
The extended operating range of high-temperature steam heat pumps from Shenling Environment expands their application scenarios. These units can operate within a wide temperature range, with steam outlet temperatures reaching 110-120°℃ and up to 160°℃ when pressurized. This versatile performance enables the same equipment to meet diverse industrial temperature requirements across various production processes.
03 Multiple application scenarios: high temperature heat pump industry coverage
Industrial high temperature heat pump technology has penetrated into various industrial fields. Different industries can find suitable application scenarios from high temperature heat pump according to their unique process requirements.
chemical lines
In chemical production processes, high-temperature steam at 120℃-200℃ is commonly required for reactions, distillation, and drying. Midea Building Technology has developed specialized solutions including a 130°C ultra-high-temperature single-unit dual-stage variable frequency centrifugal industrial heat pump and a 150-200°C ultra-high-temperature dual-stage magnetic levitation steam compressor, designed to meet these extreme thermal demands.
food handling
The food industry requires hot water at 85℃-110℃ for sterilization, cleaning and cooking. Shenling Water Source high-temperature heat pump unit can achieve the highest outlet water temperature of 85℃ on the side, with comprehensive energy efficiency (COP) reaching 4.5-5.0 and energy saving rate exceeding 70%.
Textile printing and dyeing
The textile printing and dyeing process, including bleaching, dyeing, and drying stages, requires substantial thermal energy. Shenling Environment’s high-temperature steam heat pump system utilizes waste heat/waste water sources as low-grade heat sources. By upgrading these resources through heat pump technology to produce usable high-grade steam, this innovative solution is widely adopted in industries like dyeing that previously relied on electric heating systems or gas boilers.
Pharmaceutical industry
Pharmaceutical production requires exceptional stability and precision in heat source management. Zhongguang Outes’ high-efficiency screw industrial heat pump “R Series” delivers comprehensive solutions for comfort cooling, heating, hot water supply, and steam generation. Featuring ultra-high efficiency (IPLV 8.7) and extreme heat output (125℃), this system fully complies with the stringent process requirements of the pharmaceutical industry.
04 Leading product matrix: market competition pattern and technology route
With the rapid development of industrial high temperature heat pump market, various enterprises have launched competitive products, forming diversified technology routes and product matrix.
Shenling environment has built a complete range of heat pump products, including high temperature steam heat pump units, medium/high temperature heat pump heat recovery units and water source high temperature heat pump units, which can reach a maximum of 160℃ on the use side.
Midea Building Technology focuses on the ultra-high temperature technology route, and launches Midea ultra-high temperature single machine two-stage variable frequency centrifugal industrial heat pump at 130°C and Midea ultra-high temperature two-stage magnetic levitation steam compressor at 150 to 200°C, providing solutions for process steam replacement in petrochemical, textile and other energy-intensive industries.
The “R series” high efficiency screw industrial heat pump unit launched by Zhongguang Otes has the “hexagonal” advantages of “super high efficiency, super high temperature, super saving, super easy to use, super compatible and super versatile”, which can be widely used in people’s livelihood heating, animal husbandry, medical biology, food processing and other fields.
The “LC Large Pressure Ratio Water Steam Centrifugal Heat Pump” of Ice Wheel Environment won three honors, including “Innovative Product”, “Gold Award Product” and “Product of the Year” in the industrial heat pump category, highlighting the industry leading position of Ice Wheel Environment in the field of industrial heat management.
05 Future development trend: the prospect and outlook of industrial high temperature heat pump
Industrial high temperature heat pump technology is still innovating and developing, and there are several obvious trends in the future:
Temperature limits continue to break. Zhongguang Outes is developing a new industrial heat pump that can produce 200℃,10kg high pressure steam, with a maximum heating power of more than 3MW and a maximum capacity equivalent to 5-ton boiler, which can almost meet 80% of the heating application scenarios in industrial fields.
Deep integration with renewable energy. Midea’s high-temperature heat pumps can be combined with other renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, and geothermal) to further enhance energy efficiency. This integration not only helps achieve carbon neutrality goals in the industrial sector but also drives the widespread adoption of renewable energy.
AI empowers intelligent operation and maintenance. Digital experts from Bingle Environment have proposed “Dynamic Scenario Adaptive Energy Efficiency and Reliability Optimization for Industrial and Commercial Refrigeration Systems” and “Analyzing Industrial Thermal Management Cycle Solutions”, with plans to further expand AI applications in hydrogen energy and carbon capture fields.
The development of industrial high-temperature heat pump technology is far from stopping. With the breakthrough of 200℃ and 10kg high-pressure steam technology bottlenecks, as well as the wide application of AI intelligent operation and maintenance system, industrial high-temperature heat pump is expected to cover 80% of industrial heating scenarios in the next five years.
For manufacturing enterprises, the layout of industrial high temperature heat pump at this moment is not only a necessary measure to cope with environmental pressure, but also a strategic choice to enhance competitiveness and achieve sustainable development.
In the era of green manufacturing, industrial high temperature heat pump is changing from “option” to “must option”, this industrial heating revolution has just begun.
