Industrial Heat Pumps Introducing One of the Most Powerful Heat Pumps for CO2-Free Steam Generation

Related Vendors

BASF SE

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

Maag Pump Systems AG

ProMinent GmbH

Claimed to be one of the world’s largest industrial heat pumps for CO2-free steam generation, BASF’s industrial heat pump at the Ludwigshafen site in Germany is expected to produce up to 500,000 tons of CO2-free steam per year. With a thermal output of around 50 MWs, the mega heat pump has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions at the site by up to 100,000 tons per year.

Europe is the second largest chemicals producer in the world and the region is known for adopting innovative and sustainable solutions for the chemical industry. Headquartered in Germany, BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, is working together with GIG Karasek, a globally active Austrian supplier of high-quality industrial plants for thermal separation and environmental technologies, to develop and incorporate one of the world’s largest industrial heat pumps for CO2-free steam generation at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany.

“BASF’s Ludwigshafen site requires a large amount of steam, which is currently still largely generated using fossil fuels,” shares Florian Fabian, External Site Communications Ludwigshafen at BASF. “Heat pumps are a key technology for making future energy and steam generation emission-free by using electricity from renewable sources.” The mega industrial heat pump is expected to produce up to 500,000 tons of CO2-free steam per year on completion and will be used for formic acid production. Covering a total area of 2,000 square meters, the heat pump boasts of a thermal output of around 50 MWs, a coefficient of performance (COP) of ~ 3.3 along with a temperature lift of ~120 °C, and maximum output temperature of 200 °C.