Heat to cool: How GEA heat pumps decarbonize the heat supply

Of the total global energy end usage 50 % are accountable for the consumption of heating energy, yet mostly still based on fossil fuels. Among other technologies, heat pumps are a possibility to electrify the heat generation. Like chillers, compression heat pumps transfer heat from a lower to a higher temperature level. Based on high-pressure reciprocating as well as screw compressors, GEA offers a wide range of heat pumps: from small to mid-sized standard lines to large, customized solutions generating up to 10 Megawatts with one single unit.

The latest addition is a highly efficient reciprocating compressor heat pumps setting new benchmarks in the industry. As of now, GEA’s standard heat pumps operate with the natural refrigerant R-717 (NH3). R-717 is a perfectly climate and ozone friendly refrigeration with zero global warming and zero ozone depletion potential. The extremely high volumetric efficiency makes the refrigerant is another reason that R-717 is a top choice for applications in a certain temperature range.
GEA heat pumps with R-717 supply heating energy up to a temperature level of +95 °C – for all kinds of industrial heating processes or for facility heating or larger heating networks. A lot of flexibility is given on the heat source side, too: any liquid, from the environment or processes up to a temperature level of +60 °C is possible just like directly charging compressed R-717 gas from an existing refrigeration plant. Besides the flexible and wide application range, it is efficiency, reliability and safety which characterizes GEA’s heat pumps. This is, last but not least, coming from more than 100 years of experience in the refrigeration industry and more than 150 heat pump installations since the mid 2000’s. The presentation ends with two project examples.