# Industrial heat pumps and vapour recompression

Raising low-grade waste heat to a useful temperature.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/

Recovery and reuse · Shared heat and everyday recovery · No. 136

- Recovery and reuse
- Heat grade: Low (below 230 C)
 Recovery and reuse · Shared heat and everyday recovery · Foundation · Energy

An evaporator that recompresses its own steam can do with 30-50 kWh what once took a whole tonne of steam.

Chart: Illustration: Industrial heat pumps and vapour recompression

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Industrial heat pumps use electricity to lift heat from a temperature nobody can use to one a process needs. Mechanical vapour recompression does it by squeezing the steam boiled off in an evaporator.

##### Three things to know

1. About 75% of heat demand in less energy-intensive industries is below 200 C, the range heat pumps now reach.
2. A heat pump at COP 4.5 beats a gas boiler on CO2 on any grid below about 1 kg CO2 per kWh, including coal-heavy ones.
3. Running an electric boiler cost about 4 times as much as gas in the US in 2024, but only 2 times in China.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Waste heat**Cooling water, dryer exhaust, evaporator vapour
2. 2 **Evaporator**Refrigerant picks up the low-grade heat
3. 3 **Compressor**Electricity lifts it to 140-160 C
4. 4 **Condenser**Releases heat into process water or steam
5. 5 **Process use**Drying, pasteurising, evaporation, distillation

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and thermodynamics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/rc-sci/index.md)
- [Engineering and integration](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/rc-eng/index.md)
- [Economics and contracts](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/rc-econ/index.md)
- [Impact and additionality](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/rc-impact/index.md)
- [What to track](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/tracking/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_industrial_hp/links/index.md)