Green Technology

MAN Power Mega Warmth Pump Activated For District Heating In Denmark

7 December 2024

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An industrial-scale seawater-based warmth pump from MAN Power Options is now supplying zero emissions warmth for the district heating system operated by DIN Forsyning in Esbjerg, Denmark. The Mega warmth pump will provide roughly 280,000 MWh of warmth per 12 months to native district heating networks. The system makes use of carbon dioxide as the warmth change medium for the warmth pump system, which has a 70 MW whole heating capability and operates in tandem with a 60 MW wooden chip boiler that burns sustainably sourced wooden chips and a 40 MW electrical boiler that will probably be used for peak and backup load duties. It’s the first of many bigger industrial-scale warmth pumps.

The Mega industrial warmth pump makes use of renewable vitality from regional wind farms and seawater from the North Sea as a warmth supply, delivering warmth to 25,000 households and lowering carbon dioxide emissions by 120,000 tons yearly. The warmth pump set up aligns with town of Esbjerg’s intention to succeed in local weather neutrality by 2030. The warmth for the district heating system beforehand got here from a coal-fired facility that has now been decommissioned.

“This can be a vital milestone that we have now anticipated for a very long time,” stated Helle Damm-Henrichsen, the managing director of DIN Forsyning. “Any more, all our clients in Varde and Esbjerg will profit from district heating instantly sourced fron the North Sea. This achievement isn’t solely transformative for DIN Forsyning but additionally a step ahead for the local weather. Whereas we could also be in western Jutland, I imagine it’s honest to name this a world premiere. The world’s largest CO2-based seawater warmth pump is now producing warmth.”

The MAN Power warmth pump system helps the intermittent energy provided by photo voltaic and wind installations so it could react rapidly to variations within the quantity of energy accessible from {the electrical} grid. The system might be switched on and off a number of occasions every day to match the vitality provide from the grid. DIN Forsyning leverages the pump’s unhazardous and environmentally protected carbon dioxide to make sure clear operation close to the Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage web site.

“I’m proud that our mega warmth pump is now offering climate-neutral warmth to the individuals of Esbjerg and Varde,” stated Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Power Options. “Esbjerg demonstrates how city heating techniques might be reshaped by harnessing renewable vitality sources. Using industrial-scale warmth pumps to ship sustainable heating isn’t just a technological achievement however a blueprint for different cities worldwide as they transition to greener vitality techniques.”

The MAN Power Mega warmth pump makes use of electrical energy to lift low-temperature thermal vitality to usable ranges effectively. For each MWh {of electrical} vitality consumed, about three MWh of thermal vitality is generated. The warmth pump for the DIN Forsyning district heating facility is supplied with two oil-free, hermetically sealed HOFIM compressors that use high-speed motors and lively magnetic bearings to reduce upkeep necessities. These models and auxiliary techniques will probably be built-in with distant monitoring, information analytics, and diagnostics.

Industrial Warmth Pumps For Course of Warmth

The MAN Power Mega warmth pump is optimized for district heating, however warmth pumps are additionally getting used to provide the method warmth that’s important to manufacturing of many merchandise. Some warmth is required to cook dinner meals and pasteurize milk. Greater temperatures are wanted to dry the paint on vehicles or make standard lithium batteries. As we speak, about 95% of course of warmth comes from burning fossil fuels and accounts for 8% of worldwide carbon emissions. A warmth pump is able to supplying warmth for manufacturing as much as 200º C (392º F), so why not use warmth pumps to provide course of warmth for industrial and industrial purposes?

That’s an important query. In keeping with ETH Zurich, one of many world’s preeminent analysis establishments, in a standard warmth pump, the achievable temperature and temperature profiles are largely decided by the selection of refrigerant. All the warmth pump parts — from the evaporator and compressor to the condenser and growth valve — are tailor-made to the traits of the refrigerant used. If a manufacturing facility requires warmth at totally different temperatures for a number of purposes, this could solely be achieved by utilizing a number of warmth pumps, every with a distinct refrigerant. That is each expensive and inconvenient, which is why utilizing a warmth pump has made little headway within the industrial sector.

André Bardow, Professor of Power and Course of Methods Engineering at ETH Zurich, believes his crew has provide you with a greater resolution: “As a substitute of a single refrigerant, we use a mix. This enables a warmth pump to make use of totally different warmth sources and generate totally different temperature profiles.” The composition of the refrigerant mix might be diversified to cater to totally different purposes, which is a key profit for firms. As a substitute of getting to revamp all the warmth pump each time they want a distinct temperature, they will merely modify the combination, which is far less complicated and cheaper.

The combination itself consists of a standard refrigerant and one additional part. The temperature profile of the warmth pump is dictated by the ratio of those two elements. “In precept, you possibly can have any variety of totally different profiles for industrial processes, so long as the temperatures don’t exceed 200 levels. That’s the most important benefit our expertise provides,” Bardow says.

To determine appropriate parts for the refrigerant mix, the researchers developed a pc mannequin that simulates the warmth pump circuit with totally different variants of refrigerant combination. “We prolonged the prevailing thermodynamic fashions for warmth pumps by integrating the warmth pump parts in addition to the composition of the combination into the optimization course of,” says Dennis Roskosch, senior scientist within the analysis group headed by André Bardow. The researchers’ mannequin analyzed over 200 million identified artificial molecules to simulate a mix of two molecules that gives essentially the most environment friendly warmth pump efficiency.

Warmth Pumps Achieve Recognition

What’s it about warmth pumps that will get individuals excited? Fairly merely, it’s effectivity. A warmth pump produces extra warmth per unit of vitality than standard warmth sources. That interprets into decrease prices, which is what will get the eye of consumers. A lot of individuals pay lip service to the concept of decreasing carbon emissions, however exhibiting somebody find out how to lower their vitality payments by 40% or extra is what actually will get their consideration. Warmth pump expertise is maturing quickly, providing individuals residential warmth pumps that function simply positive in freezing temperatures — one thing they couldn’t do 5 years in the past.

Firms like MAN Power at the moment are providing industrial clients industrial warmth pumps just like the one in Esbjerg, Denmark, that provide some great benefits of warmth pumps on a a lot bigger scale. Over the subsequent decade, extra superior warmth pumps will match the wants of extra residential and industrial clients so we are able to burn fewer fossil fuels to warmth our properties. Excellent news for the setting, however even higher information for individuals who need extra warmth for much less cash.