The International Institute of Refrigeration has published a Technical Brief on High-Temperature Heat Pumps, examining system configurations, working fluids, components, commercial products, applications, and economic and environmental performance. The brief was authored by Professor Ruzhu Wang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and an international team of experts.
The IIR says industrial heating accounts for approximately 37% of global energy consumption, with two-thirds of that used for heat generation. The 100–200°C range (212–392°F), identified as the primary target for high-temperature heat pumps, is used in industrial processes including food processing, chemical engineering, textiles, paper-making, and plastics manufacturing.
Commercial high-temperature heat pump systems are now available at high technology readiness levels, covering heating temperatures from 90°C to 300°C (194–572°F) and capacities ranging from kilowatts to 100 MW (approx. 341 million BTU/h). Annual scientific publications in the field increased from 921 in 2010 to 5,480 in 2024.
The Technical Brief identifies three main system categories: compression, absorption, and hybrid absorption-compression high-temperature heat pumps. It also covers applications including systems that provide simultaneous heating and cooling, as well as integration with thermal energy storage.
According to the brief, high-temperature heat pumps offer a coefficient of performance above 1.5, but their economic and environmental competitiveness depends on local electricity-to-fuel price ratios and the carbon intensity of national electricity grids. The IIR also identifies policy actions including performance-based subsidies, demonstration projects, carbon pricing mechanisms, workforce training, and regulatory clarity on refrigerant phase-out timelines.
“High-temperature heat pumps are the key to decarbonizing industrial heat supply and providing thermal energy via renewable electricity. Working fluids, energy efficiency, stability, scalability, electricity-to-thermal energy conversion and regulation, as well as thermal storage, are the core key elements. It is urgent to research and develop various types of high-temperature heat pumps to replace fossil fuel–fired boilers and electric boilers,” said Professor Ruzhu Wang, Lead Author, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
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