At a glance

Large-scale heat pumps that are used, for example, in the district heating supply are increasingly drawing on surface water from rivers, lakes, or the sea as a sustainable heat source. In order to optimally utilize the available heat, as much energy as possible is taken from the water in the evaporator. Operation close to freezing point is particularly attractive from an energy point of view, but it also increases the risk of icing on the heat transfer surfaces.

Lakes, rivers, and seawater harbor great potential as a heat source for large industrial heat pumps. The natural temperature of the water is raised to a useful level by a heat pump and can then be used for district heating grids or industrial processes.

Mine water offers significant potential as a sustainable heat source in former mining areas. Disused mines are often at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year, which makes them a reliable option for heat recovery.

Waste water contains untapped heat. In municipal wastewater plants, it is not only part of water treatment but also a valuable energy source. With the right technologies, this heat can be harnessed and used for district heating grids or industrial processes.

In many industrial operations, there is a great deal of valuable energy in liquid process streams. With the right technology, you can recover it and re-use it. Heat pumps play a key role here: They raise the temperature to a usable level and make industrial waste heat available for industrial processes or for the heat supply.

Water-cooled chillers and heat pumps are crucial for reliable refrigeration in many buildings and industrial processes. In order for them to work efficiently, the heat transfer process in evaporators and condensers must remain stable. Microfouling can noticeably impair the heat transfer process even in cooling water circuits that are supposed to be closed. This results in rising differential pressures, unnecessary efficiency losses, and a higher energy consumption for providing the required cooling capacity.

In many industrial processes, condensers are crucial for stable and efficient plant operation. In evaporator systems in the food, chemical, and process industries, in particular, large quantities of vapor must be reliably cooled and condensed. Hard well water is an obvious choice of cooling medium for this: It is often directly available, economically attractive, and can reduce the need for treated fresh water.

Reboilers supply the required heat for operating distillation columns and are therefore a key component of many processes in the food, chemical, textile, paper, sugar, oil, and refinery industries. The liquid from the column bottom is heated in the reboiler and then fed back to the column in order to keep the distillation process going.