Enorm­ous po­ten­tial for cli­mate pro­tec­tion in in­dustry: joint pro­ject paves the way for cli­mate-neut­ral pro­cess heat

The decarbonisation of industrial process heat, i.e. the transition to releasing less carbon into the atmosphere, is one of the major challenges of the energy transition. In industry, however, a significant proportion of energy requirements are still covered by fossil fuels such as coal, oil or natural gas, while only a small proportion of the energy used is recovered. This is where the joint project "HeatTransPlan", led by scientists from Paderborn University, comes in. In the temperature range up to 200 degrees Celsius (°C), which accounts for around 40 per cent of total demand, there is enormous, as yet barely utilised potential in the use of waste heat. High-temperature heat pumps are seen as a key technology for making industrial processes more climate-friendly in the future. In addition, heat pump storage systems in the high-temperature range act as the technical enablers for security of supply in the event of process-related fluctuations. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) with 2.21 million euros over three years and will run until the end of next year.

Challenges and solutions for waste heat utilisation

Project manager Dr. Florian Schlosser from the Department of Energy Systems Technology (EST) at Paderborn University explains the urgent relevance of the investigations: "Due to legal requirements such as the obligation to report waste heat in accordance with the Energy Efficiency Act, companies are increasingly required to optimise their energy use and recover the energy they use. However, a lack of awareness of sensible applications for technical solutions for heat conversion and storage above 100 °C and a lack of resources in planning have so far prevented the realisation of potential implementations." To change this, the researchers at the SICP - Software Innovation Campus and the Competence Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology (KET) at Paderborn University are working with industrial cooperation partners to develop innovative tools and robust solutions. InnoZent OWL e.V., a technology network for sustainable corporate development, is also on board as a multiplier.

The importance of data for planning optimal heat utilisation systems

Knowledge of the thermal process requirements is the basis for the systematic use and holistic optimisation of excess heat and heat requirements in industrial production processes. However, as the respective data situation of the partner companies represented a bottleneck, a stronger focus was placed on the use of "process mining". "This method is used to close data gaps in the description of existing processes and their energy requirements by reconstructing actual process sequences based on existing machine data - a crucial step for high data accuracy and effective process improvements," explains Prof. Dr. Oliver Müller, Head of the Chair of Information Systems and Data Analytics at Paderborn University. The project team is developing the methods and prototype tools based on practical requirements and testing them in twelve case studies organised and carried out by project partner Limón GmbH. "We have already completed four practical trials and gained important insights into how the industrial heat supply should be redesigned to make it CO₂-neutral," says Prof. Müller. Four further case studies are currently being carried out. The partners come from the food, pharmaceutical, paper, and metal processing industries. Based on the results, a digital decision support system (DSS) is being developed that will serve as a central anchor for the planning and configuration of heat pump storage systems (HPS). The software developer OPTANO GmbH is providing support as a partner in the development of the optimisation algorithm that forms the heart of the DSS.

Ready for the next steps with thermal storage systems

Innovative heat pump storage systems in the high-temperature range offer great potential for the efficient utilisation of waste heat and renewable energy sources, reduce the need for fossil fuels and lower energy costs. As part of "HeatTransPlan", a new type of high-temperature heat storage system for efficient storage in the temperature range above 100 °C is being developed and experimentally characterised under near-production conditions at the Department of Fluid Process Engineering (FVT) at Paderborn University. It is based on phase change materials, i.e. substances that change their aggregate state at certain temperatures and absorb or release large amounts of energy, combined with innovative pillow-plate heat exchangers and highly effective vacuum insulation to minimise heat losses. The project team is investigating the role of high-temperature storage systems as technical enablers in the transformation of industrial heat supply. The heat pump manufacturer Sustainable Process Heat GmbH is responsible for planning the heat pump concepts. The partners Axiotherm as manufacturer of the phase change materials and König Metall as manufacturer of the vacuum-insulated housing and the pillow-plate heat exchangers are responsible for the storage tank development and production. "The heat transition in the industry requires in-depth process knowledge, technological development, and cross-sector collaboration. We are looking forward to the next steps in the project. The milestones we have achieved so far bring us ever closer to our big goal: the resilient and efficient conversion and storage of heat," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Julia Riese, Head of the Chair of FVT at Paderborn University.

Further information on "HeatTransPlan" and the opportunity to become a case study partner can be found at: https://www.heattransplan.de

This text was translated automatically.