Heat Pump Cascade for High-Temperature Process Heat Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat pumps are limited in their ability to achieve high-temperature heat transfer efficiently, leading to a high dependency on fossil fuels for processes requiring temperatures above 150°C, such as endothermic chemical reactions and distillation processes, and they are inefficient when electrical heating is difficult or not feasible.
Innovation Solution
The use of heat pump cascades and specific heat transfer media, including mercury and tetraphenyl-compounds, to upgrade low-temperature heat sources to temperatures exceeding 350°C, achieving a coefficient of performance (COP) greater than 1, reducing dependency on primary energy sources and enabling efficient heat transfer to high-temperature processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional heat pumps are used to provide heat at temperatures above 150°C, then the temperature level is increased, but the coefficient of performance decreases significantly and dependency on fossil fuels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the heat pump system into multiple independent loops, each capable of operating at different temperature levels. This allows the system to maintain high COP in individual loops while achieving high overall temperature output through the series configuration of multiple loops.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements the nested doll principle by placing heat pump loops within each other in a series configuration, where the output of one loop becomes the input for the next. This nested arrangement enables progressive temperature elevation while maintaining efficient energy utilization at each stage.
2Device complexity
If heat pumps are designed to provide heat at maximum temperature of about 150°C, then the system remains simple and efficient, but it cannot meet the requirements of processes needing temperatures significantly above this value
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into multiple standardized heat pump loops that can be independently designed and operated. Each loop handles a specific temperature range, allowing the overall system to cover a broad temperature spectrum while maintaining the relative simplicity of individual loop designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal heat pump system where multiple loops can be configured in series to serve different temperature requirements. The same basic loop design can be replicated and combined to meet various temperature demands, making the system adaptable to different industrial processes without requiring completely different designs.
3Ease of manufacture
If fossil fuels are used for heating processes requiring high temperatures, then the infrastructure costs are lower and technical simplicity is maintained, but the sustainability and electrical efficiency are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical combustion system (fossil fuel burning) with an electrical-driven thermodynamic system (heat pumps). This substitution eliminates the need for fuel storage and combustion infrastructure while achieving higher energy efficiency through electrical energy utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental energy input parameter from chemical energy (fossil fuels) to electrical energy. This parameter change enables the use of modern electrical infrastructure and achieves superior energy efficiency while maintaining the ability to provide high-temperature heat through the multi-loop heat pump configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for the efficient transfer of heat to processes at temperatures greater than 350°C, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enabling electrification of processes where electrical heating is challenging, with improved electrical efficiency and reduced infrastructure costs.
Implementation Method 1
transferring heat from a chemical conversion process, from a physicochemical process, or from ambient heat, or from a combination of two or more thereof, to a target process
Implementation Method 2
Heat pumps, by smart use of electrical energy in a thermodynamic cycle, achieve the raising of the temperature level of a quantity of heat much greater than the quantity of electrical energy used
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for transferring heat to a target process in a chemical production plant, the method comprising (i) providing a first process stream (1) having a temperature T1; (ii) transferring heat from a chemical conversion process, from a physicochemical process, from ambient heat, or from a combination of two or more thereof, to the first process stream provided in (i), for obtaining a heated first process stream (3) having a temperature T2, wherein T2>T1; (iii) conducting the target process with the heated first process stream obtained in (ii); wherein the target process is different from the chemical conversion process, from the physicochemical process, or from the combination of the chemical conversion process and the physicochemical process from which heat is transferred according to (ii). According to the method of the present invention, a coefficient of performance of greater than 1 can be achieved.