Global Industrial Thermal Case Library

Public sources (Turboden, 17 Feb 2026; IEA HPT demo card): a large heat pump plus mechanical vapor recompression at a delfort specialty-paper mill, reported at 12 MWth and about 20 t/h of superheated steam. Not independently metered here.

Temperature lift

≈ 133 K

Architecture

Closed large heat pump (multi-stage centrifugal, isobutane) in series with MVR — not an open water-vapor cycle alone

Result status

Turboden announced full operation on 17 Feb 2026 and said startup COP was about 10% above the guaranteed value. The IEA card records about 2,000 test hours from July to October 2025. Vendor wording calls it the largest steam-producing heat pump built; this site does not audit that ranking.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Public sources (SPH and the NEFI AHEAD demo card): at Takeda's Vienna pharmaceutical site, a butane heat pump and a Spilling steam compressor are reported to deliver about 2.5 t/h at 11 bar(a) / 184°C. Commissioning is given as September 2025. Not independently metered here.

Temperature lift

≈ 114 K

Architecture

SPH steam-generating heat pump to about 115–120°C, then a Spilling steam compressor to 11 bar(a) / 184°C

Result status

SPH states commissioning in September 2025. The demo card says scientific monitoring beyond 4,000 h was still planned, with results expected in 2026. A COP near 4.4 is quoted for the heat-pump stage (steam near 120°C), not for the 184°C delivery after the steam compressor.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Vendor and trade notes (November 2025): Skyven commissioned a 1 MWth steam-generating heat-pump demonstration center in Farmers Branch, Texas. It is a supplier demo, not a named host-plant installation. The stated COP of 6.5 is a vendor claim; the temperature lift is not in the same release.

Architecture

Skyven Arcturus steam-generating heat pump at a company demonstration center; product line is marketed from 1 to 60 MWth

Result status

Skyven and pv magazine reported commissioning in November 2025 at 1 MWth. The vendor states a COP of 6.5 and a roadmap above 8. Those figures are not placed on the card, because the lift is unpublished and they are not comparable to large-lift steam cases.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Trade press (3 Feb 2026 start-up): Dongfang Electric reports an 890 kW steam heat pump and booster at the Taiji Fuling pharmaceutical plant in Chongqing, China, lifting about 40°C waste heat to 165°C saturated steam at a stated COP of 2.7. Not independently metered here.

Temperature lift

≈ 125 K

Architecture

High-temperature steam heat pump plus a booster compressor; electric input reported near 330 kW for 890 kW heating

Result status

China Heat Pump and other trade notes dated 9 Feb 2026 report start-up on 3 Feb 2026 and a measured COP of 2.7 at the 890 kW rating. The COP is source-reported, not an independent audit by this site.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

IEA HPT / SPIRIT demo card (installation year 2025): a Mayekawa cascade of about 0.8 MW at the Stella Polaris shrimp plant in Finnsnes upgrades refrigeration reject heat to steam near 145–150°C. Design COPs are published; this site has not metered the plant.

Temperature lift

≈ 127 K

Architecture

Oil-lubricated screw/screw cascade: ammonia lifts refrigeration heat to about 82°C, pentane then produces steam

Result status

The IEA card lists installation year 2025 and design heating COP 1.8, combined COP 2.5. A 2024 SPIRIT slide had scheduled commissioning for August 2024; this entry follows the later card and does not treat the earlier schedule as a measured operating record.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

SPH / JOA demo card (installation year 2025): at Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology Bologna, a two-stage heat pump turns dryer exhaust heat into saturated steam at 139°C and 2.5 bar(g). Rated duty is 650 kW. A FAT COP of 2.5 is source-reported, not remeasured here.

Temperature lift

≈ 40 K

Architecture

Two-stage reciprocating heat pump (SPH) integrated by JOA with direct recovery from humid dryer exhaust

Result status

The card lists installation year 2025, about 5,000 h/a, and a COP of 2.5 measured during factory acceptance testing. That FAT figure is not a published multi-season site audit.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Lüchu Technology (9 Apr 2026): a 2 MW-class very-high-temperature heat-pump storage demo at Xisai Science Valley, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China, reached full load. It uses air as the heat-pump fluid and molten salt as storage, and is reported to release superheated steam near 540°C at a COP of 1.41 from about 45°C waste heat. Not a process-steam heat pump, and not independently metered here.

Temperature lift

≈ 495 K

Architecture

Reverse Brayton-style air heat pump charging molten salt, then releasing high-temperature steam — heat-pump storage, not closed-cycle steam generation plus MVR

Result status

The builders reported full-load operation on 9 Apr 2026. Electric input is about 1.5 MW and heating output about 2 MW. COP 1.41 is source-reported for the 45°C source. A separate 8 MW / 400°C phase was announced earlier and is not treated here as this operating unit.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Shanghai Electric (acceptance 9 May 2025): a 1.1 MW / 10.8 MWh molten-salt store coupled to a high-temperature heat pump, supplying industrial steam at a factory in Fengxian, Shanghai. This is thermal storage plus a heat pump, not a process-steam heat pump of the closed-cycle plus MVR type. Not independently metered here.

Architecture

Single-tank molten-salt storage coupled to a high-temperature heat pump for green steam

Result status

Shanghai Electric reported that after more than two months of trial operation the system passed the owner's acceptance on 9 May 2025 and entered commercial operation. Steam conditions are not published as one fixed pair.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Public project note: BASF has started construction at Ludwigshafen, Germany, of an open heat-pump system (GKT CompriVAP, formerly GIG Karasek) meant to turn steam-cracker waste heat into up to 50 MW of process steam. Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2027. This entry is under construction, not an operating case.

Architecture

Open CompriVAP heat pump — a different route from the closed heat pump plus MVR used at the delfort paper mill

Result status

Construction has started. The public note schedules commissioning for mid-2027. The 50 MW figure is a planned maximum, not a measured duty.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Vicinity Energy (4 Nov 2025): construction has started on a 35 MW river-source heat pump at the Kendall plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make district steam from the Charles River. Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) supplies the heat pump. Installation is targeted by 2028. This is under construction, and it is district steam rather than a factory process line.

Architecture

River-source industrial heat pump for a district steam network; Everllence heat pump, DCO Energy installation

Result status

Construction agreements were announced on 4 Nov 2025. Demolition of a gas boiler was described as underway. Heat-pump installation is targeted by 2028. No operating performance exists.

Data source

Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled

Anonymization

Names follow the public source

Author field survey (2024-05): ammonia mid-temp heat pump coupled to the plant refrigeration train via preheater + condenser-evaporator; plant-reported ~400–500 m³/day hot water displacing purchased steam.

Temperature lift

≈ 20 K

Architecture

Ammonia mid-temperature heat pump coupled to live refrigeration via preheater + condenser-evaporator + auxiliary receiver liquid path

Result status

Overall operation reported as good; steam purchase displaced for a large share of plant hot-water duty

Data source

Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering

Anonymization

Customer names omitted

Author field survey (2024-05): same ammonia HP architecture as plant A at a second Central China meat site; plant-reported ~200–300 m³/day hot water and ~¥100k/month steam savings, plus liquid-path and cleanliness lessons.

Temperature lift

≈ 15 K

Architecture

Ammonia mid-temperature heat pump; liquid drain should enter the auxiliary receiver (winter oil-cooler feed) rather than only the main receiver

Result status

Overall operation reported as good; plant continues to displace purchased steam for hot water

Data source

Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering

Anonymization

Customer names omitted