Anonymized field references
Author site observations with customer identity removed. Reported outcomes are not presented as independent metering.
Case library · engineering data
Global Industrial Thermal Case Library
Two author field surveys (Central China meat plants A and B, ammonia heat pumps for hot water) stay in the photo strip. The list further down also includes public-source steam projects, separated by whether they are operating and by technology route. None of these entries is an independently metered delivery record.
Evidence before promotion
See the equipment, then read exactly what the evidence supports
These two photos are author field observations, photographs, and plant-reported outcomes. They are not independently metered performance. The list below also includes public-source steam heat-pump cases.
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Public-source learning cases
Published facts and editable teaching assumptions stay separately labeled.
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Used to learn the workflow. Never described as measured customer performance.
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Manufacturing
Public-source case
delfort specialty paper: Turboden 12 MWth heat pump plus MVR for process steam
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.
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Source temperature
- 8–17°C
- Sink temperature
- 150–180°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- Design COP is about 2 at a very large temperature lift; the guaranteed COP itself is not published in the press note. CO₂ totals differ between the two sources.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Pharma
Public-source case
Takeda Vienna AHEAD: heat pump plus steam compressor to 11 bar(a) / 184°C
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.
- Industry
- Pharma
- Source temperature
- 70°C
- Sink temperature
- 184°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- Do not read the stage COP of about 4.4 as the COP of 184°C steam. Long-run monitored results were not yet published in the card used here.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Manufacturing
Public-source case
Skyven Arcturus demonstration center, Texas: 1 MWth steam-generating heat pump
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.
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- 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.
- Key risk
- A COP near 6–8 usually implies a small temperature lift. Until source and steam temperatures are published, do not use 6.5 as a peer of the COP ~2 paper-mill case.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Pharma
Public-source case
Taiji Fuling pharmaceutical plant, China: Dongfang Electric steam heat pump to 165°C
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.
- Industry
- Pharma
- Source temperature
- 40°C
- Sink temperature
- 165°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- Refrigerant, steam pressure, and annual hours are not in the short trade notes. A tonne-scale steam rate should not be read as a multi-megawatt boiler replacement.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Food
Public-source case
Stella Polaris, Norway: Mayekawa ammonia–pentane cascade for cooker steam
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.
- Industry
- Food
- Source temperature
- 7–18°C
- Sink temperature
- 145–150°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- Steam pressure differs slightly between the 2024 slide (3.2 bar) and the 2025 card (4 bar(a)). Operating hours on the card are marked n/a. Design COP is not a measured seasonal result.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Drying
Public-source case
Philip Morris Bologna: SPH two-stage heat pump supplies dryer steam at 139°C
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.
- Industry
- Drying
- Source temperature
- 36–50°C
- Sink temperature
- 90–139°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- Working fluids are R515B and R1233zd, not natural refrigerants. The 650 kW rating is a dryer module, not a large boiler replacement.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Manufacturing
Public-source case
Huzhou Xisai: 2 MW air heat-pump storage reported at full load, steam near 540°C
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.
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Source temperature
- 45°C
- Sink temperature
- 540°C
- 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.
- Key risk
- COP 1.41 is far below process heat pumps that see a hotter source or a smaller lift. Long-duration reliability was described as still to be run. Do not mix this COP with steam heat pumps at 120–180°C.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Manufacturing
Public-source case
Shanghai Electric Fengxian: 1.1 MW molten-salt storage coupled to a high-temperature heat pump for steam
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.
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- 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.
- Key risk
- A combined efficiency above 100% is an accounting claim, not a vapor-compression COP. Do not file this entry under process steam heat pumps.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Chemical
Public-source case
Under construction
BASF Ludwigshafen: CompriVAP open heat pump, up to 50 MW of process steam, not yet operating
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.
- Industry
- Chemical
- 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.
- Key risk
- Do not cite 50 MW or 100,000 t/a as operating performance. Schedule slip, steam conditions, and COP are unpublished.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
District heating
Public-source case
Under construction
Vicinity Kendall, Cambridge: 35 MW river-source heat pump for district steam, installation targeted by 2028
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.
- Industry
- District heating
- 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.
- Key risk
- 35 MW is a planned nameplate, not a measured steam output. River-source district steam is not the same duty as factory process steam at 150–180°C.
- Data source
- Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
- Anonymization
- Names follow the public source
Public reports, papers, or vendor materials — source and assumptions labeled
Food
Anonymized field reference
Central China meat plant A: ammonia HP recovers refrigeration heat for plant hot water
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.
- Industry
- Food
- Source temperature
- 28–35°C
- Sink temperature
- 55–75°C
- 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
- Key risk
- First-year oil change mandatory for the surveyed lubricant grade; piping cleanliness; prefer skid-packaged preheater + condenser-evaporator for future builds
- Data source
- Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering
- Anonymization
- Customer names omitted
Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering
Food
Anonymized field reference
Central China meat plant B: ammonia HP for plant hot water — coupling & ops lessons
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.
- Industry
- Food
- Source temperature
- 28–35°C
- Sink temperature
- 50–70°C
- 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
- Key risk
- First-year oil change; shaft-seal leak monitoring; installation cleanliness (strainer impurities); plant suggestion of a discharge-header sensible-heat exchanger (80→65°C ammonia / free water lift) is unverified
- Data source
- Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering
- Anonymization
- Customer names omitted
Anonymized engineering notes — field observations and reported outcomes, not independent metering