Turboden Company has started operations of the largest industrial steam heat pump in Finland. This developed system makes it possible to generate industrial steam without direct CO₂ emissions, recording a tangible breakthrough in the electrification of process heat.
The high temperature 12 MWth steam heat pump
The plant integrates a high-capacity heat pump with a mechanical steam recompression system. The plant produces 12 MWth of superheated steam at 3.4 bar(a) and achieves temperatures between 150 and 180 °C. This figure places the plant as a benchmark in industrial applications requiring high-temperature steam.
In addition, the system exceeds the guaranteed coefficient of performance by 10%, which reinforces the technical feasibility of the industrial steam heat pump as a real alternative to traditional boilers. The performance obtained confirms that steam electrification is already a mature option for energy-intensive sectors.
Moreover, the technological key lies in the integration between the low-pressure heat pump and the mechanical steam recompression unit. This combination makes it possible to recover low-quality waste heat from the paper process and raise its thermal level to produce useful industrial steam.
The system runs on carbon-free electricity, enabling the generation of decarbonized steam without the use of fossil fuels. The technology thus demonstrates the potential of thermal recovery and process integration to reduce emissions in factories that rely on continuous steam.
This reduction positions the high-temperature heat pump as a key tool in industrial energy transition strategies.
The solution also guarantees operational continuity, reliability and steam quality equivalent to conventional systems. For industries such as the special paper industry where thermal stability is critical, this factor is decisive.
Another relevant aspect was the complexity of integrating the plant into an existing industrial space. The engineering was designed to operate in a room with physical limitations ensuring accessibility, maintenance and optimal performance.
The technical coordination between technology supplier and customer allowed a complete integration in the plant. The management of the interaction between heat pump and MVR system in all operational phases was decisive to achieve the expected efficiency parameters.
Finally, this project consolidates the role of the industrial steam heat pump within the energy transformation initiatives promoted by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Process heat electrification emerges as a concrete way to replace fossil boilers in applications demanding temperatures above 150 °C.
Source and photo: Turboden