Project
Title
Energetic and environmental optimisation of drying processes by integration of heat pumps
Acronym
HP4Drying
Start
01.03.2014
End
30.06.2016
Coordinating Institute
University of Gent
Coordinator
Bruno Vanslambrouck
Contact
Partner
University of Gent
Prüf- und Forschungsinstitut Pirmasens
Institut für Textil- und Verfahrenstechnik (ITV) der Deutschen Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung Denkendorf (DITF)
Institut für Ziegelforschung Essen e.V. (IZF)
Fraunhofer-Institut für Holzforschung - Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI
wfk Cleaning Technology Institute e.V., Krefeld
Summary
Drying is an energy intensive process accounting for at least 15% of industrial energy usage and even higher in some specific sectors, e.g. 30-55% in medicinal plants processing, 50% in textile manufacturing and up to 70% in wood industry. Numerous studies suggest that heat pump assisted dryers possess the potential of saving up to 50% or more of the primary energy used. In spite of intensive previous academic research, reliable industrial applications are still exceptional, since heat pump dryers are much more complex than each of their components separately.
The target of the project is to dedicate precompetitive research on developing different heat pump assisted drying processes and to demonstrate their energy-use and economic efficiency across several industrial sectors. The focus lies thereby on the convective drying processes, which are the most commonly used and can be advantageously assisted by heat pumps. Hence, the cross-industry interest is correspondingly large and represented by the 37 German and 15 Belgian companies involved in the project. The companies are active in the fields of drying, heat pumps, wood industry, brick and ceramic, medicinal and aromatic plants, textile manufacturing, laundry-drying as well as sewage sludge and digestate.
Based on the current state of the art, the established as well as innovative technical solutions will be analyzed. The effective integration of heat pumps in the respective drying plants followed by their quality and energy-use optimized operation by means of largely automated process control under varying conditions is the focus of the project. Scientific challenges arise from the thermodynamic and process-technical interactions between the heat pump and the dryer. The project results will be demonstrated in laboratory and pilot scale as well as in a production plant. Sector-specific potentials and limitations for feasible implementation will be discussed. Industrial case studies performed during the project and scientific publications will accelerate the technology transfer.
Funding
Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi)
Funding agency
Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen "Otto von Guericke" e.V. (AiF)
Funding framework
CORNET (EU Collective Research NETworking)