Anything but bone dry

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How heat pump technology makes industrial waste heat useful

Industrial processes inevitably generate a lot of energy. This energy often goes to waste in the ambient air, meaning that it is unused. Heat pumps make this waste heat useful by absorbing energy and using it for a specific purpose, e.g. feeding it into the central heating system. This allows users to improve their energy efficiency whilst cutting costs. And, of course, BITZER compressors are involved – when drying dog food or bricks, for example. That is reason enough for BITZER to support the DryFiciency research project with other industrial companies and the EU. DryFiciency is examining how heat pumps can be used profitably in the high temperature phases of industrial processes, i.e. drying processes. In specific terms, the project carries out research on how the waste heat produced by heat pumps can be returned to the process and thus made useful. This field of research promises great potential in the systematic and innovative saving of energy. BITZER is therefore developing special screw compressors that can generate temperatures of up to 150°C for drying processes.