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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Rotation Heat Pump (ROTATION HEAT PUMP â€“ the refrigerant free highly-efficient heat pump for industrial use)

Teaser

Summary

The Austrian tech company ecop Technologies GmbH concentrates on R&D and manufacturing of an innovative Rotation Heat Pump. The Rotation Heat Pump uses a disruptive technology, patented several times, with a completely new physical approach based on a 1-phase thermodynamic cyclic process instead of the thermodynamic 2-phase compression process of conventional heat pumps. This, for the first time, enables high-scale industrial use that existing conventional heat pumps cannot provide because their process is not suitable for high temperatures and fluctuating conditions of industrial settings. Furthermore, they usually require as working fluids refrigerants with a high global warming potential (GWP), while the Rotation Heat Pump uses an inert gas with GWP zero, widely available, inexpensive and not posing any security issues.
The objective of this innovation project is to bring the Rotation Heat Pump to the market â€“ in the two performance classes of 700kW and 2MW (scale-up for more power). Transfer from TRL7 to 9 of the currently existing 700 kW technology includes enlarging the temperature range to 150Â°C, fine-tuning the control system, raising energy efficiency and reducing production costs. In parallel, the set-up of a cost optimized series production will be conducted. Additional demo plants â€“ one already existing in district heating â€“ shall demonstrate further important use cases like industrial drying. Implementing a profound communication strategy and partnering with system integrators at EU level will pave the way to commercialization.

Work performed

Since the project began, we could deliver a new, pre serial, machine to our pilot-customer and we could set it into operation so far. This machine is used as demo plant for customer visits.
While one machine is operating at our customer, we set up the production process based on all learnings from the pre serial machine. Actually, we are producing the next RHP K7 on the level of the first full run test.
Upgrades of the K7 actually making great progress within engineering and some of them where even implemented to the machine actual in production and to its test procedures. The upcoming machine will be equipped with the high temperature extension. During system test we will implement and test new dynamic control strategies.
The new type the M2 is making progress in development. We set up a project plan beginning with a concept phase. This is a very dynamic project so we use agile methods in kind of a stage gate process. Actual we have a concept for any assembly and we made our first design review. Now we are going into details and begin the detail engineering. While bringing in concepts we do in parallel a continuous monitoring of the economic- and production feasibility.

Final results

Our Technology is capable to meet all the needs of the market. We can provide a heat pump for temperatures of 150Â°C or even 180Â°C but not just capable to reach such temperatures but to do this with no dependency of any stable inputs and no dependency of any refrigerant constantly phased down by EU F-Gas regulation. The performance is confirmed by Fraunhofer ISE.
This flexibility combined with the high temperature, the high COP and environmentally friendly working fluid, this technology has the potential to force this market back into a fluid phase and becoming part of the new dominant design.
Customers have those needs but actually there is no solution on the market except â€“ burning gas.
We are also looking forward to a down scaling of our technology which is indeed possible. We made our first simulations for a feasibility. The vision seems to be at our doorstep, it is possible to scale this technology down, keep the USPs and be economically competitive. So, a rotation heat pump could be used for single households and even smaller for white goods and cars! Of course, it is still a long road to this vision but at last we found out that there is a possible way, and we need to follow our visions.
This huge potential brings the potential for many new jobs in many different disciplines. Furthermore, this technology is absolutely environmentally friendly, so there is no need for a trade-off between saving CO2 by reducing gas but to use non-environmental friendly refrigerants.
At last this is a technology invented, designed and made in Europe which delivers the EU the potential to become technology leader of a new energy solution.