A Belgian sugar factory will be sweetening Europe’s path to clean industry thanks to a new heat pump in Tienen.
The 4 MW high temperature heat pump, inaugurated yesterday at Tiense Suikerraffinaderij, will replace fossil gas, capturing waste heat at 80°C to produce steam at up to 138°C. This steam is then used to crystallise the sugar.
The heat pump will avoid around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 every year – the equivalent of taking over 3,600 petrol cars off the roads – and reduce the plant’s energy bills. It will provide 5% of the factory’s process heat needs.
The heat pump, which comes from from GEA Refrigeration Germany, supported by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), uses n-Pentane refrigerant and a GEA screw compressor. Shell-and-tube heat exchangers, stainless steel piping, and leak detection sensors ensure durability and safety.
The development and integration of this heat pump are thanks to SPIRIT, a European research project funded under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. EHPA is a partner in the SPIRIT project, which aims to develop and integrate heat pumps across various process industries, including the food and beverage, and paper and pulp sectors.
Simon Spoelstra, Senior Project Manager at TNO and Coordinator of the SPIRIT Project commented:
“It’s impressive to see that what started with a sketch on a piece of paper has resulted in a nice piece of technology integrated in a real plant thanks to the dedicated and hard work of the people involved.”
The system will operate at maximum capacity during production. A 2000-hour testing phase in the SPIRIT project will assess performance, reliability, and cost savings, providing a blueprint for future industrial heat pump adoption.
High-temperature heat pumps are a key technology in the electrification of the process industry. This is an important step for demonstrating the potential for decarbonising the food industry through high-temperature heat pumps.
The Tiense heat pump inauguration took place in the presence of Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management.
