Production processes in factories such as drying, disinfection and washing of raw materials and products require high-temperature heat. Traditionally, heat used in these processes is supplied using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), heavy oil, town gas and other fossil fuels.
With the recent development of technologies enabling electric heat pumps to supply high-temperature heat, there has been an increasing move toward replacing the use of fossil fuels with electricity.
The most common method currently used for supplying high-temperature heat with fossil fuels is to burn fuel in boilers to generate steam, which is piped to where needed in the factory. This method, however, has disadvantages including significant temperature and pressure loss during the pipe transport of steam as well as variability of running costs affected by fluctuations in fuel costs.
Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is another major challenge associated with fossil fuel use. Against this backdrop, electric utilities and manufacturers have been accelerating the development of electric heat pumps capable of supplying high-temperature heat.
Four Japanese companies of Tokyo Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power and Kobe Steel, Ltd. will launch into the market in May new heat pumps that can supply high-temperature steam of 120 degrees Celsius or higher. Previously, steam at such high temperatures could be supplied only with boilers.
Practical application of systems that use high-temperature heat pumps has also been in the works, including food container drying and washing systems. Some systems have already been introduced to actual factories. Electric utilities are in hope of further expansion of electricity use in various processes such as disinfection, concentration and drying in food and chemical plants.
