Imagine a thermal sponge that can soak up low-grade heat and squeeze it back out at a much higher temperature. Instead of letting waste heat vanish, this system uses special salts to 'pump' that heat up to levels useful for heavy industry. It works like a battery for heat, meaning you can save the energy now and use it exactly when your machines need it.
Industries waste vast amounts of low-grade heat because it is too cool to be useful, and using electricity-heavy heat pumps to upgrade it is often too expensive. This creates a dependency on fossil fuels for high-temperature process heating.
A modular, closed-system Hydration Heat Transformer using salt hydrates to upgrade waste heat to 150-250°C. The system includes optimized reactive materials with high energy density and cycling stability.
If you are a refinery dealing with massive amounts of low-grade waste heat—this project developed a hydration heat transformer that upgrades heat to 150-250°C. This allows you to reuse waste energy for process heating, significantly reducing your reliance on fossil fuels.
If you are a solar energy provider dealing with fluctuating heat supply—this project developed a thermochemical storage and upgrade system. It can store recovered heat and deliver it at 150-250°C, ensuring a steady heat supply even when the sun isn't shining.
If you are a factory owner dealing with high electricity costs for heat pumps—this project developed a system that consumes almost no electricity to upgrade heat. It targets a Levelized Cost of Heat of 4-6 c€/kWh or less, making decarbonization more affordable.
The project aims for a Levelized Cost of Heat (LCOH) of 4-6 c€/kWh or less.
Yes, the project focuses on industrial scalability with reactive materials costing below €3/kg and is demonstrating capacities of 10 kW and 35 kW in relevant environments.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the consortium includes 14 partners, including 4 SMEs and a large company to ensure future exploitation.
The system is designed as modular, closed-system heat upgrade reactors that can be integrated with any renewable technologies, including solar thermal systems.
The project period runs from 2023-05-01 to 2027-04-30, aiming to reach TRL 5 by the end of the term.
The consortium is well-balanced for commercialization, featuring a 36% industry ratio. With 14 partners across 9 countries, it combines the academic rigor of 5 universities and 3 research centers with the practical application expertise of 4 SMEs and 1 large company, ensuring a clear path from lab to industrial end-users.
Contact the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) regarding the Hydration Heat Transformer
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the TechUPGRADE consortium for early adoption pilots.
