- #1
rollingstein
Gold Member
- 646
- 16
In process plants many heating applications will use steam at approx 120 C whereas the standard cooling utility is cooling water at approx. 30 C.
In the dozens of plants I've seen I cannot recall having seen even one Heat Pump. Why is this so? Is the capex too high? Or are compressors too inefficient?
An ideal heat pump raising heat from say 60 C to 120 C ought to have a COP of 6.5. Isn't that a lot of saving on steam & cooling tower costs both? What gives? Is coal / gas so much cheaper than electricity needed for the compressors?
In the dozens of plants I've seen I cannot recall having seen even one Heat Pump. Why is this so? Is the capex too high? Or are compressors too inefficient?
An ideal heat pump raising heat from say 60 C to 120 C ought to have a COP of 6.5. Isn't that a lot of saving on steam & cooling tower costs both? What gives? Is coal / gas so much cheaper than electricity needed for the compressors?