Milestone for the ZiRa pilot plant
In the new test rig "Vorpilot ZiRa" (Zittauer Rankine Prozess) at the Zittau site of the Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, the map measurement of a turboradial compressor stage with the medium water vapor was successfully carried out.
The results of these compression experiments are of great importance for the institute in the future design of steam compressors. The successful completion of the experiments represents the first major milestone in the development of the Rankine heat pump "Pilot ZiRa", which will demonstrate the provision of sustainable process heat up to 200 °C for industry.
The use of the "refrigerant" or energy carrier medium water in Rankine heat pumps has two major advantages compared to conventional refrigerants: On the one hand, Rankine heat pumps can be realized that can reach exceedingly high temperatures and, in addition, water is environmentally friendly and inexpensive to procure. However, the compression of water vapor - due to its thermophysical properties - has so far been a major technical challenge in the development of turbomachinery (up to 500 kW el. power input) for Rankine heat pumps.