Wake the sleeping giant
DLR conducts research for the heat transition. By Denise Nüssle
How does a heat pump work?
Heat pumps transport heat from a place with a lower temperature to a place with a higher temperature and vice versa. Usually, this transport takes place in a closed system in which a heat transfer medium flows. Pumping heat from cold to hot requires energy in the form of electricity - and more so the greater the difference between the temperature levels. A well-known example is the refrigerator, where a heat pump transports heat from the inside to the outside.
Heat pump XXL: sustainable heat for industrial processes
Heat pumps are used to cool or heat. These processes require energy in the form of electricity. "Currently, heat pumps are becoming an increasingly interesting technological component - for private households as well as for industry. This is because they are a solution for electrifying the heating sector and thus avoiding emissions - provided, of course, that the electricity used comes from renewable sources," summarizes Dr. Panagiotis Stathopoulos of the DLR Institute for Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, adding: "This is because heat pumps produce several times more heat per unit of electricity consumed. This is significantly more efficient than electric heaters or the combustion of green hydrogen - especially in the temperature range up to 300 degrees Celsius. However, heat pumps are complex systems with high installation costs."