Heat Exchanger World Magazine December 2024 | Page 58

Project News
BASF to construct industrial heat pump for CO2-free steam generation
GMG provides commercialisation update THERMAL-XR ®
BASF has received funding approval from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action for the construction of the most powerful industrial heat pump . In the coming months , the company will therefore be able to start the preparatory construction work for the project at its Ludwigshafen site . The project is intended to make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions . The planned heat pump will have a capacity of up to 500,000 metric tons of steam per year . The waste heat , which is used as a thermal energy source , is generated during the cooling and cleaning of process gases in one of the two steam crackers at the site . Powered by electricity from renewable energy ,
CO2-free steam is thus generated , and most of this steam is to be used in the production of formic acid . Here , the heat pump has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 98 %. A smaller proportion of the CO2-free steam is supplied to other BASF production plants via the steam network at the site . In total , the heat pump will reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the company ’ s headquarters by up to 100,000 metric tons per year . The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027 . The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is contributing up to around 310 million to the project as part of the Carbon Contracts for Difference funding program .
Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd . ( GMG ) is pleased to provide a business update on the commercialisation progress of THERMAL-XR ® Powered by GMG Graphene . GMG and Nu Calgon have signed an agreement with a consultant to prepare and submit a Pre- Manufacture Notice ( PMN ) for its USA Environmental Protection Agency ’ s ( EPA ) approval to import and sell in the USA , as previously announced in its THERMAL-XR ® re-submission . The PMN application is expected to be submitted before the end of October and the potential approval is expected to take less than 12 months . The PMN will be substantially different from the Low Volume Exemption ( LVE ) PMN GMG previously submitted . The potential PMN EPA approval that GMG will be seeking is expected to be not limited by volume , application , and any one
Kestrix awarded GBP 240k from InnovateUK
particular sector , while the LVE PMN application was limited to 10 tonnes per annum , one application technique , and the HVAC sector . End-user Customer Engagement in the USA is ongoing with North America Distribution Partner Nu Calgon , which is known as the largest specialty chemical provider to the HVACR market in North America . Nu Calgon has a 37 person sales team with approximately 4000 distribution points . Nu Calgon ’ s Cool Worx Powered by GMG Graphene was introduced to the North American HVACR industry at the AHR Expo in January 2024 . As previously announced , Thermal XR ® provided a 36.7 % reduction in energy when demonstrated on a 30 ton Aaon packaged rooftop air-conditioning system at the High School Gymnasium in Harlingen , Texas .
LEI and Lindain Engineering sign a contract
LEI Director Saulius Gudžius and Lindain Engineering CEO Vytas Maciūnas signed a contract for the provision of engineering services . The U . S . -based company Lindain Engineering has been specializing in the designand manufacturing of heat exchangers and their components for nearly twenty years ,
specifically for solar and nuclear heat transfer systems . As part of this project , LEI will provide 3D modeling services for innovative heat exchangers to evaluate and substantiate the efficiency of a newly patented heat exchanger designed by Lindain Engineering .
Recognising a market need for standardised information on what renovations to do , where , and when , InnovateUK , the UK ’ s Innovation agency , unveiled at UK Construction that Kestrix and partners Peabody Trust and United Living Property Services Ltd . have been awarded a GBP 240,000 grant to crack retrofit ’ s data challenge . The collaborative project , lasting 2 years , supports the development , demonstration , and commercialisation of novel Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment Algorithms ( RaThPAs ) – powerful
algorithms that interpret thermal images of buildings for retrofit insights . AI predicts U-values ( heat transfer ) of varying materials , identifies faulty insulation , and estimates overall space heating demand intensity ( the rate at which the whole building leaks heat ). When applied at portfolio-scale , these allow a housing provider , city , or energy utility to stack-rank subsets of buildings by the level of thermal efficiency with more confidence than ever before , helping prioritise work and plan for net zero over the long term .
58 Heat Exchanger World December 2024 www . heat-exchanger-world . com