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With 10 square kilometers in the heart of Europe , the BASF Ludwigshafen Verbund site is the world ’ s largest integrated chemical complex in the world . Source : BASF .
BASF and MAN Energy Solutions : Constructing one of the world ’ s largest heat pumps
BASF and MAN Energy Solutions have entered into a strategic partnership to pursue the construction of an industrial-scale heat pump at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen . This project is intended to make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions , establishing the use of low-CO2 technologies in chemical production and reducing the site ’ s natural gas consumption . As a first step , the project partners are conducting a feasibility study that is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 .
All text and images courtesy of BASF
The planned large-scale heat pump will enable production of steam using electricity from renewable energy , trapping waste heat from the cooling water system at BASF as a source of thermal energy . The residual heat in the water will be processed using compression to produce steam that will be fed into the site ’ s steam network . By integrating the planned heat pump into the site ’ s production infrastructure , up to 150 metric tons of steam can be produced per hour , equivalent to a thermal output of 120 megawatts . The project could reduce CO2 emissions at the site by up to 390,000 metric tons per year . At the same time , it would make the cooling water system more efficient and less dependent on climate and weather conditions .
The need for steam Steam is the most important source of energy in the chemical industry . In Ludwigshafen , BASF requires around 20 million metric tons of steam per year . The plants at the site use much of this as process steam in production , for example , to dry products , heat up reactors or for distilling . Around half of the steam required at the Ludwigshafen site is already produced by recovering heat from production facilities using a low-CO2 process . The remaining steam demand , approximately 50 percent , is met by gas and steam power plants , which emit CO2 during generation .
Tackling emissions together Dr . Martin Brudermüller , Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE : “ In the medium term , we want to reduce our CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2030 . The use of technologies such as large heat pumps , which already exist and can be scaled up to industrial size , brings us a lot closer to this goal . In our cooperation with MAN Energy Solutions , we combine the expertise of a chemical Verbund site with the know-how required for the technological implementation of a project like this . This technology also has the potential to pave the way for projects at other BASF sites .” Dr . Uwe Lauber , CEO of MAN Energy Solutions SE , commented : “ We are really looking forward to the close collabo-
18 Heat Exchanger World October 2022 www . heat-exchanger-world . com