Turboden S.p.A., a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has announced the successful start-up of the world’s largest steam-producing heat pump, a groundbreaking solution designed and manufactured to decarbonise industrial steam generation. The system is now fully operational at a paper mill belonging to Austrian speciality paper major delfortgroup AG (delfort), and is overperforming with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) 10 percent above the guaranteed value.
With a global market presence in specialty papers for labels, laboratory analysis, thinprint, electrical insulation, archive, baking and cooking, food and non-food packaging, delfort currently operates six paper mills in Europe and Asia.
The company has embarked on a decarbonisation pathway that includes switching to biogenic and alternative fuels for thermal energy, as well as research into the electrification of heat and steam generation.
A technological breakthrough
In the latter, delfort required a solution capable of supplying its production with fully decarbonized steam, while guaranteeing the same quality, reliability, and continuity traditionally provided by fossil-fuel boilers at one of its paper mills.
Turboden addressed this need by developing a customized steam electrification solution that produces steam from carbon dioxide (CO2) free electricity while valorizing low-temperature waste heat from the paper manufacturing process itself.
One of Turboden’s most innovative projects, it represents a major step forward in the decarbonization of energy-intensive industrial processes.
For the industrial and energy sectors, this project stands as clear evidence that large-scale heat pump technologies are a viable and already available decarbonization solution, delivering outstanding performance as a high-efficiency alternative to traditional fossil-based systems, said Paolo Bertuzzi, Managing Director and CEO of Turboden.
Integrating Large Heat Pump with Mechanical Vapor Recompression
The project consists of a Large Heat Pump (LHP) coupled with a Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) capable of generating 12 MWth of superheated steam at 3.4 bar(a), raising the temperature to 150–180°C.
The system recovers low-grade waste heat from the industrial process and upgrades it using CO2-free electricity.
At the core of the solution is the integration of the LHP with an MVR, enabling the production of high-temperature steam with zero CO2 emissions.
This plant is the largest steam-producing heat pump ever built, and it demonstrates the concrete potential of CO2-free heat technologies to replace fossil-fuel-based boilers in demanding industrial applications requiring steam above 150 °C.
The result is a robust, efficient, and future-proof system that is estimated to avoid approximately 19,000 tonnes of Scope 1 CO2 emissions annually.
This project marks a significant milestone in delfort’s decarbonization journey. The successful implementation of this efficient and sustainable heat-pump process into our heat generation system clearly proves the potential of this technology. We are proud to be a frontrunner in our industry. This investment reinforces our ability to deliver high-quality, sustainably produced paper solutions to our customers, said Hannes Kinast, COO of delfort.
Tailored engineering for complex constraints
One of the key challenges of the project was to install the heat pump inside an existing room with a limited footprint available.
Turboden designed the plant to ensure optimal accessibility, maintainability, and performance.
This was achieved through a close and collaborative engineering effort between Turboden and delfort, resulting in a tailor-made plant set-up fully integrated in the paper mill.
In addition, Turboden managed the seamless interaction between the heat pump and the MVR across all operating phases, applying advanced process know-how and sophisticated system integration capabilities
This achievement reflects Turboden’s commitment to delivering concrete results through technically robust and forward-looking solutions. The successful start-up of the world’s largest steam-producing heat pump marks an important step in the electrification of industrial heat at scale. It further consolidates Turboden’s expertise in high-temperature large heat pumps and reinforces our role as a long-term technology partner, supporting customers in the transition towards efficient and sustainable electrified heat solutions, said Nicola Rossetti, General Manager Heat Electrification BU at Turboden.
The successful implementation of the project represents a further milestone for the development of steam electrification solutions and projects, confirming Turboden’s central role within Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Green Transformation initiatives.
