In reading about the Nestle's requirement to displace steam raised by fossil fuel boilers and wanting to use high temperature (200C) heat pumps (which don't exist - yet), wondered if folks had seen what Caldera Heat Batteries have been developing in this space? https://www.caldera.co.uk/
High temperature thermal stores, taking low carbon electricity (e.g. at night or direct from on-site renewables) to heat the store and releasing the heat on demand as steam for industrial processes. This will meet Nestle's needs!
Thank you mentioning Caldera, which is clearly has potential for serving needs for high temperature steam. I think Nestlé and other food manufacturers might well have a need for heat stores of this type using low electricity when available.
I suspect however that the market might be quite limited in the food sector. Nestlé, for example, needs cold and heat in the same factory. (Making the product and then chilling it). A heat pump potentially serves this requirement well, because at the same time as generating heat it is voiding chilled air. (I called this 'symbiotic' in the paragraph I wrote yesterday). That cold air is, in effect free, and if the heat pump is operating on a COP of 3.5, it might mean that the technology is very competitive with Caldera, even if Caldera only uses electricity at times of low prices. It'll be very interesting to see how the market for 200-500 degree heat works out! Best wishes, Chris
In reading about the Nestle's requirement to displace steam raised by fossil fuel boilers and wanting to use high temperature (200C) heat pumps (which don't exist - yet), wondered if folks had seen what Caldera Heat Batteries have been developing in this space? https://www.caldera.co.uk/
High temperature thermal stores, taking low carbon electricity (e.g. at night or direct from on-site renewables) to heat the store and releasing the heat on demand as steam for industrial processes. This will meet Nestle's needs!
Hello Alex.
Thank you mentioning Caldera, which is clearly has potential for serving needs for high temperature steam. I think Nestlé and other food manufacturers might well have a need for heat stores of this type using low electricity when available.
I suspect however that the market might be quite limited in the food sector. Nestlé, for example, needs cold and heat in the same factory. (Making the product and then chilling it). A heat pump potentially serves this requirement well, because at the same time as generating heat it is voiding chilled air. (I called this 'symbiotic' in the paragraph I wrote yesterday). That cold air is, in effect free, and if the heat pump is operating on a COP of 3.5, it might mean that the technology is very competitive with Caldera, even if Caldera only uses electricity at times of low prices. It'll be very interesting to see how the market for 200-500 degree heat works out! Best wishes, Chris