I-UPS aims to develop a first-of-its-kind, cost-effective high-temperature industrial heat pump and thermal storage system, aiming for efficient heat decarbonization.
The project, a collaboration among SMEs, research institutions, and industrial partners, focuses on integrating this innovative heat pump into flexible energy systems. It targets medium-temperature applications (~400°C) in an industrial setting. By optimising key components and leveraging advanced technologies, I-UPS enhances system flexibility and sustainability. This initiative helps position Europe as a leader in industrial heat pump solutions, promoting energy efficiency, waste heat recovery, and reduced carbon emissions in the industrial sector.
The I-UPS project sets out to revolutionise industrial heating by developing and validating a first-of-a-kind (FOAK), cost-effective, and reliable high-temperature industrial heat pump, coupled with thermal energy storage.
This innovative technology aims to deliver decarbonized heat in the form of steam, up to 400°C.
In this context, I-UPS aims to validate up to TRL 5, a pioneering high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) based on Stirling engine technology. This HTHP uses a non-toxic, inert working fluid with zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and zero global warming potential (GWP). This technology stands out because no other commercial alternatives can achieve such high heat delivery temperatures at efficiencies greater than 100%. The I-UPS project focuses on key subcomponents such as static and dynamic sealing solutions and compact heat exchangers.
TPG role
TPG-UNIGE is responsible of conducting a detailed thermoeconomic analysis of all democases, starting from the initial estimates on thermodynamic performance and identifying the best thermos-economic design point, initially for the actual demosites, and, at a later stage, for the upscaled systems. TPG is starting the activities with the WTEMP-EVO original software, which will be specifically developed and upgraded to include all the new system components required by the democases, revising the related cost functions and its overall user interface.