An industrial heat pump recovers waste heat from the refrigeration plant

The pharmaceutical and biotechnological company Bachem AG develops active ingredients for medicines. These active ingredients are produced in reactors which are cooled and heated on purpose. Some of the laboratories and production rooms are subject to strict regulatory requirements concerning the ambient air. The air-conditioning of the premises is equally demanding.

Covering additional cooling requirements in a well thought-out manner

As early as 2014, an increase in cooling requirements for production was observed at the Bubendorf site. The existing cooling centers therefore had to be expanded and the additional heat rejections used accordingly. "We knew from the start that we wanted to use the waste heat from the new cooling generators in one of our on-site heating networks instead of discharging it into the environment via dry coolers as before," explains Peter Seiz, head of global engineering at Bachem AG.

Combined cold and heat production allows heat recovery

The company found the installation of an additional energy center to be the ideal solution for its needs. The new system combines a refrigeration plant and a heat pump in one unit. Two refrigeration compressors produce cold water at 8°C, which is required for production. This produces waste heat at a temperature of 45°C, which is then raised to 70°C by the heat pump. Bachem AG then uses the water brought up to this temperature to heat the rooms and water in several of its buildings.

Important contribution of the heat pump

Although the heat requirement is low during the summer months and the cooling capacity remains constantly high, the new heat pump can use a good 55% of the residual heat from the refrigeration plant. This means that Bachem AG can cover around 36% of the annual heat requirement of four buildings at its Bubendorf site with renewable energy.

Networked heating and cooling systems are complex

The new combined cooling and heating center at the Bubendorf site is directly connected to the cooling network via two cooling centers. The perfect networking of the various systems is the central challenge of a solution of this kind. A lot of experience and knowledge of the processes is required to ensure that there are no interruptions in operation.

Ecology and economy - the ideal combination

By combining a refrigeration system with a heat pump, Bachem AG is making targeted use of renewable energy. It will take only six years for this innovative investment to pay off. It is therefore worth considering the use of renewable energies before expanding production. The brochure "Towards climate-neutral production" shows the individual steps to achieve the goal of zero net emissions. Do not hesitate to carry out a pinch analysis to identify unnecessary heat loss in your company and use this waste heat to reduce your energy requirements by at least 40%.