Norwegian manufacturer Enerin has delivered a 400kW (113.7TR) helium (R704)-based heat pump to Pelagia, a seafood-processing company, for its fishmeal facility in Måloy, Norway.
The unit, set for commissioning in March, is the first of two V12 HoegTemp heat pumps to be installed at Pelagia’s factory. Once complete, the system will use seawater and recovered waste heat from the facility’s dryers to produce 1.6MW (455TR) of high-temperature steam for fish-oil production.
The system’s source temperatures will range from 6°C (42.8°F) at startup to 90°C (194°F) during operation of the facility’s production lines. It will produce temperatures of 150–250°C (302–482°F).
Once the performance of the heat pumps are validated, the units will replace the site’s existing fossil fuel-based steam boilers. Through the installation, Pelagia hopes to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and operation costs through efficiency gains.
“We hope that this is just the beginning of our deliveries to the seafood industry,” Arne Høeg, CEO of Enerin, told NaturalRefrigerants.com.
Temperatures up to 250°C
Unlike conventional high-temperature heat pumps, the HoegTemp operates on a Stirling cycle using helium in a dry gas-phase system. This closed-loop compression and expansion process eliminates the need for lubricants and phase-change refrigerants, making it more reliable and efficient and requiring less maintenance, Enerin explains on its website.
According to the manufacturer, the HoegTemp’s advantages include:
- Single-step heating up to 250°C, even from −30°C (−22°F) sources
- Energy savings of 50–70% for temperature lifts of 80–100°C (176–212°F)
- No loss of heating capacity in cold conditions
- Faster and more efficient defrosting using separate glycol loops and steam heat
With regard to Enerin’s refrigerant choice, helium is a non-flammable non-toxic natural refrigerant with zero ozone depletion and global-warming potential.
“We believe in natural refrigerants,” said Høeg. “Most are renewable, [and] few have environmental issues. [They] are future-proof and will not be banned in a few years, like some synthetics will be.”
He also noted that using natural refrigerants in heat pumps “normally” results in higher system efficiency.
“We believe in natural refrigerants. Most are renewable, [and] few have environmental issues. [They] are future-proof and will not be banned in a few years, like some synthetics will be.”
Arne Høeg, CEO of Enerin
Expanding installations
The Pelagia project marks the third real-world deployment of Enerin’s HoegTemp heat pump. The first was installed in 2023 at an IVAR biogas facility, where it provides steam heat up to 200°C (392°F) and cooling.
In late 2024, Enerin commissioned its second HoegTemp heat pump – a V6 model – at GE Healthcare’s medical manufacturing site in Lindesnes, Norway. The 400kW unit supplies 140°C (284°F) steam for the distillation, recovery and reuse of solvents in contrast agent production on a heating-as-a-service basis.
GE Healthcare is now exploring a 2MW (568.7TR) expansion, with partial funding from Norway’s energy efficiency agency, Enova. Enerin has been a key consultant on the project, noted Høeg.
Enerin is also preparing to deploy HoegTemp units in several demonstration projects:
- A bakery will use a HoegTemp heat pump to recover humid air from production lines, delivering 200–250°C (392–482°F) heat. This project is in partnership with Danish machinery manufacturer Circular Energy Systems.
- At the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, a HoegTemp heat pump will integrate with thermal energy storage, providing heat up to 250°C from source temperatures of 10–130°C (50–266°F).
- In Norway, a HoegTemp heat pump will be paired with a thermal energy storage system from Kyoto Group that uses molten salt for high-efficiency heat storage.
Electrifying European industry
As Europe works to accelerate industrial decarbonization, high-temperature heat pumps offer an effective and efficient solution, noted Høeg.
“High-temperature heat pumps can supply at least 200TWh for industrial heating between 100°C and 200°C,” he said. “These heat pumps will need less than 100TWh of new renewable energy, compared to 200TWh for direct electric heating.”
He also emphasized that industrial heat pumps, including Enerin’s HoegTemp unit, should be leveraged as grid assets, reducing the need for grid expansion. By integrating thermal energy storage, facilities can optimize heat pump operation based on electricity pricing and availability.
“It’s possible to run heat pumps at a higher capacity when electricity is cheap and intermittent renewables are plentiful, and reduce the capacity when electricity is expensive or there is less available renewable energy in the grid,” Høeg explained.
