PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL 2026 - Process heat up to 200°C with innovative rotation heat pump – emission-free, economical and future-proof Pyry Iltanen B.Sc. Project Manager, BM Green Cooling - Paper Technology International 2026 - Book - Page 21

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL 2026 - Process heat up to 200°C with innovative rotation heat pump – emission-free, economical and future-proof Pyry Iltanen B.Sc. Project Manager, BM Green Cooling

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL 2026 - Process heat up to 200°C with innovative rotation heat pump – emission-free, economical and future-proof
Pyry Iltanen B.Sc. Project Manager, BM Green Cooling
INTRODUCTION:
The pulp and paper industry faces increasing pressure to decarbonize its thermal energy systems. While electricity consumption
has increasingly been optimized and in many regions partially decarbonized, process heat remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Steam
generation for drying, evaporation, and board production continues to rely largely on natural gas, oil, or biomass combustion.
1. Executive Summary
2. The Process Heat Challenge in Paper Production
High-temperature heat pumps have long been considered
a promising solution for industrial electri昀椀cation. However,
conventional systems struggle when required to deliver
temperatures above 140–160°C at meaningful ef昀椀ciency levels.
The temperature lift, declining coef昀椀cient of performance (COP) at
higher output temperatures, and reliance on synthetic refrigerants
constrain their application in core paper processes. Systems have
been developed with these constrains in mind, with multiple stages
to lower the temperature lift and new kind of refrigerants.
A new concept — the rotational heat pump — aims to
overcome these barriers at once. By enabling temperature lifts
exceeding 100 Kelvin in a single stage, maintaining competitive
COP values at high output temperatures, and utilizing noble gases
instead of synthetic refrigerants, this technology opens a pathway
toward deeper electri昀椀cation of process heat.
For pulp and paper industry the rotational heat pump may
represent a step-change in what is technically and economically
feasible.
2.1 Where Fossil Fuels Are Still Used
Around 5% of global 昀椀nal energy consumption is attributable
to industrial heat above 100 °C – and over 90% of this is still
provided by fossil fuels. For paper and pulp facilities, this means
high and volatile energy costs, a massive carbon footprint, and
growing compliance risks from the EU Emissions Trading System
(ETS) and upcoming PFAS restrictions on conventional refrigerants.
Paper production is inherently energy-intensive, particularly
in its thermal processes. While mechanical energy demand can
increasingly be met with renewable electricity, thermal energy
remains dominated by combustion-based systems. However,
tightening carbon regulations, volatile fuel pricing, and corporate
sustainability targets are driving mills to evaluate electri昀椀cation
strategies more seriously than ever before.
Figure 1: Flow schematic of the new rotor designs.
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