Industrial heat pumps (IHPs) are gaining momentum across the U.S. as industrial companies pursue pathways to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Although adoption in U.S. markets continues to fall behind European markets, interest is growing among utilities and industrial customers seeking practical solutions to support electrification and decarbonization goals.
IHPs offer several advantages for industrial operations. Many systems can recover and upgrade waste heat that would otherwise be lost, creating opportunities to reduce energy consumption and improve overall process efficiency. Some applications can also provide simultaneous heating and cooling for different process needs, further enhancing operational performance.
Despite these benefits, many U.S. organizations have had few opportunities to observe industrial heat pumps operating in real-world environments or assess how the technology could perform within their own facilities. This limited access to IHP application and demonstrations has created a need for testing sites where U.S. stakeholders can evaluate IHP performance and explore potential applications.
To help advance testing and deployment, EPRI is collaborating with Southern Company to develop an IHP Test Site in Atlanta, Georgia. Co-located with Southern Company’s Water Research and Conservation Center (WRCC) at Georgia Power's Plant McDonough, this new test site will serve as both a testing platform and a demonstration site.
EPRI’s five-member research team – Keirstan Entriken, Dr. Sreenidhi Krishnamoorthy, Dr. Ronald Domitrovic, Ammi Amarnath and Baskar Vairamohan – is responsible for conducting measurements and verifying IHP technologies. Southern Company researchers Chase Cortner and John Poole have been supporting the commissioning of this new IHP Test Site. The facility will be able to test heat pumps up to 1 MW thermal heating capacity and can go beyond IHP testing and serve as a showcase location where utilities and industrial customers can observe the technology operating under real-world conditions.
For this IHP Test Site, Armstrong International is the manufacturing partner, supplying a fully integrated solution that includes the first IHP to be evaluated and the associated test stand skids. The initial unit being evaluated is a high-temperature IHP with a thermal capacity of 100 kW. The system is designed to use waste heat at approximately 95°F(35°C) to produce hot water at 176°F (80°C), demonstrating the potential IHPs to upgrade lower-temperature waste heat streams into useful process energy.
Facilities like this provide hands-on access to industrial heat pump technology, bridging the gap between understanding and implementing energy-efficient process technologies. By providing a venue for testing, demonstration and stakeholder engagement, the IHP Test Site offers a new resource for companies seeking to better understand the role industrial heat pumps can play in future industrial operations.
Organizations interested in testing opportunities, showcasing technologies, or visiting the facility are encouraged to connect with the EPRI team to learn more: https://www.epri.com/research/products/000000003002025533, or contact Keirstan Entriken at [email protected].