Heat pumps on track with waste heat recovery project

ITALY: A waste heat recovery project in Turin, employing Trane heat pumps, is demonstrating how district heating operators can unlock more value from existing cogeneration assets. 

Italian energy company Meco Sauze Srl is capturing low-temperature waste heat from the cogeneration plant in Sauze d’Oulx and upgrading it for use in its district heating network. Delivered in collaboration with electric utility company Ecotermica Servizi SpA (ETS), the project is increasing heating capacity, improving overall plant efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

The plant includes three cogeneration sections, each with electrical power of 1,334kW. To improve system efficiency, one Trane XStream RTWF 125 HE heat pump was installed on each cogeneration engine, enabling low-temperature waste heat to be recovered and upgraded to a usable temperature for district heating distribution. Now fully commissioned and operational, the project is expected to deliver a return on investment in less than two years.

For Meco Sauze, the project was driven by the need to improve the efficiency and sustainability of an existing cogeneration-based district heating plant. While the facility was already generating electricity and useful heat, part of the available thermal energy from the intercooler remained too low in temperature to be used directly in the network. 

The challenge was not simply to add equipment, but to find a dependable way to recover and upgrade low-grade heat without compromising the reliability required for district heating operation. Because this was the customer’s first installation of this kind, both proven technology and application support were key considerations in the selection process.

The installed RTWF units recover low-grade energy at approximately 30°C and raise it to around 80°C. Because the units are paired with the cogeneration plant, they can also be powered by electricity generated on site.