Pharma firm to test cold thermal energy storage
9th February 2025
UK: Organic Heat Exchangers (O-Hx) is to demonstrate the benefits of its cold thermal energy storage solution at a global health care company’s UK manufacturing site.
During a three-month trial period, O-Hx will collaborate with Organon Pharma to install an EnergiVault demonstration system within Organon’s chilled water infrastructure at its manufacturing plant in Cramlington.
The EnergiVault thermal battery contains a reservoir of phase-change material. The battery can be ‘charged’ by the refrigeration system using off-peak electricity, and then drawn-down during high-tariff periods. Waste heat generated by the refrigeration system can also be captured by EnergiVault’s heat recovery system and used for space heating or hot water.
The installation at Organon Pharma’s UK manufacturing site is seen as an important step towards evaluating the system’s potential for wider application. It will verify how EnergiVault can enhance chiller efficiency during winter and transitional seasons, improve thermal capacity and resilience during summer peak demands, and better integrate renewable energy assets into the site’s operations.
A successful outcome will enable O-Hx and Organon to work together to design a tailored commercial solution, potentially involving multiple EnergiVault units.
Whilst the EnergiVault technology is sector agnostic, it is particularly well suited to the demands of pharmaceutical and healthcare applications on a global scale,” explained Geoff Barker, O-Hx’s product director.
“The O-Hx EnergiVault system has the potential to work alongside our existing refrigeration systems and efficiently manage part load chillers and respond to peak loading situations without significant energy consumption,” said Organon utilities lead Paul Lunn.
“The system will allow us to effectively store energy from renewable sources such as the existing on-site wind turbines and future solar PV and overall adding system resilience.”
Related stories:
Bitzer “charged” with energy storage – 26 January 2022
UK: Bitzer open-drive ammonia screw compressors are being employed in a new energy storage technology being developed by UK company O-Hx. Read more…
