Heat recovery involves matching a source of waste heat to a practical sink.  With conventional refrigeration heat recovery technology, the energy recovered from a compressor’s discharge gas stream is dependent upon the minimum usable temperature of the process receiving the heat (1).  Ammonia heat pumps can improve the quality (temperature) of the recovered heat, converting the waste heat from industrial and agricultural refrigeration compressors into useable high temperature heat, rather than exhausting it to the atmosphere through evaporative condensers. The ammonia heat pump can increase heat recovery and offset the on-site consumption of fossil fuels used to power boilers and hot water heaters; adds condensing capacity to existing refrigeration systems, reduces ‘host’ compressor energy; reduces condenser and boiler water consumption, and reduces condenser fan and circulating pump energy.

The ammonia heat pump technology can be applied in pharmaceutical, meat and poultry, seafood, dairy, cold storage warehouses for perishables, and beverage processing applications.    Additional energy savings potential exists in industrial drying, distillation, and desalination..

In new facilities or during major plant upgrades, a dual-purpose ammonia heat pump can provide simultaneous cooling and heating.  The heat pump recovery technology is new as only seventeen systems are in operation throughout the world today (2014), of which fourteen are in Europe, Canada, and Caribbean islands.  Waste heat can be used to heat water to temperatures as high as 195⁰F.

Two to four year simple paybacks are common.