Strategic Shift in Industrial Heating
The 5th High-Temperature Heat Pump Symposium, held in Copenhagen on January 21-22, 2026, gathered over 500 participants to discuss the future of industrial energy. The narrative surrounding industrial heat is evolving from purely environmental goals to a strategic priority focused on resilience, competitiveness, and reducing fossil fuel reliance. The rapid development of heat pump technologies is pushing technical boundaries to provide secure, low-carbon heat for real-world industrial applications.
GEOSYN Geothermal Innovations
At the symposium, Vaishak Somasundaram and Paride Gullo, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) presented key findings from the GEOSYN project focused on decarbonizing industrial process heat. The team detailed the development of a geothermal high-temperature heat pump utilizing water (R718) as a natural refrigerant, designed specifically for rubber and dairy processing facilities. The proposed system utilizes a novel four-stage positive displacement compressor to upgrade geothermal energy into saturated steam, directly replacing conventional heavy fuel oil and natural gas boilers.
Economic and Environmental Impact
The GEOSYN dynamic simulation models demonstrated significant operational and environmental advantages for these industrial applications, achieving a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of up to 3.5. Compared to conventional fossil-fuel boilers, the proposed configuration can reduce operational costs by up to 60% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 84%. These results highlight the technical viability of the GEOSYN prototype in leveraging medium-temperature geothermal sources to create sustainable and highly efficient industrial thermal processes.
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