Armstrong International’s New Industrial Heat Pump Manufacturing Facility to Help Light Industry Manufacturers in the U.S. Meet Net-Zero Goals and Cut Primary Energy Demand by up to 80% – CleanTechnica

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The 29,000-square-foot project was assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Defense Production Act Program

Major efforts are underway to advance America’s energy transition and move away from fossil fuels. This is especially true in the industrial sector, which accounts for more than one-third of all energy used in the United States. According to the American Clean Power Association (ACP), over 160 new manufacturing facilities or expansions have been announced in the U.S. since August 2022. These projects total an investment of more than $500 billion in utility-scale clean energy production.

While much of America’s energy transition is focused on projects powered by clean energy and renewables, there’s a need to address the elephant in the room: energy waste. In 2017, a New York Times report found that the U.S. wastes an astonishing 66% of its energy. 

Between 20% and 50% of industrial thermal energy input is lost through stacks, cooling towers and sewage in the form of hot exhaust gases, cooling water, and heat escaping from equipment surfaces and heated products. In light manufacturing facilities alone (such as food, pharmaceuticals, paper, and personal care products), 50% to 80% of the primary energy input leaves the plant as waste heat at medium (<400°F/200°C) or even low temperatures (<200°F/<90°C). 

This leaves only a fraction of energy input that can be used for manufacturing the product, which is especially concerning as the U.S. continues to increase reliance on clean energy solutions with limited and intermittent availability. Failing to address the significant amount of energy wasted in light industry is both costly and diverts precious renewable resources from other areas of society where it’s needed. One U.S. company is changing the way the American industrials think about energy waste—global thermal utility solutions provider Armstrong International. As specialists in energy efficiency, the 125-year-old company asserts it holds the key to advancing America’s decarbonization efforts for light industry. 

“If most of the energy being pulled from the grid is wasted, not only will energy prices soar but there simply won’t be enough energy to go around,” said Kurt Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of Armstrong International. “We have to tackle energy waste before we can ever fully transition to a net-zero future and that means recovering much of the low-grade waste heat that escapes today’s light manufacturing and industrial plants.”

What’s the solution? According to the first law of thermal dynamics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only converted from one form to another or moved from place to place. So if waste heat could be reclaimed and harnessed, it could be put to use as a valuable energy resource—and that’s exactly what Armstrong is doing. Instead of releasing waste heat into the atmosphere, Armstrong applies its Circular Thermal® methodology to capture the waste heat within a plant and recirculate it back into production. This process can help a plant reduce its primary energy demand by more than 80% and cut CO2 emissions by as much as 50%. 

At the heart of the Circular Thermal® solution lies the heat pump, a technology similar to that found in refrigerators and air conditioners. Essentially, heat pumps extract heat from a source, such as heat escaping from a factory, and then increase the temperature to a useful level before transferring it to wherever it’s needed. Once all available waste heat from process and cooling is recovered, heat pumps can also use shallow geothermal or water from rivers, lakes, or even sewage, as heat sources. Although the COP of such systems is lower than for process or cooling waste heat applications (due to lower temperature heat source), heat pumps consume only half the electrical power of a simple electric steam boiler, hot water generator or process heater. However, the availability of high-temperature industrial heat pumps remains limited in America, which is why Armstrong recently broke ground on a 29,000-square-foot industrial heat pump manufacturing wing at its campus in Three Rivers, Michigan. Assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), which administers the DOE’s Defense Production Act programs, the new facility will significantly bolster Armstrong’s capacity to produce specialized industrial heat pumps for high-demand applications exceeding 100kW of heat and temperatures above 180°F/82°C. Instrumental in promoting energy efficiency and sustainability, Armstrong’s industrial heat pumps will be fundamental in supporting the transition to clean energy for light industries.

“American manufacturing sits at the nexus of our economic and national security,” noted MESC Director Giulia Siccardo. “These investments are critical to scaling heat pump production, driving down cost, and expanding access to energy efficient heating and cooling technology, reducing strain on our grid and on consumer pocketbooks.”

“We are truly honored to have been selected for this grant, and we view it as a validation of our commitment to innovation and offering sustainable solutions to the highly technical issues companies face when implementing their decarbonization strategies,” said Armstrong. “The DOE funds will play a crucial role in expediting the production and adoption of our high-temperature industrial heat pumps in the United States, as well as our Circular Thermal® approach to decarbonization.”

Armstrong, along with eight other projects, were ultimately selected as recipients in the first round of the DOE funding to boost manufacturing of electric heat pump (air-to-air, geothermal, and air-to-water) and key components (compressors and refrigerants) at 14 sites in 13 states across the country. 

As companies increasingly announce net-zero pledges, many are under pressure to deliver results. Armstrong maintains that its electric heat pumps are a solution to thermal decarbonization challenges facing industries. The company is no stranger to this arena. In fact, Armstrong International and its partner Combitherm, a renowned family-owned manufacturer of refrigeration systems and heat pumps, have more than 100 high-temperature industrial heat pumps in operation around the world. 

“This expansion marks a significant milestone for Armstrong International in our growth as a global leader in advancing thermal decarbonization solutions,” Armstrong added. “It underscores our commitment to driving sustainable, technical solutions within the industrial sector, aimed at improving energy efficiency and assisting in the global energy transition. Consuming fossil fuel will no longer be an option for companies willing to decarbonize thermal generation, so recovering their waste heat becomes a must.”

For more information on Armstrong International, visit www.ArmstrongInternational.com. 

For more information on DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC)’s work to boost heat pump and heat pump component manufacturing, visit Defense Production Act Heat Pump Program Selections | Department of Energy.