In many companies, valuable heat is still going to waste today. With industrial heat pumps, you recover that residual heat and turn it into usable process heat. The result? Less dependence on fossil fuels, a more efficient process, and a clear step toward lower CO₂ emissions.
The Callens Group helps companies get the most out of their available residual heat. From design and engineering to installation, service, and maintenance, our specialists guide the entire process.
When is an industrial heat pump the right answer to your heat demand?
Many industrial processes produce residual heat that is still underused today. Think of heat from cooling installations, process water, air streams, vapors, or other production processes.
Industrial heat pumps can recover this low-grade heat and upgrade it to usable process heat. This lowers the primary energy consumption needed to produce heat and reduces your dependence on fossil fuels.
At the Callens Group, we always look at how available residual heat can be put to maximum use within your site’s energy balance. That way, industrial heat pumps combine energy recovery, emission reduction, and higher energy efficiency in a single integrated solution.
Key benefits of an industrial heat pump:
Lower CO2 emissions: by reusing existing residual heat, you significantly reduce the need for heat from natural gas, fuel oil, or other fossil fuels.
High energy efficiency: thanks to a high COP (Coefficient of Performance), industrial heat pumps produce several units of usable heat for every unit of electricity consumed. That makes them one of the most energy-efficient technologies for industrial process heat.
Lower energy costs: because a large share of the delivered heat comes from available residual heat rather than primary energy, industrial heat pumps can significantly lower energy consumption and operating costs.
Low environmental impact: modern industrial heat pumps increasingly use natural refrigerants or refrigerants such as ammonia (NH3) or CO2 with a low Global Warming Potential (GWP). This way, they comply with the F-gas regulations and contribute to a sustainable, future-proof heat supply.
Broadly applicable: industrial heat pumps are used in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, paper and textile industry, and in other energy-intensive production environments.
Which type of heat pump is the most suitable solution?
The choice of an industrial heat pump depends on several factors, such as the available residual heat source, the desired temperature level, and the way the heat is reused within the production process.
Which type of heat pump you choose depends on factors such as the type of heat source (liquid stream or condensation process), the type of delivery system (liquid, gas, or boiling liquid), and the required temperature lift.
Depending on the application, you can choose between a compression heat pump and a Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) system. Both technologies recover and make the most of residual heat, but they differ in how they upgrade the heat and integrate it into the process.
At the Callens Group, we always analyze the full process context, energy flows, and heat demand before developing a tailor-made solution.
Not every residual heat source calls for the same approach. That is why the Callens Group works with several industrial heat pump technologies, each tailored to the available heat source, the desired temperature level, and the requirements of the production process.
From compression heat pumps to Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR): our specialists develop a tailor-made solution that makes the most of your residual heat and turns it into usable process heat.
Compression heat pumps
Compression heat pumps
Compression heat pumps turn low-grade residual heat from industrial processes into usable process heat at a higher temperature level. Through a mechanical compression process, heat is upgraded efficiently and reused within the production environment. This results in lower energy consumption, reduced CO2 emissions, and higher energy efficiency across the entire process.
Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) offers a simple and highly efficient way to mechanically recompress the waste vapor from industrial processes. By reusing this vapor as a valuable heat source, MVR systems help reduce CO2 emissions and keep waste to a minimum. This leads to significant energy savings and improved process efficiency.
One partner. 60 years of expertise. Complete peace of mind.
With the Callens Group, a single partner takes care of the entire process: from design and engineering to installation, service, and maintenance. This integrated approach combines technical expertise, project experience, and a strong service organization.
+500 projects per year
Within 2 hours service and support
+400 qualified team members
60 years of experience in EPCS projects
Always close to our customers, with 13 locations
Cut your CO2/NOX emissions by up to 100 %
Industrial heat pumps are a key building block in the electrification of industrial processes. By upgrading heat with electricity, they can meet a significant share of the heat demand without directly burning fossil fuels.
Combined with green electricity, this results in a strong reduction in CO2 emissions and a more sustainable heat supply.
With an industrial heat pump, low-grade residual heat from industrial processes is compressed, raising both its temperature and its energy value.
That way, energy that would otherwise go to waste can be reused within the production process, resulting in lower energy consumption and higher energy efficiency.
Natural refrigerants
Modern industrial heat pumps increasingly use natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH3) or CO2. These offer excellent thermodynamic performance and have a very low environmental impact.
This gives companies a future-proof solution that keeps pace with the evolving regulations on refrigerants and F-gases.
How can industrial heat pumps support your sustainability goals?
Industrial heat pumps are a valuable technology for a sustainable energy transition. Because they repurpose residual heat and upgrade it to usable process heat, they reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve the efficiency of a company’s energy balance.
At the Callens Group, we translate these possibilities into a concrete, feasible solution for your production environment. Based on an analysis of the available heat sources, the process requirements, and the desired temperature ranges, our specialists design a tailor-made heat pump system. In doing so, we aim for the optimal balance between energy efficiency, operational reliability, and economic viability, so that your investment contributes to both your sustainability ambitions and your bottom line inasmuch as possible.
Working with the Callens Group means peace of mind, reliability, and certainty
An industrial steam installation is an investment for decades. That is why you should choose a partner who both provides the right solution and the service needed to guarantee lasting performance. The Callens Group offers that combination.
At the Callens Group, you have a single point of contact for your entire steam project: from the first analysis to installation, including service and maintenance. This keeps the process clear and reduces the need for separate coordination between different parties.
The Callens Group is not tied to a single brand, manufacturer or technology. This allows us to select the solution that is technically and economically the most attractive for each project. To do so, our engineers take account of energy prices, grid capacity, water quality, emission targets, available space and total cost of ownership to provide you with a solution that integrates perfectly into your production environment.
With more than 120 service and maintenance specialists, the Callens Group has one of the largest service teams. Preventive maintenance, interventions, remote monitoring and an extensive stock of spare parts ensure that your steam installation remains maximally available and that unplanned downtime is kept to a minimum.
The Department of Technology is the Callens Group’s innovation center. Here, new developments in heat technologies are assessed for their technical feasibility and their added value for industrial applications. Only proven technologies ultimately find their way to customers.
With 13 locations across Belgium, the Netherlands and France, we combine the benefits of an international group with the proximity of local teams. This allows us to act quickly.
An industrial heat pump is an installation that recovers residual heat from industrial processes and upgrades it to a usable temperature level for process heat, heating, or other applications. It uses electricity to move heat from a lower to a higher temperature level. Industrial heat pumps are a key technology in the electrification of process heat and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
An industrial heat pump extracts heat from an available heat source, such as process water, exhaust gas streams, cooling installations, or humid air. Through a compression process, this heat is upgraded to a higher temperature and then reused within the production process, which allows a large part of the available residual heat to be reused.
An investment in an industrial heat pump pays for itself quickly. As a rule of thumb: the more operating hours, the faster the investment is recovered.
Industrial heat pumps are designed for larger capacities, higher temperatures, and complex production environments. Where residential heat pumps are mainly used to heat buildings, industrial heat pumps produce process heat for applications in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical and paper industry, and in the building materials sector.
An industrial heat pump is especially worthwhile when there is residual heat on site that is still underused today. The larger the gap you can bridge between the available heat source and the desired process temperature, the greater the potential for energy savings, CO2 reduction, and lower operating costs.
Is an industrial heat pump worthwhile for your specific situation? Discuss it with our experts.
Industrial heat pumps can recover heat from a wide range of sources, such as process water, cooling water, condensate streams, exhaust gas streams, humid process air, drying installations, and other residual heat streams. The most suitable heat source depends on factors such as temperature, flow rate, availability, and operating hours.
By reusing residual heat within the production process, you reduce the need for heat from natural gas, fuel oil, or other fossil fuels. Combined with green electricity, industrial heat pumps can significantly lower the CO2 emissions of a production process and contribute to the company’s sustainability goals.
A compression heat pump uses a refrigerant circuit to upgrade heat to a higher temperature level. Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) works directly on vapor streams, which are mechanically compressed so that their temperature and energy value increase. Which technology is the most suitable will depend on the available heat source, the required temperature level, and the characteristics of the production process. Ask our experts about the possibilities for your production environment.
Modern industrial heat pumps can upgrade residual heat to temperatures suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. Depending on the technology, the refrigerant, and the process conditions, temperatures above 100 °C can be achieved. This makes industrial heat pumps an increasingly full-fledged alternative to conventional heat production based on fossil fuels.
For a building materials manufacturer, the Callens Group delivered a heat pump installation that recovers residual heat from humid drying air and reuses it within the production process. Three industrial heat pumps with a combined thermal output of 4.2 MW upgrade water from 33 °C to 80 °C. The installation runs entirely on green electricity and replaces most of the existing gas-fired heating, resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
