When waste heat is not a burden,
but an asset

If the impact of heat emitted into the surroundings from a refrigerator is negligible, it’s not the same for large industrial facilities, where waste heat needs to be expelled from the building using fans and cooling systems, either into the air, rivers, lakes, or the sea. Processes that require intensive cooling include cooling wine cellars, cooling lasers for cutting, laundries, ventilation of mine shafts, food processing, and more.

Waste heat is low-temperature heat that cannot be directly utilized. It can be seen as untapped energy, a valuable heat source already present that doesn’t need to be acquired — we just need to know how to harness it.

Utilizing waste heat is possible through air using an air/water heat pump or through water with a water/water heat pump. Let’s look at a specific example: Many industrial facilities often discharge wastewater at a temperature of 30°C into the environment, such as into the air or surrounding water bodies (streams, rivers, etc.). Water at such a temperature represents an extremely favorable heat source, which we at KRONOTERM know how to harness with the help of a heat pump. Water at 30°C is not inherently usable, but with a KRONOTERM heat pump, it can be heated to 50°C, and with a heat pump with boosters, it can reach over 80°C. This heated water can then be used for heating buildings, heating sanitary water, and incorporated into district heating systems.

Utilizing waste water not only significantly reduces building operating costs due to saving primary energy but also has a substantial impact on the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. KRONOTERM, with this technology, has successfully contributed to reducing environmental pollution and costs even in the company where the largest heat pump in Slovenia is installed—the KRONOTERM heat pump.