Vaishak Somasundaram
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark
From Concept to Prototype: Development of a Geothermal High-Temperature Heat Pump for Industrial Process Heating
The presentatishakon summarizes the development of a high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) under the Horizon Europe GEOSYN project. The objective is to upgrade geothermal heat (120–140 °C) to 180–200 °C using R718 (steam) as the refrigerant. Key topics include concept evaluation, selection of the optimal system configuration, and the development of a novel multi-stage piston compressor, leading to prototype design. Additionally, dynamic simulation results evaluating the technical and economic performance of HTHP in various industries are presented. These findings provide a quantitative assessment and highlight the potential of HTHPs to replace conventional boilers, enabling substantial cost reductions and greenhouse gas savings while supporting the effective use of medium-temperature geothermal resources.
About the speaker:
Vaishak Somasundaram is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark and holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Surat, India. His expertise lies in refrigeration and heat pump systems, with a particular focus on natural refrigerants and advanced thermal system modeling. He is currently involved in the Horizon Europe GEOSYN project, which focuses on developing a geothermal high-temperature heat pump for industrial process heating.
Track: Symposium