HEAT PUMPS - Laboratory for refrigeration and district energy

High-temperature electrocaloric heat pump presented at the High-temperature heat pump symposium

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:56:23 +0000

Researchers from the Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy (LAHDE) have visited High-temperature heat pump symposium in Copenhagen, Danmark. The event offered an excellent overview of the latest research and industrial developments in high-temperature heat pumps, with many insightful discussions and opportunities to exchange perspectives with experts from industry and academia.

We were pleased to present our work on solid-state electrocaloric heat pump in the poster session and to receive valuable feedback that will support our ongoing research. Many thanks to the organizers for a well-structured and high-quality symposium, and to all colleagues for the engaging discussions.

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Ultra-high-temperature electrocaloric heat pump

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:01:01 +0000

Researchers from the Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy (LAHDE) have published first study on high-temperature electrocaloric heat pump in Journal of Energy conversion and management, one of the world’s leading scientific journal in the field of energy.

Nearly a quarter of waste heat is generated at temperatures exceeding 300 °C, yet conventional heat pump technologies remain inefficient in recovering and utilizing heat from such high temperature sources. In this study, we introduce a novel electrocaloric heat pump designed to operate with heat sources and sinks at ultra-high temperatures. The proposed heat pump system incorporates an active electrocaloric regenerator featuring PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃ (PZT) epitaxial thin-film multilayers, which exhibit a superior electrocaloric adiabatic temperature change of 11.03 K at 402 °C (675 K), and pressurized helium gas as the working fluid. We conducted a parametric analysis to simulate the performance of the ultra-high-temperature electrocaloric heat pump and identified the optimal conditions for single- and multi-stage configurations. The single-stage setup achieved a maximum heating COP of 7.8 at a 30 K temperature span across the regenerator at a heat source temperature of 660 K. In comparison, the multi-stage configuration yielded the highest heating power 113.3 W/kg_EC and a max. COP 2.7 between 630 and 690 K. This study established a foundation for notable advancements in ultra-high-temperature heat pumps by employing electrocaloric energy conversion.

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019689042501338X

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Emerging opportunities for high-temperature solid-state and gas-cycle heat pumps

admin — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:51:38 +0000

Researchers from the Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy (LAHDE), together with an international team, have published a study in Nature Energy (Springer Nature), the world’s leading scientific journal in the field of energy. The paper offers the first comprehensive assessment of an often-overlooked opportunity: alternative high-temperature heat-pump technologies that could replace inefficient fossil-fuel combustion and direct electric heating in industry and the energy sector. Doing so could significantly reduce energy use, greenhouse-gas emissions, and thermal pollution.

Heat lies at the core of the energy challenge. Around 50% of final energy consumption is used for heating and cooling, and roughly 50% of final energy is ultimately released as waste heat—heat that is frequently discharged into the environment via cooling towers, the warming of rivers or seawater, and other outlets. The study shows that high-temperature heat pumps can capture this waste heat and upgrade it efficiently to much higher temperature levels, suitable for demanding industrial processes.

Today’s commercial high-temperature heat pumps are typically limited to about 250 °C, whereas many industrial processes require higher temperatures—up to, or even beyond, 1000 °C. The newly published research therefore systematically presents and compares alternative approaches that could enable a step change: caloric, thermoelectric and thermoacoustic technologies, as well as mechanical processes based on Stirling and Brayton cycles.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01908-4

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SDEWES Conference 2025 Dubrovnik, Croatia

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:56:23 +0000

The 20th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) in Dubrovnik hosted 685 on-site and 115 online participants from 68 countries presented 839 papers, showcasing an impressive range of recent research on sustainable energy, water, and environmental systems.

Our team had the pleasure of presenting on the final day (when many were already running low on energy), yet we were happy to still see engaged researchers in the audience.

Assist. Prof. Katja Klinar presented part of the modeling activities related to the pandaprosumer tool. The title of presentation was: pandaprosumer: Modeling the integration of booster heat pumps and combined heat & power systems into a district heating network.

This work presented was done within the SENERGY NETS project, funded by the European Union 🇪🇺.

A big thank-you to the organizers for such a well-run and inspiring event, and to everyone contributing to the dialogue on a more sustainable energy future!

More information: https://www.dubrovnik2025.sdewes.org/index

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Conference SZE 2025, Portorož

admin — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:05:10 +0000

Between 8th and 10th of June international conference SZE 2025 took place in Portorož. Main topics of this year’s meeting were regional transformations of energy systems. Talks focused on energy and economical efficiency, digitalization of energy systems, renewable energy sources, heating and cooling technologies, district energy systems, heat pumps etc.

LAHDE team presented the following topics:

Andrej Kitanovski: 50% / 50% / 50%: UNTAPPED POTENTIALS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEATING AND COOLING
Nada Petelin: ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF HOUSEHOLD REFRIGERATORS WITH PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS
Izak Oberčkal Pluško: MODELING HEAT PUMPS WITH THERMAL STORAGE IN DISTRICT HEATING SYSTEMS

Besides members of LAHDE, Marko Keber from University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering also presented his topic:

Marko Keber: MODELING OF DISTRICT ENERGY NETWORKS WITH MINIMAL DATA

Conference was an excellent opportunity for exchanging ideas, listening to exceptional speakers and connecting with with researchers and industry experts.

More informations on conference can be found here: https://www.sze.si/en/about-the-conferences-2025/

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World Refrigeration Day

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:19:08 +0000

World Refrigeration Day, celebrated on June 26, was established to raise awareness about the critical role refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumps play in modern life. It honors the birth of Lord Kelvin (William Thomson), a key figure in thermodynamics. The day highlights the industry’s contributions to health, food safety, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. Institutions and organizations around the world celebrate it with educational campaigns, public events, webinars, and technical seminars, aiming to inspire innovation and promote sustainable practices in cooling technologies.

Chillventa 2024

admin — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 11:06:29 +0000

From October 8 to 10, the international refrigeration technology trade fair, Chillventa, took place in Nuremberg, bringing together leading companies in the cooling industry, such as Bitzer, Danfoss, Carel, and others.

The event showcased advancements in compressor development (particularly those using CO2 refrigerant), heat exchangers, PCM materials, and much more, including magnetocaloric and electrocaloric refrigerators.

Jakob Perne, a member of our laboratory, attended the fair. The event provided an excellent opportunity to gain insight into industrial developments in this field.

Thank you to all participants and organizers for such an inspiring experience!

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11th IIR Conference

admin — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:42:27 +0000

Pleased to share that our team attended 11th IIR Conference on Compressors and Refrigerants in Bratislava, Slovakia, from the 9th to the 11th of September. Our researcher Mihael Blatnik presented an exciting paper titled State of the Art of Miniature Compressors.

The event was an excellent platform not only for exchanging knowledge but also gaining valuable insights into the latest trends and innovations in our field. It also facilitated productive discussions with experts from around the world, opening doors for potential collaborations and future projects. The energy and enthusiasm of the attendees made the experience even more rewarding.

Thank you to all the participants and organizers for such a productive and inspiring experience!

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Calorics 2024, Cambridge

admin — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:25:17 +0000

The Calorics 2024 conference took place in the historic city of Cambridge (UK), at the Møller Institute in Churchill College. This event brought together leading experts, researchers, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and insights on the latest advancements in caloric materials and heat-pump technologies.

The presentations highlighted the recent development in magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, elastocaloric, and barocaloric materials, as well as their potential integration in (multi)caloric devices such as heat pumps and active regenerators.

The LAHDE’s contribution to the conference was Prof. Andrej Kitanovski’s presentation: »Challenges, opportunities, and future roadmap for energy applications of magnetocaloric materials«.

One of the standout moments of the conference was the demonstration of a refrigerator utilizing the barocaloric effect to efficiently pump heat, presented by Xavier Moya. Its cooling power was impressive enough to chill beers to the perfect temperature, which were then served to attendees after the presentations. We cannot wait for the day when we can have solid-state refrigerators in our own homes.

Attending the Calorics 2024 conference was an exceptional experience, offering invaluable opportunities for learning and collaboration, encompassed by the engaging discussions with fellow attendees. The wide range of presentation topics provided deep insights into the latest caloric materials and technologies.

We are excited to attend and present our research at the upcoming Calorics conference. We can’t wait to see how the field will develop in the future.

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SDEWES 2024

admin — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 05:20:19 +0000

The SDEWES 2024 conference in Rome was a truly remarkable event, bringing together leaders, researchers, and professionals dedicated to advancing sustainable development and energy systems. As one of the premier conferences in this field, SDEWES provided a unique platform for exchanging cutting-edge ideas and fostering collaborations that can drive global change.

Throughout the conference, a wide range of topics were covered, from renewable energy integration and smart grids to circular economy principles and sustainable urban planning. The diversity of perspectives and the depth of the discussions were nothing short of inspiring. It was clear that the collective expertise and passion of the attendees are key to addressing the complex challenges we face in creating a more sustainable future.

The LAHDE’s contribution to the conference was a presentation by Katja Klinar, who shared insights on “Heat Pump Modelling in District Heating and Cooling Grid.” This work is a crucial part of the SenergyNets project, which is paving the way for more efficient and sustainable energy systems.

Attending SDEWES 2024 was a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration across disciplines and borders. The ideas and connections forged here will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the future of sustainable energy and development.

Looking forward to continuing the journey with this incredible community and applying the insights gained from this experience.

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