Milestone for Ludwigshafen large-scale heat pump

08.04.2026

Source: E & M powernews

With the delivery of the 95-ton falling-film evaporator, a key component for BASF's planned large-scale heat pump has arrived.

From 2027, BASF plans to generate CO2-free steam in Ludwigshafen with a large heat pump. The 95-tonne falling film evaporator for the plant has now been delivered, the company has announced.

The approximately 16-meter-long plant component was transported by ship from Schwedt an der Oder (Brandenburg) to Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate) and then brought to the construction site at the steam cracker by heavy goods transport. There, the so-called falling plate film evaporator will be installed as the central component of the heat pump currently under construction.

The system will use waste heat from the cooling processes of one of the two steam crackers at the site and convert it into process steam. The evaporator will be responsible for generating oxygen-free steam, which will be fed via the site's integrated network to the production facilities, where it will mainly be used to produce formic acid.

According to BASF, the heat pump will be operated with electricity from renewable sources and achieve a thermal output of around 50 MW. An annual production of up to 500,000 tons of CO2-free steam is planned. According to the company, this could avoid up to 98 percent of previous greenhouse gas emissions in this area. This corresponds to a saving of around 100,000 tons of CO2 per year.

The evaporator was designed by the Austrian company GIG Karasek, which is also responsible for the construction of the entire plant. The majority of the components were adapted to the specific requirements of the site. The building infrastructure and key pipeline connections to the steam cracker have already been completed.

Author: Katia Meyer-Tien