Finnish company Coolbrook claims it can reduce carbon emissions in heavy industry by a third. Currently, many high-temperature chemical processes, such as steel or cement production, rely on fossil fuels as it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve those temperatures using electricity alone.
Coolbrook has developed an innovative system called the "reverse turbine" that can generate green heat. Instead of using fossil fuels, the system utilizes an electric motor to drive the turbine's rotors. Gas or liquid is then introduced into the rotating turbine, and the rotors accelerate the substance to supersonic speeds before rapidly decelerating it, converting kinetic energy into heat. If the motor is powered by green electricity, no carbon dioxide emissions are produced.
Laboratory tests have shown that this electrified process can achieve significantly higher efficiencies than those obtained with fossil fuels. Coolbrook intends to apply this technology to various industrial processes and estimates that it could reduce heavy industrial emissions by approximately 30%, without requiring the invention of fundamentally new technologies.
Thus, the use of a reverse turbine for green heat production could be a viable solution for reducing carbon emissions in heavy industries.
Source: Slashdot