Benefits
From general utility systems to sterilisation, UHT and more, numerous food and beverage processes require steam – and are therefore dependent on combustion boilers using fossil fuels.1 The HighLift heat pump offers a different way to produce steam. Its unique design was developed to operate with a wide range of heat source temperatures. As a result, it can generate high-temperature hot water or steam from low temperature heat sources – and even produce ice water and steam simultaneously.
By recovering waste heat, HighLift electrifies process heating to improve plant energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel consumption. It thereby strengthens business resilience, making you less reliant on external utilities and helping to lower long-term operational costs.2 At the same time, use of a heat pump can be a smart way to support ambitious sustainability goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.3
With the ability to integrate at both production line and full factory utility levels, HighLift offers unmatched flexibility, whether supporting specific equipment or driving energy recovery across your entire site. This ensures maximum impact no matter your plant layout or operational goals.
HighLift has been developed by Olvondo Technology, and it has already been proven in a range of industries across Europe. Tetra Pak has partnered with Olvondo Technology, combining this unique technology with our more than 70 years of processing experience to ensure you get an installation suited to your unique application needs. As the food and beverage industry’s sole channel to market for HighLift, we are working with Olvondo Technology to support the sector’s future efficiency and environmental goals.
Quick facts
Produces steam up to 10 bar(g) or hot water up to 200°C, and can produce ice water for cooling needs.
Capacity
720 kW heating capacity (circa 1,000-1,100 kg steam/hour).
Applications
General utility systems as well as specific processes requiring steam or high-temperature water, including direct UHT, indirect UHT, cleaning-in-place (CIP), pasteurization, drying, evaporation, etc.
Full steam ahead to efficient heat recovery
- Unique, flexible and energy-efficient heat pump technology that delivers reliable steam production from process waste heat
- New possibilities to reduce your dependency on fossil fuels by electrifying process heating, cutting both operational costs and environmental footprint
- World-class knowledge of food and beverage applications, ensuring an installation designed according to your process needs – with flexible integration at both equipment and factory utility level
Features
Reverse Stirling cycle design
Designed for high temperature lifts
HighLift heat pumps are based on a modified, reverse Stirling engine, where an electric motor drives a cycle to increase the temperature of recovered waste heat. The unique design offers greater flexibility than traditional heat pumps, allowing for “high lifts” – high-temperature outputs from relatively low-temperature sources. This enables production of steam or high-temperature water, as well as simultaneous production of ice water for cooling.
Helium refrigerant
Efficient, safe and natural
Thanks to its unique design, HighLift can operate with helium as the working medium. Helium provides a natural alternative to synthetic refrigerants, with zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and zero global warming potential (GWP). The refrigerant itself is non-toxic, non-explosive and free of PFAS chemicals. It also has good thermophysical properties, supporting the heat pump’s highly efficient heat transfer.
Flexible, scalable integration
From equipment to factory level
HighLift’s flexibility makes it suitable for an array of positions throughout food & beverage production. It can be integrated at different levels, from supporting equipment and processing lines to enhancing performance of central utility systems. This scalability allows adaptability to plant layout and energy strategy, maximising heat recovery. Possible applications include direct/indirect UHT, cleaning-in-place, pasteurization, drying and evaporation.
Skid-mounted delivery
Plug-and-play installation
HighLift is a complete factory sustainable solution with everything you need for efficient performance. The heat pump, control system and all auxiliary equipment are delivered on a skid-based system, allowing for a smooth and cost-effective installation. We provide a sustainable plant design, including pipe and installation diagrams (P&ID), and our engineers work with you to optimise integration and deployment of the system.
Condition monitoring
24/7 improvement potential
Standard HighLift delivery includes condition monitoring, with sensors located on key components of the equipment providing 24/7 real-time information. This makes it possible to identify any potential issues as well as new opportunities for further performance optimisation.
Expert integration support
Optimised for food and beverage
As the food and beverage industry’s sole channel to market for this technology, we offer expertise from over 70 years of food application experience to make sure you secure seamless integration of the heat pump. With a deep understanding of your process needs, our engineers make sure you can meet energy efficiency and environmental goals, while also ensuring food safety and product quality in your production.
How much can you save?
By reducing fossil fuel dependency, HighLift can open the door to new possibilities for savings. Exact savings will vary from case to case, based on the specific application in question as well as the energy prices in a given region. In one simulation, for example, a dairy in Sweden using Highlift to produce steam for direct UHT4 could theoretically reduce:
- Energy use by 4,500 MWh/year
- Fuel consumption by 9,600 MWh/year
- Greenhouse gas emissions by 3,300 tonnes/year
- Total operational costs by €554,000/year5
Want to find out the difference that HighLift could make in your plant?
1 Globally, heat represents 72% of all industrial energy demands. In the food and beverage industry, steam needs regularly surpass more than 50% of a plant’s total energy consumption, as in the case for applications as diverse as mixed dairy, beverage, direct UHT, powder, cheese and more. Source: Giner Santonja, Germán, Panagiotis Karlis, Kristine Raunkjær Stubdrup, Thomas Brinkmann, and Serge Roudier. European Commission (2019). JRC Science for Policy Report: Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Food, Drink and Milk Industries.
2 Exact savings will depend on the relationship between the cost of electricity and the cost of relevant fossil fuels in your particular market.
3 GHG reductions will vary from case to case and are dependent on the electrical sources available in your region. In markets with access to renewable electricity, HighLift offers high potential for improving your environmental footprint.
4 Calculation based on a direct UHT line producing 16,000 litres of milk per hour and operating 6,000 hours per year, using two HighLift heat pumps to generate steam at 2,100 kg per hour.
5 Cost calculation presumes a market fossil fuel cost of €0.9 per KWh as compared to a market electricity cost of €0.1per KWh, based on EU data for 2023 Swedish energy prices. The total cost also factors in the reductions in emissions, based on Q1 2025 ETS prices of €71 per tonne.