Heat pumps are a promising option to decarbonize the industrial sector. However, their performance at plant-level can be affected by other changes in the plant. In this work, process changes that can improve the heat pump’s performance have been explored with Process Change Analysis (PCA) and the newly introduced split exergy grand composite curve. This approach shows the impact of the process changes on the heat pump work requirements by studying the position of the heat pump in relation to the pinch point of the background process. Its application is demonstrated in two case studies. In the first it allowed to identify technologies that enhance heat pump performance and while reducing overall heating requirements. In a biodiesel production plant, a heat pump transfers 1.9 MW with a COP of 4.2 but incurs a 40 kW penalty for transferring heat above the background process's pinch temperature. Replacing the wet water washer with a membrane separation unit avoids this penalty, while drastically reducing energy requirements from 0.9 MW to 0.3 MW. Secondly, the PCA showed how the extraction of heat in vinyl chloride monomer-purification process impacted the formation of the background pinch, from which an implementation strategy was derived that increased the heat pump’s plant-level performance by 6.5% in respect to standard implementation.

Heat pumps are essential for industrial decarbonization, but their high installation costs and the challenge of selecting the most effective design from over seventy options hinder widespread adoption. Steam-generating heat pumps (SGHPs) offer a cost-effective solution by integrating with existing infrastructure. However, predicting their performance is complex due to the varying irreversibilities of components with temperature lift and condenser temperature.This study highlights the superiority of exergy-based methods over energy-based methods in identifying favorable design improvements for SGHPs. Exergy analysis provides a clearer understanding of component-level inefficiencies and potential enhancements. For instance, the introduction of a sequential compressor with an intermediate cooler, based on energy analysis, reduced the heat pump’s techno-economic performance. In contrast, exergy-based methods led to the addition of either an internal heat exchanger or a flash vessel, both of which improved performance. The internal heat exchanger, in particular, increased the coefficient of performance from 2.3 to 2.8 and reduced operational costs by 0.8 M€ after 5 years, while also decreasing the initial investment by 135 k€ and total operational costs from 10.3 M€ to 8.7 M€.Advanced exergo-economic analysis further investigates the factors influencing SGHP performance, focusing on the required steam temperature and heat pump cycle configuration. The results indicate that direct steam production via a mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) system is the most economically viable option. When direct production is infeasible, a single-stage subcritical (SS) cycle feeding steam at 80 °C into an MVR is optimal for steam temperatures above 130 °C. At intermediate temperatures between 80 °C and 130 °C, a closed cycle heat pump performs comparably or better, with the preferred configuration varying based on sink temperature and temperature lift.These insights enhance the understanding of SGHP design and highlight pathways for industrial implementation, demonstrating that exergy-based methods are effective in selecting the right configuration for steam-generating heat pumps.