과학기술정보통신부 산하 한국기계연구원(원장 류석현)은 히트펌프 시장과 정책 동향, 주요 분야별 전략 품목을 담은 기계기술정책 제116호 ‘산업용 히트펌프 동향과 대응 방향’을 발간했다.
Attention is paid to high-efficiency and eco-friendly technologies that replace existing heat supply systems

As concerns about the global climate crisis and the urgency to achieve carbon neutrality grow, suggestions have been made that support for the heat pump sector is important.
The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Ryu Seok-hyun) under the Ministry of Science and ICT has published the 116th Mechanical Technology Policy, “Industrial Heat Pump Trends and Response Directions,” which contains trends in the heat pump market and policies, and strategic items by major field.
Heat pumps are eco-friendly devices that absorb heat from low-temperature heat sources and transfer it to high-temperature heat sources. They have great growth potential in terms of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, improving energy efficiency, and sustainability, and are attracting attention as a key device for carbon neutrality. They convert unused energy such as air, rivers, wastewater, and waste heat, or new and renewable energy such as geothermal energy and solar energy into advanced energy.
Considering the role of the research institute and the synergy with the industry, the research team selected four fields as the main technology fields of heat pumps: △industrial heat pumps, △Carnot batteries, △unused energy heat pumps, and △thermal energy networks, and analyzed technology trends and issues in each field to derive strategic items.
An industrial heat pump is a device that produces and supplies high-temperature steam of over 100℃ required for industrial processes using waste heat or unused heat sources. As strategic items, we have derived small and medium-sized industrial steam heat pumps using screw compressors and large-capacity turbo heat pumps using MVR (Mechanical Vapor Recompression).
Carnot batteries store large amounts of surplus electricity as high-temperature heat energy of over 300℃, and when needed, convert it into electricity, acting as a buffer for high-temperature heat supply and demand. Strategic items include high-temperature heat pump systems utilizing natural refrigerants, high-temperature solid heat storage technology, and Carnot battery long-term ESS (Energy Storage System) technology.
The unused energy heat pump is equipped with a heat recovery system, and supplies heat by considering the characteristics of the heat source and the temperature range of the demand location. A renewable heat source hybrid low GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant heat pump and a natural refrigerant cooling device-utilizing water-geothermal hybrid data center cooling system were presented as strategic technologies.
The thermal energy network is a technology that goes beyond the imbalance between thermal energy production and demand to increase energy utilization efficiency, and can be expanded beyond simple thermal energy source sharing to the concept of energy trading. The development of thermal energy trading technology using industrial waste heat and verification of thermal energy networks were selected as key strategies.
Heat pumps are attracting attention as a high-efficiency, eco-friendly energy conversion technology that replaces existing heat supply systems. The research team emphasized the need for domestic development of promising heat pump technologies and leading development of original technologies to prepare for future markets. In addition, he added that it is necessary to strengthen the ecosystem through heat pump demonstrations in cooperation between industry, academia, and research based on technological strengths in core heat pump components such as heat exchangers and compressors.
In particular, Lee Ji-eun, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials’ Machine Policy Center, said, “We need to make preemptive efforts to secure the Asian market, where the market is expected to expand from heating and cooling to non-residential heat pumps, and the European market, where growth potential is high due to the transition from small boilers to heat pumps.”
Meanwhile, the Heat Pump Research Center of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials is conducting research with the goal of providing total thermal energy solutions under the slogan of “Heat Pump Research Center that moves all the heat in the world” and is divided into four working groups (system research, core equipment technology, heat pump application and innovation, thermal energy conversion) and two operating groups (heat pump roadmap, external cooperation and public relations). It plans to establish a “Heat Pump Technology Development Roadmap” that includes short-, mid-, and long-term strategic item-specific implementation tasks by 2040.
The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials publishes the specialized knowledge journal 'Machine Technology Policy', which analyzes trends in the machinery industry and proposes policies, at least three times a year. You can apply for a regular subscription and download it from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials website.