Qpinch
Qpinch is a Belgian private company that develops the patented Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT), an absorption heat pump using phosphoric acid to convert industrial waste heat (80°C) into carbon-neutral process steam (up to 210°C) for refineries, petrochemical plants, and carbon capture facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAntwerp, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Qpinch does
Qpinch BV is a privately held Belgian technology company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, that develops and commercializes the Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT) — a patented absorption heat pump using phosphoric acid as the working medium. The QHT recovers low-temperature industrial waste heat (as low as 80°C) and transforms it into high-temperature process heat (up to 210°C) in a single step, recovering approximately 50% of residual heat duty with only ~40 kW of electrical input per MW of steam produced. The technology requires no compressors, no catalysts, and operates in a closed loop with a food-grade, non-degrading, non-flammable working medium.
The company targets heavy industrial customers — primarily oil refineries (FCC units, hydrotreaters, delayed cokers), petrochemical plants, and carbon capture facilities — plus secondary markets in food and beverage and recycling. Reference customers include SABIC, Kuraray, Borealis, and an unnamed European refinery. Pricing is custom-engineered per installation under either a CAPEX sale or service-based model, and the company operates a 1 MW lighthouse demonstration plant in the Port of Antwerp.
Qpinch commercializes through direct enterprise field sales combined with a flagship global channel partnership with Honeywell UOP (announced April 2025), and has technology integration with Alfa Laval for heat exchangers. R&D is supported by the EU Horizon Europe-funded PUSH2HEAT consortium. Funding to date includes a $16.55 million Series 2 round in September 2021 led by SABIC Ventures, and the company employs between 1 and 10 people.
Qpinch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Qpinch
- Legal name
- Qpinch BV
- Website
- https://qpinch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Qpinch is a Belgian private company that develops the patented Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT), an absorption heat pump using phosphoric acid to convert industrial waste heat (80°C) into carbon-neutral process steam (up to 210°C) for refineries, petrochemical plants, and carbon capture facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Qpinch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Heat Recovery Equipment
- NAICS
- Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Heating Equip, Except Elec & Warm Air; & Plumbing Fixtures (3430)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Heat Pumps & Mechanical Vapor Recompression (Low–Mid Temp Heat) (EUABAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Onsite Low-Carbon Heat & CHP (Electrified CHP, Fuel Cells, Renewable CHP) (EUABAJAI), Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)
Keywords
Where Qpinch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Antwerp
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Qpinch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- QHT Capital Equipment Sales: Sale of Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT) units as capital equipment to industrial facilities. Units are sold as add-ons to existing infrastructure and can be engineered for specific refinery process units (FCC, diesel hydrotreater, delayed coker unit) or integrated petrochemical plants. Pricing is custom-engineered per installation.
- Flexible CAPEX and Service-Based Models: Flexible business models offered including both CAPEX investments (customer purchases the unit) and service-based options. CAPEX model provides full ownership and long-term operational cost savings; service model allows customers to access technology without large upfront capital outlay.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Qpinch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Qpinch designs, engineers and supplies the Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT), a patented absorption heat pump that uses phosphoric acid as a working medium to convert low-temperature industrial waste heat (as low as 80°C) into high-temperature process steam (up to 210°C) with minimal electricity input. The technology is sold as engineered capital equipment or as a service-based offering — primarily to refineries, petrochemical plants and carbon capture operators — to produce carbon-neutral steam and reduce CO2 emissions from existing industrial infrastructure.
Product overview
Qpinch offers a single core technology product: the QHT (Qpinch Heat Transformer). The QHT is a patented absorption heat pump that converts industrial waste heat into carbon-neutral process heat. Using phosphoric acid as a working medium, it performs temperature lifts from as low as 80°C to up to 210°C in single steps, recovering approximately 50% of residual heat duty and delivering it as process steam. The technology is designed as a modular, add-on system that integrates with existing industrial infrastructure, requiring minimal electrical input (40kW per MW of steam output) and no compressors. Qpinch's offering centers entirely on this heat transformer technology with associated engineering, installation, and optimization services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT) Patented absorption (chemical) heat pump that uses phosphoric acid as a working medium to transform industrial waste heat at temperatures as low as 80°C into high-temperature process heat up to 210°C. Recovers ~50% of residual heat duty as new process steam with only ~40 kW of electricity per MW of steam output. Designed as a modular add-on for refineries, petrochemical plants, carbon capture facilities, food and beverage processors, and recycling plants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% of residual heat recovered as new process heat; QCOP > 25 (targeting 30+)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Qpinch
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Qpinch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Qpinch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Honeywell UOPflagshipHoneywell UOP and Qpinch are collaborating to bring the patented Qpinch Heat Transformer to industrial markets worldwide. This collaboration combines Honeywell UOP's global reach and process expertise with Qpinch's breakthrough heat recovery technology. Honeywell UOP markets QHT through its dedicated landing page, sales team, and industry events. A co-hosted webinar in April 2025 with Hydrocarbon Processing formally announced the alliance and explored joint go-to-market models including CAPEX investments and service-based options.
- Alfa LavalcoreAlfa Laval's AlfaCond gasketed plate heat exchanger supports Qpinch technology to lift residual heat into reusable energy — described as a winning collaboration to realize the best results in large-scale energy efficiency for heavy-duty industries. Alfa Laval provides the heat exchanger equipment that integrates with the QHT system, enabling optimal thermal transfer performance in industrial applications.
- PUSH2HEAT (EU Horizon Europe)corePUSH2HEAT is an EU Horizon Europe funded research project (Grant Agreement No. 101069689) focused on pushing down electricity consumption in industrial heat transformers. Within this project, Qpinch achieved significant QCOP improvements using variable frequency driven motors, advanced process control loops, and lower pressure drop design. The project aims to demonstrate QCOP above 30 for carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Qpinch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alfa Laval: Global supplier of heat exchangers and thermal transfer equipment with a dedicated industrial heat recovery portfolio. Alfa Laval is also a named technology partner of Qpinch (AlfaCond gasketed plate heat exchangers integrate with the QHT), making it both a peer and collaborator in industrial heat recovery applications.
- GEA Group: Supplies industrial heat pumps, refrigeration, and process equipment for heavy industries including chemicals, food & beverage, and refining. GEA competes with Qpinch in industrial heat recovery and steam/process heat generation, particularly for low-to-mid temperature applications.
- MAN Energy Solutions: Supplies turbomachinery, steam turbines, and industrial heat pump solutions for refineries, petrochemical plants, and large process industries. MAN Energy Solutions addresses the same customer set as Qpinch (refineries, petrochemicals) with overlapping decarbonization and heat recovery offerings.
- Star Refrigeration: UK-based industrial refrigeration and heat pump specialist with a strong track record in large-scale industrial heat pump installations for process industries. Directly comparable to Qpinch in deploying high-temperature industrial heat pumps for industrial customers.
- Mayekawa: Japanese industrial refrigeration and heat pump specialist serving chemical, petrochemical, food, and industrial process customers globally. Mayekawa's heat pump portfolio for industrial process heat overlaps with Qpinch's QHT in mid-temperature heat recovery applications.
Emerging players
- Spirax Group: Global leader in steam system solutions, industrial heat transfer, and process efficiency. Spirax-Sarco's thermal energy management portfolio addresses many of the same customers (refineries, food, pharma) with steam optimization and heat recovery offerings complementary to Qpinch's QHT.
Broad incumbents
- ENGIE: Global energy services and decarbonization company with industrial heat recovery, district heating, and on-site low-carbon energy solutions. ENGIE addresses similar customer decarbonization needs as Qpinch, particularly in European industrial markets, but at much larger scale and broader scope.
- Atlas Copco: Industrial equipment group with a growing presence in industrial heat pumps, oil-free compressors, and energy recovery solutions. Atlas Copco competes in adjacent industrial efficiency markets and serves similar heavy industry customers.
- Trane Technologies: Major HVAC and industrial heating/cooling equipment manufacturer with growing focus on industrial heat pumps and electrification of process heat. Trane competes in adjacent spaces for industrial process heat and decarbonization, particularly in commercial and light industrial settings.
- Johnson Controls: Global industrial HVAC and heat pump provider with a large portfolio serving commercial and industrial customers. Johnson Controls overlaps with Qpinch in industrial heat pump solutions and large-scale decarbonization projects, but as part of a much broader building technology portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Qpinch social profiles
Digital presenceQpinch compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Qpinch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Qpinch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Qpinch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Qpinch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Qpinch
What does Qpinch do?
Qpinch designs, engineers and supplies the Qpinch Heat Transformer (QHT), a patented absorption heat pump that uses phosphoric acid as a working medium to convert low-temperature industrial waste heat (as low as 80°C) into high-temperature process steam (up to 210°C) with minimal electricity input. The technology is sold as engineered capital equipment or as a service-based offering — primarily to refineries, petrochemical plants and carbon capture operators — to produce carbon-neutral steam and reduce CO2 emissions from existing industrial infrastructure.
Is Qpinch a public or private company?
Qpinch is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Qpinch founded?
Qpinch was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Qpinch based?
Qpinch is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Qpinch make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. QHT Capital Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are flexible CAPEX and Service-Based Models.
Who are Qpinch's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alfa Laval, GEA Group, MAN Energy Solutions, Star Refrigeration and Mayekawa. Spirax Group is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are ENGIE, Atlas Copco, Trane Technologies and Johnson Controls.
Does Qpinch have an API?
No public API is recorded for Qpinch.
What industry is Qpinch in?
Qpinch's product category is Industrial Heat Recovery Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAJAB, Industrial Heat Pumps & Mechanical Vapor Recompression (Low–Mid Temp Heat), with a secondary code of EUABAJAI, Onsite Low-Carbon Heat & CHP (Electrified CHP, Fuel Cells, Renewable CHP). Its NAICS code is 333414 and its SIC code is 3585.