A propane water-to-water heat pump booster for sanitary hot water production: Seasonal performance analysis of a new solution optimizing COP

[EN] Electrical heat pumps for sanitary hot water production achieve a high performance with a good matching of water and refrigerant temperature profiles during the heat rejection stage, as it happens in CO2 systems. This work considers the thermodynamic possibility to adapt the condenser pressure of a propane heat pump to maximize the COP, while producing sanitary hot water up to 60 C from a heat sink equal to 15 or 25 C. The performance of the heat pump is calculated through specific models which, in combination with a TRNSYS model of the whole system, allowed to assess its seasonal performance for a hotel in Strasbourg, also varying the control logic and the size of the storage tank. Results obtained led to the conclusion that, for achieving a high seasonal performance, the control logic of the tank has the largest influence.Part of the results of this study were developed in the mainframe of the FP7 European project ‘Next Generation of Heat Pumps working with Natural fluids’ (NxtHPG). Part of the work presented was carried by M. Tammaro during his visit at the Instituto de Ingenierı´a Energetica, Universitat Politecnica de Val encia and by C. Montagud during her visit at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, with the financial support of the POLIGRID project.Tammaro, M.; Montagud Montalvá, CI.; Corberán Salvador, JM.; Mauro, AW.; Mastrullo, R. (2015). A propane water-to-water heat pump booster for sanitary hot water production: Seasonal performance analysis of a new solution optimizing COP. International Journal of Refrigeration. 51:59-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2014.12.008S59695

Recommendations from the European Working Group for Value Assessment and Funding Processes in Rare Diseases (ORPH-VAL)

International audienceAbstractRare diseases are an important public health issue with high unmet need. The introduction of the EU Regulation on orphan medicinal products (OMP) has been successful in stimulating investment in the research and development of OMPs. Despite this advancement, patients do not have universal access to these new medicines. There are many factors that affect OMP uptake, but one of the most important is the difficulty of making pricing and reimbursement (P&R) decisions in rare diseases. Until now, there has been little consensus on the most appropriate assessment criteria, perspective or appraisal process. This paper proposes nine principles to help improve the consistency of OMP P&R assessment in Europe and ensure that value assessment, pricing and funding processes reflect the specificities of rare diseases and contribute to both the sustainability of healthcare systems and the sustainability of innovation in this field. These recommendations are the output of the European Working Group for Value Assessment and Funding Processes in Rare Diseases (ORPH-VAL), a collaboration between rare disease experts, patient representatives, academics, health technology assessment (HTA) practitioners, politicians and industry representatives. ORPH-VAL reached its recommendations through careful consideration of existing OMP P&R literature and through a wide consultation with expert stakeholders, including payers, regulators and patients. The principles cover four areas: OMP decision criteria, OMP decision process, OMP sustainable funding systems and European co-ordination. This paper also presents a guide to the core elements of value relevant to OMPs that should be consistently considered in all OMP appraisals. The principles outlined in this paper may be helpful in drawing together an emerging consensus on this topic and identifying areas where consistency in payer approach could be achievable and beneficial. All stakeholders have an obligation to work together to ensure that the promise of OMP’s is realised

On the effectivity of tax incentives: Patent Box Regimes and Allowance for Corporate Equity

In this paper we assess two tax incentives, Patent Boxes and Allowance for Corporate Equity. The former aims at stimulating R&D through a lower effective tax on patent than on current income, the latter at offsetting debt bias via the deduction of a notional interest on equity. We use a Differences in Differences approach completed by another one based on Effective Tax Rates. In the experimentation with Patent Box, treated countries are Belgium and Netherlands, and control group is Austria, Germany and Italy. In the second one, Allowance for Corporate Equity, treated is Italy – compared to Belgium –, the control being France, and for a robustness test, Germany. The conclusion is rather favorable to the instruments but needs qualification: if Patent Boxes are attractive for intellectual property rights, there is less or no evidence of an effect on real investment and employment in R&D; Allowance for Corporate Equity reduces firm leverage but its real effect on investment and employment is unclear