In general, most heat losses in industrial dryers arise due to the discharge of humid air. By using heat pump drying (HPD) systems, heat from the exhaust humid air can be recovered, thus improving the energy efficiency substantially. In this study, the performance of thermally driven HP integration in an animal food and a blood dryer were examined. Computer simulation models of the original high temperature dryers and the proposed system with HP integration and auxiliary heating were developed. It is found that, when using a gas engine, the maximum energy cost saving is limited by the temperature of the coolant fluid. The maximum energy cost saving when using a gas turbine is a bit higher, however at a much higher operating temperature.