Air source heat pumps (ASHP’s) have many advantages such as: efficient thermal performance, reduced primary energy consumption and a lower overall environmental impact. In recent years, air source heat pump technology has improved in all areas and is these days a viable option even in colder regions. To make the ASHP into an even better proposition for commercial users looking to marry innovative heating design with low impact refrigerants, Tecnofreddo has engineered a new generation ASHP that uses environmentally benign R290.
One of the first adopters of this striking new offering from Tecnofreddo is the British company, Johnson Matthey, a world leader in exhaust gas cleaning technology. Johnson Matthey whose mission is “Sustained growth and value creation from science” went to great lengths when sourcing heat pumping equipment to act in accordance with its mission to be a global leader in environmentally responsible technologies.
Coordination for this project was carried out by Tecnofreddo’s UK partner, Arriba Technologies, a fast growing firm at the forefront of renewable heating and cooling developments. Arriba has long been a strong advocate of heat pump technology and is presently pioneering a number of new approaches, including demand responsive heat pumps fitted with lithium ion battery systems and heat pumps than produce simultaneous refrigeration.
Tecnofreddo’s new line of heat pumps belongs to its ECO3 product family. The guiding philosophy behind all ECO3 products is reduced environmental impact, better energy efficiency and superior performance across all operating conditions. The featured ASHP uses a reversing system and is capable of delivering +48 °C water in heating mode or +6°C water in cooling mode. Nominal outputs for heating and cooling are 17kW and 22kW respectively. The PERSEO air source heat pump, designed with semi-hermetic reciprocating compressors, also includes a control panel with programmable software (PLC), a liquid/gas heat exchanger increasing the COP performance coefficients, whose values are 3.5 and 4 in cooling and heating, respectively.
Numerous accessories such as inverter and EC fans are integrated into the PERSEO heat pump as standard accessories. Motor drives and software for this product line have also been specially developed for backwards integration with Arriba’s lithium ion battery and DC to DC solar assist technology. Tecnofreddo, with its long experience in R290 refrigeration has equipped the machine with a full suite of ATEX rated leak management and switching equipment to ensure compliance with the latest regulations governing R290 refrigerants in industrial settings.
R290 is a promising and cost competitive refrigerant for ASHP’s with superior environmental protection credentials. It has substantial potential for use in areas such as supermarkets, hospitals and public buildings.
