64
Technology
The times they are a-changin’ In a clear sign of the transformation underlying the heating and cooling sector in Europe, brand new propane heat pumps saw the light at a big German trade show in Frankfurt. ISH – the Bathroom Experience, Building, Energy, Air-conditioning Technology, and Renewable Energies tradeshow – held on 12-16 March 2017, showed off R290 models from manufacturers like Heliotherm, Glen Dimplex, Alpha Innotec, and NIBE. The most eye-catching heat pump on show was the so-called “world’s most efficient geothermal heat pump, thanks to the use of R290,” according to Rudi Bellinger, who works in sales support at Heliotherm. Its seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) reaches a record high of 6.7. The AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology) research institute and Germany’s TÜV (an international certification organisation) tested the heat pumps in early 2016. The first units were sold in mid-2016. Heliotherm‘s primary motivation for investing in propane technology was “the energy efficiency advantages it brings,” Bellinger told Accelerate Europe.
Glen Dimplex, a consumer electrical goods firm headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, also presented a new R290 heat pump at the show – the System Zero HP. “The unit can be used for both heating and cooling,” says Volker Rühle, director of international sales – heating & ventilation at Glen Dimplex.
He feels NIBE is well positioned to take on this challenge, with nearly 20 years of experience in natural refrigerants. “It’s no secret that we are actively looking into R290, because we see propane as one the refrigerants of the future.”
Sweden’s NIBE has been producing an exhaust air source heat pump with R290 since 1998. The exhaust heat pump works by taking the heat from waste air leaving the building, pumping it back in to provide heating and hot water. The latest models use 400g of the refrigerant R290 and are for outside placement. Roger Johnsson, NIBE’s product manager, says: “We are not talking about the refrigerant when we talk to our customers. We want to offer the best products, and R290 allows us to do so.” Johnsson believes that the climate change dimension will become more significant for consumers as the EU’s f-gas phase-down continues. “We believe customers will become more aware of the environmental dimension of the refrigerant being used,” he says. “The lack of components can of course also be a reason why not that many unit manufacturers offer units with natural refrigerants,” he warns.
Germany-based company Alpha Innotec (AIT) also presented a heat pump model using propane. Andreas Schrof, area sales manager at AIT, says the company’s 20 years of experience in developing R290 in heat pumps has paid off. “The system is our most popular product overall,” Schrof says. With a very silent operation at 61 dB, AIT’s heat pump is available in 5 kW, 7 kW and 9 kW models, which can then be combined into two units to achieve a total combined capacity of 18 kW. It provides cooling as well as heating. The product AIT presented at ISH – the alira LWDV air-water heat pump – uses inverter technology, something new in the European heat pump market. “We have an industry-leading position for natural refrigerant-based heat pumps, which we intend to keep. To our knowledge, we are the first to launch an R290 heat pump using inverter technology,” Schrof says. Propane, then, is increasingly looked upon as the refrigerant of the future for heat pumps. CM & NM
Accelerate Australia & NZ
Winter 2017