Energy-efficient heat exchanger technology for heat pumps using natural refrigerants

Going through the worst energy crisis in decades, society is struggling to break free from its dependance on gas, coal and oil and find alternative, reliable heat sources. Heat pumps represent an important piece in the new energy puzzle, and in this presentation A heat pump is basically a refrigerator in reverse. It moves heat from a cold medium (the heat source) to a hotter medium, for example by taking heat from 10 °C ground water and using it to heat a building.

Heat exchangers are central components in heat pumps, largely determining their overall efficiency. Besides delivering maximum heat transfer, a heat exchanger in a heat pump must also be capable of operating with two phases (gas and liquid), large temperature differences, and in some industrial applications they must also withstand dirty and corrosive media. Thanks to their outstanding heat transfer efficiency, plate heat exchangers (PHEs) outperform shell-and-tube heat exchangers, offering a much more compact solution. Plate heat exchangers have also been successfully used in heat pump applications for a long time and in recent years a growing trend has been to use them in heat pumps operating with natural refrigerants such as R-717 (ammonia), hydrocarbons, and R-744 (CO₂), and to use them in high-capacity equipment (> 1 MW).

This presentation talks about the latest development in plate heat exchanger technology used for this generation of heat pumps that offers reliable operation, high COP (Coefficient of Performance), short payback periods and do not have the drawback of using a refrigerant with a high global warming potential. Visit our seminar to learn more about an efficient generation of heat pumps using natural refrigerants and the possibilities they offer.