New ICS packaged heat pump delivers 65C output temperatures without any supplementary heating being required

(23/02/2010)

ICS Heat Pump Technology is launching their new commercial 80kW packaged heat pump at Ecobuild 2010. It will deliver 65°C output temperatures, even in ambient temperatures as low as -12°C without any supplementary heating being required.

This packaged unit is geared towards retrofit applications where output temperatures of 65°C will allow heat pump based renewable heating systems to be installed with minimal replacement work on the existing installed radiator system.

An ICS HPT Mod-Pack will arrive on site fully packaged and ready to run. This packaged unit not only incorporates the nominal 80kW 65°C rated heat pump system BUT also has the added benefit of built-in heating and sanitary hot water buffer tanks which allow easy & practical integration to the existing system within the building.

In terms of the Mod-Pack units actual performance in low ambient conditions, the ICS HPT Mod-Pack 80 (Air Source) has a nominal COP of 2 operating in an ambient of -5°C (minus 5°C) whilst providing an output temperature of 65°C.

Installation options allow for a 100% heat pump rated system or alternatively a bi-valent system (option to utilise the existing installed boiler with the heat pump unit), this can integrate the heat pumps via the on-board buffer system with the existing heating system. This option allows fossil fuel boilers to work as a package with the heat pump unit to allow for a cost effective installation whilst providing significant cost and carbon reductions over a full year's operation.

"The retrofit market has to be approached on a practical level", noted Gary Broadbent of ICS," the obvious area to explore with regard to achieving a significant carbon reduction is a buildings high carbon fossil fuel heating or hot water boiler. These existing buildings need a realistic and simple to specify solution that does not involve a large amount of remedial work on the radiator distribution system and possibly does not mean tearing out the existing boiler which may be perfectly serviceable, our HPT Mod-Pack unit allows for as much or as little integration as required with the installed system".

This is the reason why ICS Heat Pump Technology has put a great deal of development into bringing their Mod-Pack 65°C system to the market.

Basically ICS are working on the principle that a well designed heat pump installation will operate at as low a system temperature as possible in order to achieve maximum efficiency & performance i.e. utilising a weather compensated system to minimise heat pump running costs.

But it has to be acknowledged that an older building will not operate year round with a 45°C to 50°C system temperature without a significant and costly amount of refurbishment work on its radiator system.

A building such as this will require a higher temperature output over the peak of the winter due to the demands of its heating profile. This should not be seen as a problem but as an opportunity to specify the next generation of heat pumps which allow a heat pump- system to be specified with confidence in its ability to provide an output temperature of 65°C when it is needed i.e. during periods of low ambient temperature.

This high temperature feature allows the Mod-Pack heat pump system to operate with existing radiators, these radiators will usually only suffer a de-rate of approximately 25% when the system flow temperature reduces from 75°C to 65°C.

Therefore a weather compensated heat pump system that will deliver 65°C can provide the specifier with the opportunity to deliver a practical renewable heating solution to retrofit applications that previously may have been challenging projects in terms of carbon reduction.

ICS HPT Mod-Pack units are available in Air Source or Hybrid Air & Ground Source / Geothermal configurations to suit the demands of a particular application.

"Obviously the Air Source Mod-Pack will be the easiest solution", Broadbent commented," a fully packaged 80kW nominal capacity heat pump system can now be positioned & installed within the area of one car parking space complete with on-board buffer tanks and controls, this unit could be specified to replace a conventional fossil fuel boiler of around 150 to 200kW in capacity".

Heat pumps are now able to provide 100% of a buildings retrofit heating requirements with a 65°C output temperature. This is definitely significant news as the new era of the CRC (Carbon reduction commitment) programme fast approaches, putting much greater focus on existing buildings and property.

Related categories:  Energy management   Heat pumps