C02 heat pumps are not really ‘new’ anymore.
They’ve been around for a bit, and have slowly grown in popularity over the years as opposed to exploding onto the scene.
But with the constant push for supreme efficiency in every walk of life, soon these heat pumps will become much more relevant.
With the ability to offer incredible savings alongside environmental gains, they are a worthwhile investment for any business.
Keep reading to find out more.
What are CO2 heat pumps?
CO2 heat pumps provide an opportunity to utilize and integrate renewable technology within new or existing projects while satisfying a 52-week defined heating and hot water requirement.
Their most basic, fundamental principle is to absorb heat at lower temperature levels and dispense it as useful heat at a higher temperature. Heat pumps use heat sources that are normally, technically not usable. An example of this is a high-temperature heat pump increasing the temperature of geothermal energy from ten degrees Celsius to ninety degrees Celsius. But the applications of CO2 heat pumps are not limited to geothermal energy, and they can also use surface water and seasonal heat stores as heat sources.
Essentially, CO2 heat pumps use energy from the environment to generate heat. Non-flammable carbon dioxide is an exceptionally eco-friendly refrigerant, so heat pumps can effectively be seen to reduce unnecessary harmful emissions.
CO2 is such a brilliant refrigerant because it is not flammable, and there is a complete abundance of it on earth. These heat pumps can only really live up to their full potential in terms of performance and sustainability when they convert waste heat from industrial production, exhaust air from air-conditioning systems, or waste heat from chillers to make available as heat output at a higher temperature level. As such, CO2 heat pumps can be thought of as optimizing such processes, and can generate serious energy savings.
In comparison to standard heat pumps that use chemical refrigerants, natural refrigerant CO2 heat pumps provide real benefits in terms of efficiently delivering outlet temperatures of over 70 degrees Celsius.
What applications suit CO2 as a refrigerant?
One of the reasons why CO2 is such a great refrigerant is due to the fact it is possible to achieve very high effective temperatures. Because of this, CO2 is particularly great for the provision of heat in municipal and industrial heating networks, plus further use in drying technology (in automotive or paint shops).
CO2 is truly suited for any application that requires colder and warmer temperatures simultaneously. This may seem like a slightly confusing concept, but the following example explains what this means.
Hotels find particular use in using CO2 heat pumps as they have equal need for warming as they do cooling. As much as they need to keep hotel rooms cooled and comfortable for guests through air-conditioning, so too do they need to provide warm water to bathrooms and kitchen-areas.
Although a specific example, the range of possible applications is increasing rapidly – with CO2 heat pumps being used commonly in different fields of industry and business. For a technology that offers such great efficiency benefits, it was only a matter of time before they became common place in industry and business.
Potential application areas for CO2 chillers and CO2 high temperature heat pumps
Below is a table of scenarios where CO2 Chillers and Heat Pumps may find use:
| Application Area | Potential Uses |
| Building Technology | Heat supply for properties Cold supply for properties Hospital uses Large, energy-intensive buildings (data centres, media complexes)Hotel complexes |
| Process Technology | Condensation dehumidification in-process air technology (painting systems, coating systems) Hot water creation for washing and cleaning processes (food, meat, product washes) Hot air generation for drying processes (sludge, biomass, washed products) with cold generation possible Air preheating for spray dryers, power plants and heat generation plants |
| Central Building Services Engineering | Local heat networks (for example belonging to public utilities and local authorities, private energy suppliers, energy service providers) Industrial heat and cold supply networks |
| Refrigeration Technology | Cooling brine systems for the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries Commercial refrigeration Ice rinks |
Bonuses of CO2 heat pumps
What are the bonuses of using C02 heat pumps?
- C02 as a refrigerant enables much greater efficiency when delivering high temperature hot water
- Removal of need to consider medium temperature 45 degrees Celsius heating circuit integration to achieve renewable targets
- Water, Air, or Ground-source C02 systems available
- C02 scores highly in respect to BREEAM and environmental standards.
- C02 gas is a natural refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1 – signifying minimal risk
Benefits of using CO2 gas
What are the specific benefits of using C02 gas?
- Strong cost and carbon savings
- High-temperature heaters are available from either air and ground or water source
- Proven technology
- Provides both cooling and hot water
- Pure thermal C02 heat pumps can deliver a COP of 4 while producing hot water at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius
- Pure thermal HFC refrigerant heat pumps deliver a COP of around 2.2 when producing hot water at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius
- Carbon dioxide is twice as efficient as conventional refrigerants where hot water production is considered
- Strong potential to displace fossil fuels
A working example – Mitsubishi Electric 40kW Ecodan
On the 10th of September 2020, Mitsubishi Electric announced the launch of a new commercial heating system running on CO2 that is capable of delivering hot water of up to 90 degrees Celsius. This technology can help businesses towards higher efficiency of hot water production whilst simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint.
For decision-makers within a business, integrating this technology is almost a no-brainer.
The new Ecodan QAHV high-temperature air source heat pump is targeted towards commercial sanitary hot water applications in hotels, leisure centres, hospitals, care homes, restaurants, schools and universities.
The target areas mentioned are traditionally dominated by gas boilers, combined heat and power systems (CHP), or even electric water heating. The push towards net zero and green economies has opened the door to CO2 heat pumps to break the mould, however.
Seasonal efficiencies when producing water of 65 degrees Celsius have been calculated at a COP of 3, which when compared to traditional gas boilers shows a carbon saving of up to 78%.
The capabilities of this technology are already incredible, and it is exciting to see what the future holds.
Niccolo Gas
Many businesses are (astonishingly) still in the dark as to how hiring a business gas specialist could benefit their company.
Well, those businesses that had partnered with a reliable energy supplier like Niccolo Gas have been left much less exposed to current energy market events than others. That’s what happens when you partner with qualified energy experts.
How’s that for a benefit?
By partnering with Niccolo Gas as your commercial gas customer, you instantly gain extensive industry knowledge and reliable service, access to a range of business gas products that are suited to businesses of all types, dedicated services from one of our local teams.
All of this on top of a huge reduction in your business costs.
Unlike some suppliers, we actually want to talk to you – so get in contact today!
Call us: 0131 610 8868
Email us: info@niccolo.co.uk
Submit a webform: Click Here
We look forward to hearing from you!