Danish manufacturer Solid Energy has sold more than 150 large-scale hydrocarbon heat pumps with high-temperature flow capabilities between −30 and 170°C (−22 and 338°F) for district heating and industrial processing applications, according to the company.
Solid Energy, founded in 2015, installed its first hydrocarbon heat pump in 2018. It offers seven heating-capacity sizes ranging from 200 to 1,200kW (56.9 to 341.2TR) that can be configured for four types of hydrocarbon refrigerants: propane (R290), n-butane (R600), isobutane (R600a) and isopentane (R601a). The company combines units in parallel to support megawatt-capacity projects.
“We have extensive experience in developing innovative solutions for district heating and industries of all sizes,” Solid Energy said. “Our pumps are hyper-flexible in terms of flow temperatures [and] scaling and are tailored to each installation.”
Recently, Solid Energy launched its XL4 hydrocarbon modular unit with four compressors. “The XL4 offers the same high efficiencies as our one-cabinet one-compressor modular units with the benefits of needing less space and greatly reduced installation costs,” said Ken Kneale, Business Unit Director of UK and Ireland at the company, in the ACRJournal. The new units will be used in a 70MW (19,904TR) capacity installation in Denmark.
Refrigerant selection: The company selects the hydrocarbon refrigerant based on the pressure/temperature ratio for the cooling and hot water temperature needs of the application.
- R290 units provide refrigeration temperatures from −30 to 25°C (−22 to 77°F) and a heat output range from 30 to 65°C (86 to 149°F) for heating applications.
- R600 units provide cooling temperatures from −10 to 40°C (14 to 104°F) and a heat output between 50 and 95°C (122 and 203°F).
- R600a units provide cooling temperatures between 0 and 50°C (32 and 122°F) and heat output from 70 to 120°C (158 to 248°F).
- R601a units provide cooling between 35 and 90°C (95 and 194°F) and industrial hot water and steam with temperatures from 90 to 170°C (194 to 338°F).
The configurations: Solid Energy offers the modular units, factory-charged with refrigerant, in several configurations, including air-to-water brine, air-to-water direct, water-to-water and air/water combinations.
- The liquid-to-water brine and air-to-liquid water combination units operate as an air-to-water and a water-to-water heat pump, providing heating in winter, cooling in summer and “cooling to heat” with heat recovery in spring and fall.
Installation examples: The company has supplied two 10MW (2,843TR) high-temperature heat pumps for district heating networks in Denmark.
- In Aarhus, Solid Energy has supplied a 10MW (2,843TR) hydrocarbon-based heat pump system to provide 95°C hot water to the district heating network using geothermal heat, with system startup slated for this year.
- “The modular design makes it possible to deal with the natural variations that occur when using geothermal water, while ensuring a reliable heat supply to the district heating network,” the company says.
- In Slagelse, a 10MW air-to-water heat pump system has replaced a waste incinerator as a heat source for 7,500 households. The heat pump integrates with the cogeneration plant at Assensvej and consists of three flexible units that adjust production to current demand, according to Solid Energy.
Quotable: “Heat pumps from Solid Energy set the standard for future efficient and flexible energy systems based on 100% natural refrigerants,” the company said. “We have been delivering hydrocarbon heat pumps since 2018 and have been fine-tuning ever since.”
“We have been delivering hydrocarbon heat pumps since 2018 and have been fine-tuning ever since.”
Solid Energy
