Skadec, a Germany-based hydrocarbon chiller and heat pump manufacturer, debuted a new compact reversible propane (R290) water-cooled heat pump for commercial and industrial applications at the ISH 2025 trade show.
The modular unit, with a propane charge of less than 2.5kg, provides a heating capacity of up to 87kW (24.7TR) with an outlet temperature of up to 75°C (167°F), Dennis Kratschmayer, Skadec’s Managing Director, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. The manufacturer plans to conduct several months of testing on the unit before releasing it to the European market.
“We developed the compact unit to meet the market demand for a high-temperature heat pump capable of heating or cooling,” Kratschmayer said, adding that the water-to-water model provides simultaneous heating and cooling.
ISH 2025 took place March 17–21 in Frankfurt.
Design: The heat pump uses a Danfoss inverter scroll compressor with a Skadec PLC controller.
- The unit features a “permanent” ventilated casing to handle the A3 refrigerant.
- “We can stack up to eight units to meet a 600kW (170TR) capacity load,” Kratschmayer said, adding that the company is developing a software solution for an unlimited number of units in a single installation.
Markets: According to Kratschmayer, the heat pump ‒ manufactured in Kaunas, Lithuania ‒ meets the needs of “typical” manufacturing processes.
- In commercial applications, the unit can operate as a heat pump providing domestic hot water and space heating for an office or multi-tenant building or as a chiller to provide air-conditioning or supermarket refrigeration, Kratschmayer noted.
Other products: Skadec produces only natural refrigerant products, including propane, isobutane (R600a) and propylene (R1270).
- Its four-pipe R290 heat pumps offer heating capacities from 100–300kW (28–85TR).
- Its R600a high-temperature heat pump offers outlet temperatures up to 90°C (194°F).
- According to Kratschmayer, Skadec’s first compact heat pump/chiller released in 2022 with a semi-hermetic compressor does not reverse and has a lower outlet temperature than the new unit. However, he noted that both products have applications in the market.
Quotable: “The design of the new heat pump allows application options,” Kratschmayer said. “Our software controls the unit and the pumps based on the temperature in the buffer tanks, and the small footprint allows easy movement into and out of a building.”
“The small footprint allows easy movement into and out of a building.”
Dennis Kratschmayer, Skadec’s Managing Director
