Danish OEM Advansor is introducing a “plug-and-play replacement for cooling and heating” in the form of a single CO₂ (R744)-based unit that builds on a heat pump-only system.

A company representative – Casper Christiansen, Business Development Manager – described the new unit a presentation on the first day of Chillventa in Nuremberg, Germany. Chillventa, one of the world’s largest HVAC&R trade events, is taking place October 8–10 at the NürnbergMesse exhibition center.

.Advansor originally introduced a CO₂ heat pump system last year. However, it has since added a chiller cooling component to the system and named it “ValueBox,” announcing the new integrated product at Chillventa, said Christiansen. “In the summer we can use it as a chiller function, for air-conditioning. In the spring and autumn, it can be simultaneous space heating and cooling.” It also generates domestic hot water year-round, with a buffer tank used for tap water.

The advantages of the system, he said, is that it offers “plug-and-play” installation in buildings (leveraging the same piping, radiators and pumps), provides heating and cooling at the same time, is “energy efficient, even up to 95°C [203°F] water outlet” (ideal for old buildings) and provides high capacity, even in low ambient conditions down to -20°C (-4°F). The heating capacity ranges from 300 to 700kW (85 to 199TR), while the cooling capacity covers 200 to 400kW (57 to 114TR). Applications include office buildings, hotels, district heating and other large commercial applications.

The ValueBox has already been installed as a heat pump, said Christiansen, including a recent installation at a district heating facility in Latvia. “They installed the heat pump and 30 minutes later switched off the gas boiler.”

“They installed the heat pump and 30 minutes later switched off the gas boiler.”

Casper Christiansen, Advansor

In CO₂ heat pump systems, the “delta T” – the difference between the outlet and return water temperature – determines the COP. A 40°C (72°F) delta T is considered ideal but in the ValueBox unit, even a 24°C (43°F) delta T will produce a COP of 2.9, said Christiansen.

The ValueBox is designed to help European end users rapidly transition from fossil-fuel based boiler to heat pumps. “We need to stop burning things to stay warm,” he said.

The transition to heat pumps in Europe is being spurred by the new EU F-gas Regulation, which now includes heat pumps, and by EU regulations on ESG reporting, which looks at refrigerant leaks. The lack of skilled technicians remains a challenge to heat pump adoption, he added.