At Chillventa 2026 in Nuremberg, German chiller and heat pump manufacturer ENGIE Refrigeration announced that it is
developing a new chiller platform using Danfoss’ isobutane (R600a) Turbocor compressor, with an eye on the comfort cooling market.
ENGIE and Danfoss executives made the announcement during a press event at the Danfoss booth.
ENGIE began working with Danfoss in 2023 and by 2024 had a prototype chiller on a test bench. Its goal is to release its new line of chillers at the end of 2027 or in the beginning of 2028.
Danfoss said at the press event that it is planning a limited release of the oil-free isobutane TNS385 Turbocor compressor in the beginning of 2027; it was first displayed in March at Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE) 2026 in Milan.
“The compressor is new and completely redesigned for isobutane” with a new impeller, integrated leak detectors and improved sealing, said Kristian Strand, President Danfoss Climate Solutions, adding that he expects it to achieve 385kW (109TR), in comfort cooling applications.
Added Strand: “We did what we could internally, and now it’s time to have someone work with us who really understands this application. This company is Engie.”
EER over 10
ENGIE said the chiller has achieved an EER (energy efficiency ratio) greater than 10 from a 250kW (71TR) version of the isobutane Turbocor compressor. “This platform is currently under development is designed to meet evolving customer needs,” Jochen Hornung, CEO of ENGIE Refrigeration. “The team is focused on system efficiency, controllability and integration.”
Comfort cooling is the first application slated for the isobutane compressor though it could ultimately be used in data centers, noted Fabio Klein, President of the Danfoss Commercial Compressor Division. “Data centers are the fastest growing application but we really believe the first step should be the comfort application because the volume is extremely big from day one,” he said. Klein spoke to NaturalRefrigerants.com at the Danfoss booth.
Klein added that the compressor could eventually be employed in heat pumps. “This is something that we are discussing.”
The compressor is new and completely redesigned for isobutane.
Kristian Strand, President Danfoss Climate Solutions
Other manufacturers, such as Secon and ebm-papst, have been developing chillers or heat pumps using propane (R290) turbo compressors. But Klein said he welcomes the competition “because when you are the only one, it's more difficult to push the market in this direction.” He pointed out that Danfoss also has a propane compressor as well as one an eight-cylinder model for CO2 (R744), scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027.
Turbocor compressors use oil-free, magnetic bearings, which Danfoss said prevents “performance degradation caused by oil-related issues.” More than 140,000 previous models of Turbocor have been installed around the world, the company said.
