With over 200 CO₂ (R744) units installed globally, Foshan LYD Energy Saving Technology, a Chinese manufacturer of CO₂ heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, is open to entering into new international partnerships, including with OEMs, Sales Manager Dick Yi told NaturalRefrigerants.com.

LYD produces air-to-air, air-to-water and water-to-water CO₂ units for commercial and industrial applications, including hot and chilled water production and space heating and cooling. Its four-pipe CO₂ heat pump offers simultaneous hot water and free cooling. Depending on the configuration, heating capacities range from 8kW to 1MW (2.3 to 284.3TR).

“With CO₂ providing the best solution for domestic hot water, our first heat pumps, produced in 2015, focused on hotel applications for the local Chinese market,” Yi said. “Our next step was introducing the technology into China’s high-speed train stations, where they need lots of hot water for travelers.”

Yi indicated that the company has roughly 140‒150 LYD CO₂ heat pump projects in China and 50 internationally, including in other Asian countries, Europe, Central America, North America and Oceania.

Application latitude: Along with offering standard CO₂ heat pumps, LYD’s in-house design teams allow the company to produce function-specific products.

• Its smallest air-source CO₂ heat pumps for commercial applications come in 8 and 14kW (2.3 to 4TR) heating capacities. The units, commonly used in the dairy sector, produce 85°C (185°F) hot water.
• For larger hot water applications, the company’s standard units, in air- or water-source options, come in heating capacities of 75, 120, 160 and 250kW (21.3, 34.1, 45.5 and 71.1TR). “We can combine four 250kW heat pumps to provide 1MW of heating capacity, Yi said, adding that the units can produce outlet temperatures as high as 90°C (194°F).
• The heat pump air heater has a maximum outlet temperature of 120°C (248°F), with a heating capacity ranging from 40 to 250kW (11.4 to 71.1TR) and a cooling capacity from 21.8 to 144kW (6.2 to 40.9TR).

Cooperative mentality: The company is open to manufacturing CO₂ units for international partners, which includes white labeling.

• Instead of pushing the LYD brand, “our focus is on manufacturing and improving the product,” Yi said.
• “For example, we supply a complete rack with the casing, breaker and fan already installed but missing the CO₂ compressor to a German client,” Yi explained. “This allows them to install a German-built compressor and market the product as made in Germany.”
• LYD works to meet the regulatory requirements of individual countries. Authorizations the company has already received or is in the process of obtaining include UL certification for the U.S. market, CE for Europe, South Korea’s high-pressure requirements and Australian–New Zealand standards.

Developing the technology: The company’s foray into CO₂ started with one of its system designers, who had 10 years of experience working for the Italian component manufacturer Carel, according to Yi.

• “We advanced our CO₂ product development after our engineers visited installations in China with equipment from both European and Asian manufacturers,” Yi said, citing Italy-based SCM Frigo and Japan-based Itomic.

Quotable: “We’ve sold 250 CO₂ heat pumps to our U.S. partner, Intellihot,” Yi said. “The company has incorporated our air-source CO₂ heat pump into its hot water product and obtained UL certification for it.”

Instead of pushing the LYD brand, “our focus is on manufacturing and improving the product.”

Dick Yi, Sales Manager at LYD