Italian manufacturer Enerblue has said that it is expanding its portfolio of propane (R290) chillers and heat pumps to meet a rising demand for higher-capacity units driven by decarbonization efforts across various industries.
The company recently introduced its latest range of R290 chillers, dubbed “Silver,” which offers cooling capacities of up to 768kW (218.3TR).
“While our air-to-water models previously reached 200kW [56.9TR] and water-to-water units about 350kW [99.5TR], we’re now receiving an increasing number of requests for higher-capacity heat pumps,” Raffaele Dal Pozzo, Enerblue’s Application Specialist, told NaturalRefrigerants.com in an interview at Chillventa 2024. Chillventa, held October 8–10, is one of the world’s largest HVAC&R trade shows.
Expanding Enerblue’s chiller range is the first step, Dal Pozzo said. The company plans to leverage the Silver platform to develop a new generation of higher-capacity propane heat pumps to further strengthen its position in the growing market.
“We are continuing to develop new products with a focus on natural refrigerants and high-temperature heat pumps to provide solutions for Europe’s decarbonization efforts,” added Simonluca Tessarin, Enerblue’s CEO.
“We are continuing to develop new products with a focus on natural refrigerants and high-temperature heat pumps to provide solutions for Europe’s decarbonization efforts.”
Simonluca Tessarin, CEO of Enerblue
High-capacity chillers
Enerblue’s Silver range of air-cooled propane chillers consists of 11 models offering cooling capacities of 308 (87.6TR) to 768kW. The units can provide water temperatures of −5 to 20°C (23 to 68°F) and operate in temperatures as low as −10°C (14°F).
Featuring semi-hermetic screw compressors and inverter regulation, the units ensure high efficiency and reliability, explained Giacomo Bernobi, Technical Sales Support at Enerblue, during his presentation at Chillventa’s Specialist Forum. The range also offers optional heat recovery for hot water production, and EC fans make the units 30% more energy-efficient compared to traditional AC fans, while closed compressors reduce noise, he said.
With low-charge and built-in safety features, such as gas sensors and extraction fans, the chillers ensure secure operation, Bernobi added.
The Silver units are designed for a variety of applications, including air-conditioning and process cooling in large facilities like hospitals, exhibition centers and data centers.
According to Bernobi, 10 units are already in operation.
10 years of propane
Enerblue’s first propane unit was installed at a hotel in 2014, and, as of this year, more than 1,000 of the company’s R290 heat pumps and chillers are in operation globally.
“While many companies are coming to the market with their new propane technologies, we have been producing equipment with propane as standard for 10 years,” said Dal Pozzo.
In addition to the Silver range of chillers, the company manufactures various propane units, including the Palladium, Steel and Iron heat pumps along with its flagship Purple range, which includes both chiller and heat pump units.
“While many companies are coming to the market with their new propane technologies, we have been producing equipment with propane as standard for 10 years.”
Raffaele Dal Pozzo, Application Specialist at Enerblue
The Nordic region has been a key market for Enerblue for the last 10 years due to its early adoption of natural refrigerants. According to Ole Jørgen Veiby, Managing Director at HVAC&R contractor Eptec Energy, Enerblue’s Norwegian partner, this demand – particularly in Norway – was driven by an environmental tax on HFCs.
Since the companies’ partnership began in 2017, Eptec has installed around 220 of Enerblue’s propane units in the region, including six at the University of Oslo.
Enerblue is also seeing demand for propane technologies from Germany, Austria, the U.K., Poland and several other Eastern European countries.
Interest in propane is coming from various sources due to its ability to provide space heating, domestic hot water, air-conditioning and refrigeration, explained Dal Pazzo.
“Pretty much everybody is now asking for propane,” he said.
The company has also been producing CO2 (R744) heat pumps for domestic hot water for more than 12 years. According to Francesco Zanzo, Product Manager at Enerblue, around 25% of the company’s sales comes from its CO2 units.
Enerblue is currently constructing a new 10,000m2 (107,639ft2) manufacturing facility near its existing 4,000m2 (43,055ft2) site in northern Italy, which is expected to be operational by late 2025.
