ATMOsphere, the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has announced that the Answr CO2 (R744) heat pump from Flow Environmental Systems is now on the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace.
The Answr CO2 heat pump is available in four different capacities: 20TR (70kW), 60TR (211kW), 90TR (316kW) and 120TR (422kW). It can use air, water or geothermal energy as its heat source and provide simultaneous heating and cooling with no reversing vales, according to Flow.
Outlet water temperatures range from 90‒180°F (32‒82°C) for heating and 38‒75°F (3‒23°C) for chilling, with lower temperatures available via a glycol mix. Flow, based in Minnesota, has designed the Answr to operate in ambient temperatures as low as –40°F (–40°C).
“With an air interface, we can use an adiabatic cooler to support CO2 heat pump operation in scorching temperatures,” said Sean Jarvie, CTO of Flow, in an August 2024 interview. “We can also handle low ambient temperatures that no other heat pump [on the market] today can touch.”
Pilot project
Straus Family Creamery, which manufactures organic dairy products including ice cream and yogurt, announced in August 2024 that it would install an Answr heat pump at its manufacturing facility in Rohnert Park, California. The installation is a pilot project funded by the California Energy Commission.
The Answr heat pump will provide medium- and low-temperature refrigeration and reclaim waste heat from the refrigeration cycle to provide defrost ranging from low to no energy. The unit will support a freezer hardening room at −30°F (−34.4°C) and two storage coolers at 35°F (1.7°C). The goal of the pilot is to cut emissions from commercial industrial processes and better manage peak electrical load challenges.
“This project will drive impressive results at our creamery through reduced energy use, decreased climate emissions and the improvement of operational refrigeration performance,” said Joseph Button, Vice President of Sustainability and Strategic Impact at Straus.
