One of the leading pump manufacturers is joining R744.com as a Bronze Partner to support the use of natural refrigerants. The company is developing its first series of variable speed refrigerant pumps that are designed and optimised for CO2.
Beginning 2010, Danish manufacturer Grundfos expects to launch the product that is meant to be innovative in many ways compared to existing products available and will offer new possibilities to the CO2 refrigeration industry. Currently in the development phase, the first showcase of the new circulation pump series this autumn will be R744.com. In the meantime, the company is seeking to get in contact with users, installers, and system manufacturers to learn more about their requirements for pump performance, features and specifications.
A main advantage of the new product series will be the use of intelligent capacity control to obtain a high energy efficiency of the pumps and a low system energy consumption. The variable speed refrigerant pumps are primarily designed for commercial and industrial refrigeration applications where Grundfos can build on many years of experience with circulator pumps used for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. So far, Grundfos focused only on the secondary (water) sides of the systems but is now getting ready to complete its product program for refrigeration and air conditioning with pumps available for both the primary and secondary circuits. For Grundfos the first refrigerant choice is clearly R744 as it wants to support initiatives to expand the use of natural refrigerants.
At last year’s Gustav Lorentzen Conference, Grundfos and Johnson Controls jointly presented first results from a field test of a prototype refrigerant pump in a CO2/R404A-cascade system. Using a variable speed for pump capacity control and improving the pump energy efficiency led to an 8% energy optimisation for the system, with further energy saving potential already envisaged.
Reaction
“Joining R744.com is a strategically important step for us in becoming recognised as a leading player in the growing area of CO
2 refrigeration. Although our product is still in the development phase we want to send a “first signal” to the CO
2 refrigeration community today about our intentions and stress that we are serious in our commitment to support the development of natural refrigerant technology,” says Bjarne Dindler Rasmussen, Product Manager for Refrigerant Pumps at Grundfos.
The opportunities for establishing contact with multiple users, installers, and system manufacturers will enable us to make our product development even more customer oriented", he adds.
About Grundfos
Established in 1945, Grundfos is today one of the leading pump manufacturers worldwide with an annual production of more than 16 million pump units. 80 companies in 45 countries represent the Grundfos Group. The company manufactures circulator pumps for heating and air-conditioning, covering about 50 per cent of the world market for these pumps. In addition its wide product range includes centrifugal pumps for industry, water supply, waste water and dosing, as well as norm and submersible motors for pumps or as separate units. Furthermore, Grundfos develops and sells state-of-the-art electronics for monitoring, controls for pumps and other systems.
