TEPCO ’09: CO₂ heat pumps for commercial applications

R744.com last week attended the Energy Solution & Thermal Storage Fair 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. Among the products exhibited were a wide range of CO₂ products, including for commercial applications. An overview as well as an image gallery regarding the commercial CO₂ heat pumps showcased at the event is here provided.

Under the theme “Cultivating a Low-carbon Society with Heat Pump - A Sustainable Future with Renewable Energy”, this year’s Energy Solution & Thermal Storage Fair attendance grew at 150% compared to that of last year.

CO₂ products for commercial applications

An increasing number of companies are now offering CO₂ products for commercial applications, while there is a trend towards increasing COPs. A wide range of commercial CO₂ heat pumps, including air-source, water-source and for drying purposes were showcased at the Japan-focused event, including:

MAYEKAWA showcased its Air-Source Commercial Eco Cute achieving a COP of 4.1 as well as the first of its type Water-Source Commercial Eco Cute, ideal for applications such as noodle factories. The company further showcased its world exclusive CO₂ Air-Source heat pump dryer, targeting potential applications such as drying paint on cars, drying clothes, drying in lithium-ion battery manufacturing processes and dehumidification in different chemical industrial processes.

Nihon Itomic showcased its commercial CO₂-based heat pump hot water heater that recently achieved an improved COP rating of 4.0 thanks to improvements in the gas cooler and reductions in the moving loads of working parts used in the CHP series compressor. The company also presented its hybrid system comprising of the Eco Cute unit coupled with a gas boiler.

MITSUBISHI showcased its Commercial Eco Cute achieving a COP of 4.1. The model features a scroll compressor as its main selling point, but however achieves lower hot water temperatures compared to those offered by MYCOM and Itomic.

HITACHI showcased its environmental prize winning Commercial Eco Cute model achieving a COP of 4.1.

SHOWA showcased its Commercial Eco Cute model.

The models described above can be viewed in the photo gallery that follows.