On February 5, 2015, visitors who have registered for the ITOMIC tour at the ATMOsphere Asia trade fair in Tokyo can expect a real highlight. ITOMIC will be demonstrating a fully functional installation of its highly efficient ECO-cute heat pump, which can supply 350 one-person households with warm water. This is a system with two hot water tanks, each with a capacity of 8,000 liters and a BITZER 4HTC reciprocating compressor. There are also two recirculation tanks integrated into the system, each holding 800 liters. Each day, the installation supplies enough hot water for 300 showers or enough to prepare 600 hot meals in a canteen.
Environmentally friendly and efficient
One special feature is that ECO-cute uses the natural refrigerant CO2 (R744), which has a very low global warming potential. Improvements over the previous models mean that the heat pump needs 55% less space and weighs 20% less while still offering better performance values. The ECO-cute produces four times as much usable heat as the electrical energy needed for its operation. Thanks to the high system efficiency, the ECO-cute lowers operating costs and protects the environment at the same time. That is clearly appreciated: ITOMIC has already sold about 1,000 systems domestically and abroad. Among other places, the heat pumps are used in factories, public buildings, schools and hotels.
Flexible for CO2 applications
The semi-hermetic 4HTC reciprocating compressor from BITZER makes it possible. This 4-cylinder unit was designed for a trans-critical CO2 applications and for operation with a frequency inverter. Performance can be flexibly controlled so that the system’s efficiency is always optimal. The 4HTC system’s major strength is its energy efficiency. This is ensured by a suction gas-cooled motor, which is especially suited for speed control, and by the special drive gear geometry and the cylinder heads with their separate, thermally insulated, high and low pressure chambers. The quality is well proven, as BITZER has decades of experience in the manufacture of trans-critical CO2 compressors. The 4HTC has been successfully used around the world for more than ten years now. Its standard speed is designed for a large application range of between 30 and 70 Hz. 4HTC reciprocating compressors are also incredibly flexible as they can not only be used for trans-critical but also for sub-critical cycles.
“For us, environmental protection and system efficiency go hand in hand,” said Ferdinand Spannan, Managing Director of BITZER Japan K.K. “That’s because we know that environmental pollution can only be permanently reduced with high-quality technical solutions. This is why BITZER has relied for decades on compressors for natural refrigerants. With our extensive product portfolio, we can offer the best compressor for all heat pump applications.”