R290 Heat Pump Leading ISH Frankfurt Exhibition

R290 Heat Pump Leading ISH Frankfurt Exhibition

On March 13-17, the 2023 Frankfurt HVAC&Kitchen&Bathroom Exhibition (ISH) was held in Frankfurt, Germany. According to foreign media http://Hydrocarbons21.com During the exhibition, nearly 40 exhibitors showcased heat pump models using natural refrigerant propane (R290), most of which are home heat pump triple supply products that can provide heating, air conditioning, and domestic hot water. R290 heat pump technology is considered crucial for Europe to reduce its dependence on oil and natural gas heating boilers, and to replace these fossil energy based heating systems by connecting existing radiators and underfloor heating systems.

CHILLVENTA 2022 is a showcase for commercial R290 refrigerators and heat pumps, "said ATMOSphere COO Jan Dusek, This year's ISH exhibition has made it clear that the new focus of the European HVAC industry is to provide alternatives to fluorinated gases for household and commercial heating and cooling. In the past year, there has been a significant shift in the perception of this conversion from 'impossible' to 'must participate'. There are definitely a few manufacturers who did not showcase R290 at the ISH exhibition. We expect millions of R290 air water heat pumps to be launched on the market starting from 2024

Due to the fact that the refrigeration circuit is sealed and usually placed outdoors, in the proposed legislation, the overall unit is considered a "readily available fruit" of the transition to natural refrigerants (especially R290). For example, the proposed EU Fluorine Gas Act (F-Gas Act) by the European Commission prohibits the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP exceeding 150 for integrated units (including plug and play rooms and self-contained air conditioning and heat pump equipment) starting from January 2025.

On the other hand, the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety plans to introduce a ban on the use of all fluorinated greenhouse gases in such equipment starting from 2026.

On ISH2023, multiple European and international companies, including some well-known OEM manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises, have chosen to showcase their home R290 heat pump products.

Bosch

Daikin

Glen Dimplex

LG

Mitsubishi

Panasonic

Samsung

Vaillant

Viessmann

Wolf

Clivet

Clivet also showcased a split R290 air conditioning system, which is expected to be launched in the European market by the end of this year. Previously, Haier announced a similar plan at the 2022 German International Refrigeration Exhibition. At present, Midea R290 split type air conditioners have entered the European market, and hundreds of thousands of R290 air conditioners have been sold and installed in the Indian and Chinese markets.

Conversion of commercial heat pumps to hydrocarbons

In addition to the centralized display of R290 residential heating solutions, a large number of exhibitors showcased commercial R290 heat pumps and chillers at this year's ISH exhibition. These devices mainly cover a cooling capacity of 40-100kW (11.4-28.4 cold tons) and are used for apartments, residential buildings, and commercial buildings. Some of the suppliers' R290 chillers have been on the market for many years, but some of the equipment displayed by them are still conceptual products and have not yet been commercialized.

After recently completing the acquisition of the SystemAir air conditioning business, Panasonic demonstrated for the first time the R290 cold water heat pump unit with a cooling capacity of 80kW (22.7 cold tons). In addition, Fishman released a new 40kW commercial cycle heat pump at the exhibition, while Danfoss launched a new 20-200kW screw R290 heat pump compressor. In addition, exhibitors such as Clivet, Glen Dimplex, Skadec, Swegon, MTA, Wolf, and Rhoss also showcased the R290 commercial heat pump chiller.

Clivet

Danfoss

Glen Dimplex

MTA

Panasonic

Rhoss

Swegon

Wolf

As the HVAC industry prepares for the revision of the EU Fluorine Gas Act, the possibility of commercializing R290 cycle heat pumps and chillers this year is increasing.