BITZER showcased innovations from its natural refrigerants portfolio at Chillventa 2024 last week.
BITZER has been a long term supporter of naturals and has offered components for R717 (ammonia) since 1973, for hydrocarbons since 1990 and for R744 (CO2) since 1998.
At Chillventa BITZER showcased the ECOLINE 8-cylinder reciprocating compressors for subcritical CO2 applications.
BITZER has expanded the series to include higher capacity ranges with the refrigerant R744 (CO2) – especially for industrial refrigeration.
The compressors are designed for high standstill pressures of up to 80 bar. BITZER is also the only manufacturer to include reciprocating, screw and scroll compressors for R290 (propane) in its portfolio.
The company has been showcasing these along with the ECOLINE PRO, CS PRO and ORBIT PRO series at Chillventa.
Components for R717 (ammonia) round off the BITZER product portfolio for natural refrigerants at Chillventa.
Open drive OS.A105 screw compressors come in three displacement volumes – 1400, 1700 and 2000 m3/h at 2900 rpm – and offer high capacities for industrial refrigeration.
Designed to fulfil market requirements, BITZER compressors offer maximum efficiency and boast a long lifetime.
One example is the line-start permanent-magnet (LSPM) motor technology of the ECOLINE+ series, which uses high motor efficiency and low heat input into the refrigerant to reduce energy consumption.
Advanced capacity control is essential when it comes to further improving efficiency in full and part load, which is why BITZER offers a range of options which are optimally tailored to its compressors and enable precise capacity adjustment based on actual refrigeration and heating requirements.
At Chillventa, the company offered information about the opportunities provided by the VARIPACK frequency inverter and VARISTEP mechanical capacity control.
These technologies can be optimally combined in new systems, but also offer benefits when it comes to retrofitting existing systems for the purpose of optimising energy consumption.
Thanks to a wide range of capacity modulation of the compound system, both the minimum load and varying cooling and heating loads up to the maximum load are optimally covered.
Precise capacity control optimises dynamic system behaviour, improves control accuracy (CF) and lowers temperature differentials in heat exchangers, thus reducing fluctuations in pressure, which result in losses, and high cycling rates.
Calculations demonstrate that precise control of compressor capacity can increase system efficiency considerably.
Raising the evaporation temperature by 3 Kelvin can improve efficiency by up to 12 per cent, whilst reducing the condensing temperature by 1 Kelvin can improve efficiency by another two to three per cent.
Focusing on energy efficiency, the new generation of the IQ MODULE CM-RC-02 has been one of the BITZER product highlights at Chillventa 2024.
It has been a standard feature of ECOLINE reciprocating compressors of the C3 series and higher since the beginning of the year and lays the foundation for even higher efficiency in compressor operation and increased availability.
In addition, intelligent functions such as monitoring key operating parameters and a user-friendly operating concept simplify compressor installation, commissioning and maintenance.
Thanks to extension boards, the IQ MODULE also simplifies connection and operation of VARISTEP capacity control. ‘
With the IQ MODULE, it is possible to improve energy efficiency without increasing complexity.
There are special performance kits available for retrofitting existing compressors. Thanks to the IQ MODULE, VARISTEP capacity control can also be retrofitted at any time to improve efficiency.