Copeland has launched two compressor platforms, enabling electrification across a wide range of commercial and residential heating applications.
Copeland’s YAW and YAV variable-speed compressor platforms help heat pump manufacturers overcome heating capacity challenges in cold climate applications down to -25 °F, supporting the acceleration of sustainable heat pump adoption.
Electrification of space and water heating in residential and commercial buildings has become a key goal of global decarbonization efforts, with recent data estimating that buildings contribute up to 34 per cent of global CO2 emissions.
Because of their high efficiencies and low carbon intensities, heat pumps have been identified as some of the most viable technologies for replacing or supplementing gas-powered furnaces and boilers.
A current challenge with heat pumps is their reliance on backup heating systems as a supplement in cold climates, which can add costs and complexities to system designs.
The Copeland YAW and YAV variable-speed scroll compressor platforms are engineered to deliver the heating capacities and efficiencies required to meet the US Department of Energy’s strict cold climate heat pump standard which calls on original equipment manufacturers and researchers to partner, develop and commercialise the next generation of CCHPs.
Vice president and general manager of commercial HVAC at Copeland, Mark Bills, said Copeland is a global leader in helping the residential, commercial and industrial sectors advance heat pump adoption and drive the electrification of HVAC and water heating technologies.
“Through partnerships with leading OEMs, grants from the DOE, and significant investments in research and development, Copeland is playing an integral role in the development of the next generation of heat pump technologies,” he said.
“In doing so, we can help OEMs not only meet the DOE’s CCHP technology challenges, but also define the future of sustainable, reliable and economically viable space and water heating technologies.”
Copeland’s new YAV variable-speed scroll compressor platform extends heat pump capacity ranges to help maintain comfort in ambient temperatures as low as -25 F for residential and commercial applications.
In part-load conditions, YAV variable-speed scroll compressors modulate to match lower-capacity requirements, avoiding costly stops and starts, which can consume excess energy. In cold climate scenarios, these compressors can overspeed to produce much needed heating capacity.
The results of their improved capacity ratio are increased year-round efficiencies in part-load conditions and enhanced comfort in cold climates.
Available in tonnage ranges for both residential and commercial applications, the YAW platform features a multitude of innovations, including scroll enhancements for lower-global warming potential (GWP) A2L refrigerant optimization, a new scroll design to improve heating and cooling efficiencies, and an injection port on the compressor for an enhanced vapor injection (EVI) loop.
Its design enables OEMs to precisely inject vapor during the compression cycle while providing subcooling to the refrigerant before entering the evaporator. This can increase heating capacity up to 25 percent and heating efficiency up to 10 per cent — which expands heat pump operation in low ambient conditions.
This breakthrough will enable OEMs to accelerate the electrification and decarbonisation of space and water heating in North America by developing superior performance for residential and commercial heat pumps and water heaters.