ENGIE Refrigeration will install a thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with a heating capacity of 100 kilowatts at the Ludwigsburg District Office in Germany this month.
The model is especially eco-friendly, partly because it utilises the natural refrigerant CO2 and partly because it provides cold and heat simultaneously.
ENGIE Refrigeration has also conceptually overhauled the thermeco2: the heat pump now contains a filter dryer and more control options. The administrative campus of the Ludwigsburg District Office is home to almost all the important specialist departments in the Swabian district.
The District Office maintains its own in-house data centre so ambient temperature plays an essential role for a reliable operation. As the server racks generate a large amount of heat, the refrigeration supply must function smoothly around the clock.
In the summer of 2019, it became clear that action was necessary, according to Frank Glaser, key account manager for heating applications at ENGIE.
“The existing R22 refrigeration system was outdated and needed to be fully modernised,” he said.
“As the Ludwigsburg District Office attaches great importance to a sustainable refrigeration solution, it chose the thermeco2 high temperature heat pump from ENGIE Refrigeration.”
The office is aiming to be climate-neutral by 2025. To achieve this, it wants to use a photovoltaic system and a combined heat and power system to produce and consume its own electricity.
“The office requires heat uncoupling in a challenging temperature range: high outlet temperatures of up to 90 degrees Celsius, and a low inlet temperature of 38 degrees Celsius,” Glaser said.
“Our thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump unfolds its full potential under these conditions, while alternative solutions could only achieve this with a great deal of technical and primary energy expenditure.”
The thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump will be installed this month and will then provide the base load refrigeration for year-round server cooling.
Furthermore, the heat pump will cool the administrative building in the winter months and, thanks to its heat recovery function, simultaneously provide heat for heating the building, provide hot water as well as conditioning the recirculated air in the server rooms.
Additional chillers and boilers are available for peak loads in hot or cold weather.