Hera: a new era of natural industrial heat pumps made by Euroklimat
Even big industry can adopt natural systems
Since the time of the first industrial revolution, the world of industry has been associated with grey malaise and the image of smokestacks belching out pollution. While it’s true in part that industry is one of the biggest enemies of the environment, it is equally true that if we lump everyone together we end up missing the positive shifts taking place under those smog-filled clouds.
Will we be able to dispel the myth of an industry that does nothing more than pollute? We certainly hope so. In fact, we’re here to show you that even in this sector we can embrace natural systems, thus limiting our environmental impact. We’re going to try to change your mind by talking about HERA, the new range of reversible heat pumps by Euroklimat that run on propane (R290), a natural refrigerant we’ve been using for over ten years in a wide array of refrigerators, both for production applications as well as for comfort in our living and working environments.
Heat pumps
Characteristics and environmental impact
Heat pumps are commonly-used to climatize rooms. They work to transport heat from a low-temperature thermal source (air, surface water, soil, aquifers) to a heat sink with a higher temperature.
Some of these machines, including our Hera, can also invert the cycle, cooling down a given space. In this case, we refer to them as reversible heat pumps.
They can be powered by electric energy (which uses synthetic refrigerants that are harmful to the environment), by thermal energy from fossil fuels (natural gases) or by renewable energy sources (solar energy).
The environmental impact of a given heat pump depends almost entirely on how energy is consumed.
Industrial sectors that use heat pumps
- Construction
- Food management and maintenance
- Food retail
- Catering and hospitality
- Shipping and transport
- Offices
- Shopping centers
- Pharmaceutical sector
- Textile industry
- Hospitals
Before getting into the unique features of this product, let’s take a look at what heat pumps are and how they work.
Hera, the reversible heat pump that uses R290
Seeing as Hera won the Innodriver European Call for Innovation, we’d like to take a moment to shine a light on it.
Our heat pump, which is compliant with EU REGULATIONS n. 813/2013 and 811/2013, is designed to work at 100% capacity even in temperatures reaching -20 °C. Our experts have developed an algorithm that allows you to minimize energy waste and maximize the performance of our machine.
In this way, we have guaranteed low energy consumption, low operation costs and constant control over water temperature.
There are lots of reasons we’re proud of Hera. First and foremost is the fact that it runs on propane (R290), which in contrast to other HFC refrigerants has a low GWP (equal to 3). Given that R290 is highly flammable, we have installed a gas sensor and ventilator that activates in the event of a leak. However, this is highly unlikely given that the piping has been designed to reduce this eventuality to an absolute minimum.
We’d also like to point out that by facilitating or even completely excluding the operation of a boiler, Hera produces a low amount of carbon monoxide, which is a real danger to our health.
A new industry cutting through the clouds
For us, Hera is a true example of a positive shift towards real, practical change. It marks a new era for industries. Slowly but surely the green will overtake the grey that shrouds our planet and all of us on it.