What is the 273 heat pump's core component?

The core component is an oversized compressor block developed by Frick in the US, operating at 90 bar pressure.

How does the 273 heat pump manage oil carryover?

Oil carryover is kept very low through a second-stage separation process integrated into the system design.

What testing is being conducted on the 273 prototype?

Extensive testing includes vibration analysis under various operating conditions, flow measurement instrumentation, control system validation across the entire operating range, and heat exchanger performance evaluation.

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TC40 Heat Pump Part 1

Johnson Controls Industrial Refrigeration has developed the 273 prototype heat pump, a variable speed system with an oversized compressor block operating at 90 bar. The unit undergoes extensive vibration and performance testing with advanced separation and instrumentation to ensure low oil carryover and accurate ratings across its full operating range.

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June 15, 2023, 7:44 PM UTCHeat PumpIndustrial RefrigerationCompressorPrototype

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Key takeaways

Variable speed design with oversized 90-bar compressor block from Frick

Two-stage oil separation process minimizes carryover

Comprehensive testing includes vibration analysis, flow measurement, and control system validation across full operating range

Johnson Controls Industrial Refrigeration is introducing a new prototype heat pump system, the 273 heat pump. This unit has been designed for variable speed, and extensive testing is being conducted on vibrations under various operating conditions. The base frame is sturdy, able to withstand vibrations. The core component is an oversized compressor block developed by colleagues at Frick in the US, operating at a pressure of ninety bar. The unit is equipped with instrumentation, including flow meters, to ensure accurate performance ratings, and the control system is tested across the entire operating range. Oil carryover is kept very low through a second-stage separation process. The heat exchangers, including the condenser, oil cooler, sub-cooler, and evaporator, are part of the comprehensive testing process.

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Video TranscriptExpand ↓

Well, what you see here is our new 273 heat pump. It's a prototype built solely for testing purposes. It's the most comprehensive testing effort we've ever made on a heat pump system. You see the very sturdy base frame you have here. This unit is designed for variable speed from the very beginning, so vibration has been a consideration from the early design phases, and we're doing extensive testing on vibrations here; over the entire speed range, any operating conditions. And you can almost see it from the heavy steel that's built into this base frame here. We see the heart of it. It's a compressor block that has been developed in the US by our colleagues at Frick. It's oversized, basically, compressor with very sturdy design designed the accuracy ninety bar pressure where we run only sixty bar for heat pump applications here. So it's really oversized basically. And to validate the performance as this is a test unit, we have installed a lot of instrumentation, including these big flow meters, so that our performance rating will be very accurate. Also the control system is a part of our test here. So that's being tested in all ranges of the operating envelope and this is where the operator can monitor and interact with the system here. So we measure actually what the oil carryover is from the unit and we have this second stage separation which ensures a very very low amount of oil into the system. And also the heat exchangers are part of the test here because it is a complete system. So we have the condenser, we have the oil cooler, we have the sub cooler received by down here. And at the other end, we have the evaporator. All that is being tested and verified comprehensively throughout the testing.