GEA Grasso V HP – New reciprocating compressor models for NH3 heat pump solutions

This solution covers most of all heat pump applications in the food industry for processing and cleaning and already won this year’s RAC Cooling Industry Award in the category Building Energy Project. The new compressor models are based on the currently available GEA Grasso V design and cover a swept volume range from 290 to 580 m³/h at 1,500 rpm.

The pilot plant installation has been such a tremendous success for the customer that it has won the RAC Cooling Industry Award 2018 in the category Building Energy Project. With 19 targeted categories, the awards cover every aspect of the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, from Retail Initiative to Cold Chain Innovation / Project. The building energy project of the year category seeks to recognize innovation as well as significant energy savings. The judges were unanimous in awarding GEA the top prize for its modification of a large ammonia-based refrigeration plant by adding a heat pump stage to heat process water for the washdown of the factory. The GEA Grasso V HP further compresses the NH3 discharge gas of the chiller stage to provide 1.5 MW capacity and a temperature rise of the process water from 10 °C to 67 °C. The statistics speak for themselves: the client was able to turn off two boilers altogether and reduced the gas consumption on the remaining two, in return on for a small increase in electrical power.