Claims that ‘Energy Enhancer’ is a combination of refrigerating plant and downstream heat pump with energy-saving potential

GEA Refrigeration Technologies has announced that GEA Refrigeration Netherlands NV, a member company of the group, has won the Dutch Refrigeration Prize last month in the field of Refrigeration Technology and Air Treatment (NVKL). The Dutch Association of Companies has been awarding the prize since 1989 in the form of the “Koeltrofee” pyramid, in recognition of innovations in the area of refrigeration and HVAC, the announcement added.

The new prize-winning product, called the ‘Energy Enhancer’, it is a combination of a refrigerating plant and a downstream heat pump, and uses ammonia to raise the temperature of the heat exhausted from refrigeration compressors (originally emitted at approx. 35°C) to a level of around 80°C, which can then be effectively used. This, GEA claimed, enables efficient use of the heat in, for example, milk treatment (for pasteurisation), French fries production (for blanching) and meat processing (for machine cleaning). The product is also used at leisure centres, where the ice-skating rink needs to be cooled and the swimming pool needs to be heated.

According to GEA, the Energy Enhancer raises exhausted heat – which is often dissipated into the environment without being used in conventional refrigeration units – to a higher temperature, where it becomes useful energy. This eliminates the need to produce heat by gas-fired hot-water heaters or steam generators, thus resulting in energy savings. GEA pointed out that a gas boiler requires approximately 120 kW in the form of gas input to produce 100 kW of useful heat, whereas the Energy Enhancer requires only 20 kW of electrical power to deliver the same thermal output. This enables not only significant reduction in operating costs but also drastic reduction in CO2 emissions. The principle of the Energy Enhancer can be applied to new facilities as well as existing plants, the manufacturer claimed, and added that ammonia, which is used in the heat pump is a natural refrigerant and does not deplete the ozone layer.