BPHE optimised for residential heat pumps
6th March 2022
SWEDEN:The new Alfa Laval AC65 brazed plate heat exchanger has been specially optimised as an evaporator for residential heat pump applications.
The AC65 is ready to handle new low-GWP refrigerants, including propane, and can achieve COPs above 4.5 at nominal conditions.
High production capacity is said to keep the AC65 cost-competitive, while still meeting the highest quality standards.
The tall, thin design of the AC65 creates a high thermal-length, which, Alfa Laval says, guarantees that the unit is not only a highly-effective evaporator, but is also a great condenser for reversible heat pumps.
The AC65 incorporates FlexFLow, Alfa Laval’s asymmetric plate design that makes it possible to minimise the evaporator’s refrigerant charge, lowering the overall cost of applications that use synthetic refrigerants. This feature is even more critical when using flammable refrigerants like propane where the charge is strictly limited. This design also reduces the pressure drop on the secondary side, making it possible to use a smaller pump and less electricity, says Alfa Laval.
The AC65 also employs Alfa Laval’s DynaStatic distribution system, which allows the geometry of the distributor to be tailored to future trends and future customer needs, including changes in application requirements, new refrigerants, or any other requests. Together with the high-thermal-length design of the AC65, it also accounts for the high efficiency of the evaporator, since it ensures that the gas-and-liquid mixture that goes into the unit is distributed properly along the plates.
“The AC65 can be adapted to meet future trends and customer needs, including changes in application requirements, new refrigerants, or any other requests,” said Alfa Laval’s business unit brazed & fusion bonded heat exchangers president Fredrik Ekström.
“The AC65 is produced at Alfa Laval’s new San Bonifacio factory, which offers both high production volumes and high production quality, thanks to next-generation tooling and machines, according to industry 4.0,” he added. “With double the production space of its predecessor and a state-of-the-art thermal lab, the San Bonifacio plant makes it possible to test all new refrigerants safely, including flammable refrigerants, such as propane.”
