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Trane opens new chiller test facility

Trane-test-labFRANCE: Chiller testing has begun at a new state-of-the-art testing facility in Trane’s main European plant in Epinal, France.

In addition to its large capacity chillers and multi-pipe units, the facility enables Trane to verify the performance of its comprehensive equipment portfolio.

The 5,000m³ climate chamber can simulate a range of ambient temperature and humidity operating conditions. Specifically, airside conditions are controllable from -25ºC to 60ºC, 10 to 90%RH and -12ºC to +65ºC on the waterside.

Multiple operating modes are possible to cover the diversity of Trane products including air-cooled and water-cooled chillers and multi-pipe systems from 200 to 1700kW, heat pumps from 200 to 1000kW.

“Our customers demand more configurations, tiers and options than ever before and this facility will help us meet their needs through innovation and development of products with proven performance at the top of the industry,” commented Louis Rompre, portfolio manager for Trane in Europe.

Tests conducted at the Trane facility in Epinal will provide customers with confirmation that the chiller’s actual performance in customer-specified conditions matches the modelling predictions established during the selection. The facility also allows customers to witness tests their equipment.

Sustainability and energy efficiency of the Epinal testing facility have not been overlooked: 70% of the motors are equipped with variable speed drives and 100% of the tested unit’s rejected energy is recovered to air-condition the test chamber itself.

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