Specifications
| Type | Unit | ACP 10 | ACP 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor unit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height x Width x Depth | mm | 770x1150x510 | 1170x1150x510 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | kg | 170 | 210 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Controller dimensions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height x Width x Depth | mm | 310x170x130 | 310x170x130 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Package: Height x Width x Depth | mm | 350x200x200 | 350x200x200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | kg | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOW HEAT PUMPS WORK
Air to water heat pumps use the ambient air as an energy source. A fan draws air through a heat exchanger. This reduces the temperature of the air and gives off heat. The free environmental heat is brought to a higher temperature level (e.g. 40°C) in the heat pump and delivered to the heating system. The higher the air temperature, the higher the energy efficiency of the heat pump.
During the heating period, the energy source temperature averages -5°C to 0°C depending on the location. For comparison: the energy source temperature of ground heat pumps is constantly 0 to 5°C.
Nevertheless, air heat pumps have so far been significantly inferior to ground heat pumps in terms of efficiency because the available temperature level could only be used inadequately. INOVA has managed to significantly improve this heat transfer thanks to optimized fluid mechanics. The heat transfer is increased 4 to 6 times.
WHAT IS A “COP”?
Electrical energy is required for the process to take place. In this context, the “Coefficient Of Performance”, or COP for short, is often used as an efficiency indicator. This compares the produced thermal energy and the electrical energy required for it.
A COP of 6 means that 6 kW of heat is produced from 1 kWh of electricity. The difference, i.e. 5 kW, comes from free environmental heat.
WHAT DOES THE COP DEPEND ON?
The smaller the temperature difference between the heat source (e.g. air) and the heat sink (heating), the more efficiently and economically the heat pump can be operated. With air/water heat pumps this means: the higher the temperature of the outside air and the lower the temperature in the heating system, the better.
With Inova ACP series air to water heat pumps, COPs of over 8 can be achieved at low flow temperatures (as is the case in underfloor heating systems) and high energy source temperatures (e.g. 15°C outside temperature).
At high flow temperatures (over 60°C) and very low energy source temperatures (e.g. -20°C), a COP of over 2 is still achieved.
WHAT IS A "SCOP" AND A „APF“?
In order to be able to compare the different types of heating with each other, the so-called SCOP (seasonal COP) was introduced. This key figure describes the average COP in one year for a reference heating system in a reference climate region. The SCOP is therefore an indicator of the energy efficiency of the heat pump within a year and is specified by the manufacturer for different heating systems and climatic regions.
The annual performance factor (APF) is the ratio of thermal energy supplied by the heat pump system to the amount of electricity required to operate the system for one year. A higher APF corresponds to better performance.
NATURAL REFRIGERANT R290
It's not just the operation of our INOVA heat pumps that is extremely resource-saving. The specialization in the natural and environmentally friendly refrigerant propane (R290) is also unique in the industry.
The working fluid in a heat pump, an air conditioning system or a refrigerator is referred to as a refrigerant.
In particular, the synthetic refrigerants that are predominantly used on the market have been identified as extremely strong greenhouse gases. That's why we operate our heat pumps with the climate- and environmentally friendly, natural refrigerant propane.
The currently most commonly used refrigerant R410a has a GWP of 1920, meaning it is 1920 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. Propane has a GWP of 3.
The amount of refrigerant required per heat pump is also unique. The types of the ACP series are operated with filling quantities of less than 1.3kg. This means that the filling quantity is 4-9 times lower than that of comparable products on the market.
Why is this relevant?
The refrigerant is used in a thermodynamic cycle and is therefore usually not consumed. Nevertheless, considerable amounts of refrigerant escape into the atmosphere worldwide during the manufacturing process, during filling and during repair work, with serious consequences.
An example: If the entire filling quantity (7kg) of a small heat pump with R410a escapes, over 13 tonnes of CO2 equivalents are released. With this CO2 footprint, an INOVA heat pump could be operated for over 40 years.
The problem was also recognized by the EU Commission, which is why a total ban on climate-damaging refrigerants will be imposed from 2030. INOVA is therefore one of the pioneers here too.