Page 40 - Climate Control News Magazine

Heating Systems
Dual pump can harness air or ground heat sources
RESEARCHERS ARE WORKING ON A NOVEL GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP THAT MAKES COST-EFFECTIVE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT HEATING AND COOLING OF BUILDINGS A REALITY.
The unit also ensures year-round domestic hot water, which in summer it can generate us- ing the system's condensing waste heat.
The pump is being demonstrated and moni- tored in four sites across Europe, one of which is UK project partner De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
Five boreholes have been drilled at DMU in locations where there was enough soft ground to drill down at least 10 metres.
Heat exchangers have been installed in four of the boreholes. In the fifth hole, temperature sensors have been set up to record data on changes in ground temperature.
Data is also being recorded on energy con- sumption and comfort levels in the demon- stration site, which replicates a small domes- tic building.
Details at: GEOTeCH project website: www. geotech-project.eu/
- with CORDIS (a Community Research and Development Information Service). ✺
IT WORKS BY harnessing heat sources from the air or ground.
With funding support from the GEOTeCH project, researchers have used advances made in geothermal heat pump technology to develop the dual-source heat pump (DSHP) unit for heating, cooling and domestic hot water production.
According to the International Energy Agen- cy, buildings are responsible for 30 % of global energy consumption and a substantial percent- age of CO2 emissions.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning sys- tems in particular make up about half of the en- ergy used in buildings. And the sector is ex-
panding, which makes reduced energy consumption and the use of renewable sources even more important.
The DSHP takes advantage of either air or ground heat sources, depending on operating and climatic conditions. It's able to select the most favourable heat source or heat sink (for heating or cooling, respectively) in a way that allows it to operate as an air-to-water or brine- to-water heat pump.
In winter it can provide hot water for heating buildings, using either the air or the brine from the ground as heat sources. Alternatively, in summer, it uses the air or brine as a heat sink to provide cooling.
Robertshaw acquisition completed
ONE ROCK CAPITAL Partners, LLC has completed the previously announced acqui- sition of Robertshaw Holdings.
With offices in Australia, Robertshaw is a global leader in thermal, flow and control man- agement products and solutions for residential and commercial appliances, HVAC and trans- portation applications. Robertshaw serves its global blue-chip customer base through man- ufacturing, R&D and distribution facilities in 11 countries around the world.
One Rock managing partner R. Scott Spielvogel, said Robertshaw is an industry leader with a strong reputation in the market and proven commitment to its customers.
“The One Rock team is excited to work alongside Robertshaw's outstanding man-
agement team to build upon the compa- ny's success."
CEO Mark L. Balcunas will continue to lead the company and is looking forward to the new partnership with One Rock. “Their support will be instrumental as we continue to invest in our core business, leverage our control solutions into adjacent markets and pursue acquisitions to drive our growth strategy,” he said.
Robertshaw is a leading global provider of components, systems, and services used in the appliance industry and in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration for the resi- dential and commercial markets.
This includes controls for furnaces, water heaters, burners, and boilers, as well as heat pump controls. ✺
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