You might have heard of CO2 heat pump systems before, especially if you have been involved in any form of building management in the past. However, a lot of people do not really know what these heat pumps are actually for, let alone how they work.
Whether you are actively working in a role where these heat pumps might be useful or just interested in how they work, it is useful to know a little more about how CO2 heating pumps can help.
What is a CO2 Heat Pump?
A CO2 heat pump is a heat-pumping system that uses carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. Since CO2 is a natural gas with a very low boiling point and becomes a liquid when compressed, it is a surprisingly useful substance for heat pump systems.
These pumps operate in the same ways as regular heat pumps that use normal refrigerants, except with greater efficiency thanks to the specific properties of CO2. This gives a typical pump a higher temperature range, as well as much greater efficiency when ambient temperatures are low.
CO2 heating pumps come in multiple different varieties and configurations and can serve a number of roles depending on the situation. Like many heat pumps, they can be used to provide both heating and cooling, depending on the situation.
What Does a CO2 Heat Pump Do?
Heat pumps, in general, capture heat from outside your home and move it into your home. While this does often require electrical power, the amount of heat gained is greater than a normal heating system would provide for the same amount of energy, meaning higher efficiency over conventional heating.
As you might expect, a CO2 heat pump does this same job, only using CO2 instead of (or alongside, in some cases) other refrigerants. The general idea is still the same: heat is captured from outside and moved inside, providing direct heating to a property.
There are various different kinds of heat pumps, ranging from simple residential systems to larger-scale industrial options. However, as a whole, a heat pump is simply a heating method that relies on natural heat from the outside air and/or ground.
Why use a CO2 Heat Pump Instead of Normal Heating?
Heat pumps are a great heating option due to their high efficiency, low power demand, and the fact that they use ambient heat rather than creating it through combustion or wasting energy. This means that, ideally, a heat pump can continue to offer heating.
Heat pumps use less fuel, are more efficient overall, are more sustainable, require less maintenance, and are generally useful for both residential and commercial/industrial spaces. The only downside is that they need to be installed in a unique way, which can mean extra work compared to simply replacing a boiler with a better model.
While a CO2 heat pump will not fit into every single space or be practical in every situation, it is still a good option for a large number of properties. Some people use them as dedicated heating options, while others treat them like supplementary heating alongside more direct heating tools.
Why use a CO2 Heat Pump Instead of a Regular Heat Pump?
As mentioned earlier, CO2 heat pump units are more efficient overall due to the nature of CO2 itself. In the right situations, CO2 can be a very effective way to move heat since it has a very low boiling point and can be turned into a liquid with simple compression.
This allows CO2 heat pump designs to use special designs that take advantage of these easy state changes, using CO2 as a way to transfer heat quickly without relying on specially-formed refrigerants. In a lot of situations, these pumps are simply on par or better than other pump options.
Again, a CO2 heat pump might not be ideal in every situation. However, they are still worth considering in quite a lot of different contexts and can offer some useful benefits that make them worth considering. Comparing different models can be the easiest way to find the ideal heat pump designs for any given space.
Are These Heat Pumps Reliable?
Most CO2 heat pumps are going to work very well in ideal conditions and will still be quite effective even if they are not being used in perfect circumstances. While it is important to understand the specifics behind how CO2 heat pumps operate, they can work very well on most properties.
The low running costs and lack of fuel requirement make heat pumps invaluable for people that want to save on fuel costs. Combine this with the pumps being very quiet and highly flexible as a heating method, and these pumps can be a desirable choice for many different properties, especially smaller ones where less heating is required overall.
Most heating pumps also need less frequent repairs than something more complex, which can allow them to serve as excellent smaller-scale heating methods or even as backups to larger heating systems. Even on its own, a CO2 heat pump can heat a property very well if it is used correctly.
Finding the best CO2 Heat Pump
Tracking down a good CO2 heat pump is not as hard as it might sound. While heat pumps are complex enough that you might worry about finding it hard to compare different options, it’s actually relatively easy to pick out a good model from a bad model as long as you have the right information.
Be sure to look into things like the power output of each pump and the recommended places where you should use it. For example, some pumps might be built specifically for larger-capacity spaces, while others are meant to be used on a smaller scale or for more-contained areas.
Most CO2 heat pump models are quite versatile and can be used well in any space, but you still want to look at the specifics before you make a purchase. A smaller unit for a small office space and a larger industrial pump is going to be very different, so you should at least understand where each pump is meant to be used.
