FINLAND:  Heat pumps utilizing R1234ze refrigerant are to be deployed in what’s claimed would be the largest system for recycling waste warmth from knowledge centres on the earth.

The waste warmth from a brand new Microsoft knowledge centre advanced being in-built Finland will provide district heating for a metropolis and two different communities within the Helsinki metropolitan space.

Finnish warmth pump producer Oilon will provide the state-owned power firm Fortum with the commercial warmth pumps required by the warmth restoration system’s two vegetation. The warmth pumps will present cooling to the info centres, recuperate the waste warmth generated, and switch the recovered power into the native district heating community.

For Oilon, this contract, valued at round €15m, is the most important within the firm’s historical past.

Oilon will ship a number of of its S sequence warmth pumps operating on the HFO refrigerant R1234ze. Each plant has an output temperature of 85°C. Together, the 2 vegetation will produce practically 40MW of district heating, attaining COPs of 6.6.

The first warmth pump plant is at present being in-built Kirkkonummi, and the primary warmth pumps will likely be delivered to the location in early 2025. The Espoo mission will observe a half 12 months later. In all, the infrastructure contains about 900km of underground pipes. 

At full capability, it’s claimed that the waste warmth restoration system will produce sufficient district heating for 100,000 clients. This accounts for 40% of the 250,000 district heating clients in Espoo, Kauniainen, and Kirkkonummi. 

It is alleged that the 2 warmth pump vegetation will correspond to greater than 1% of the emission discount required for attaining Finland’s carbon neutrality goal.