Trane puts spotlight on R290 and integrated thermal management
UK – Trane UK hosted HVAC professionals at its Basingstoke site for an Innovation Experience Day focused on R290 heat pumps, heat recovery and integrated building controls.
Live demonstrations included the FLEX N HP R290 air-to-water heat pump, the CMAF multi-pipe unit in heat recovery mode, the City RTSF water-to-water heat pump and AL-KO AT4 air handling units. Trane also presented building automation and energy management systems following its partnership with Kieback&Peter.
Moving beyond boiler replacement
A central theme was the need to consider heat pumps as part of a building’s wider thermal requirements rather than simply as like-for-like boiler replacements. Trane said buildings such as hospitals, schools, offices, warehouses and industrial facilities can have changing or simultaneous heating and cooling demands. Designing around both can create opportunities to recover heat that would otherwise be rejected to atmosphere and reuse it elsewhere in the building.
Trane’s CMAF, for example, is designed to provide simultaneous heating and cooling through separate hot- and chilled-water circuits. The company says this approach can reduce energy use and operating costs where both loads exist.
R290 heat pumps take centre stage
The FLEX N HP was used to demonstrate Trane’s growing R290 heat pump range. The modular air-to-water unit uses R290 refrigerant and is available with individual heating capacities from 48kW to 98kW, with multiple units able to be combined for larger systems. Trane lists hot-water production of up to 77°C and operation at outdoor temperatures down to -20°C.
The company also stressed that refrigerant and equipment selection should be based on the application, including operating temperatures, building load profile, safety requirements, controls and lifecycle performance. It said that the strongest case for heat pumps comes from looking at the building’s complete heating and cooling requirements, rather than treating the technology as a standalone boiler replacement.
Addressing R290 safety
R290 is classified as an A3 refrigerant because of its higher flammability, making equipment design and installation requirements an important consideration. Trane highlighted factory-contained refrigerant circuits and safety measures incorporated into its R290 equipment. Its published FLEX N safety approach includes leak detection and management, ATEX-certified components, safety relief measures and, on some configurations, an integrated gas/water separator designed to detect and isolate refrigerant leakage following a heat exchanger failure. The packaged design also means the refrigerant circuit does not normally need to be opened during on-site installation.
Heat recovery and controls
The event also demonstrated the City RTSF water-to-water heat pump. Trane lists the standard RTSF range at 195-430kW heating capacity, using R1234ze or R515B, with leaving water temperatures up to 80°C.
The company has deployed RTSF units in heat recovery applications, including projects where heat previously rejected from industrial processes has been reused to generate useful hot water.
Building controls were another focus, reflecting Trane’s aim to combine heating, cooling, heat recovery and air handling within a coordinated thermal management system.
Ross Giles, country leader for Trane UK, said the Basingstoke event reinforced the company’s focus on combining equipment, controls, systems integration and local service support to help consultants, contractors and estates teams make long-term thermal management decisions.
