In a pilot project called “Sanitary Hot Water at High Temperature through CO2 Heat Pumps”, participating hotels in Spain will be able to install Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Q-Ton heat pump systems, recommended in particular for buildings with a high sanitary hot water demand. ITH members will receive discounts and other financial aid to support Q-Ton installation, in addition to three years of free system monitoring. The collaborative project between ITH and Lumelco was signed earlier in 2014.
CO2 heat pumps: high performance, low energy consumption
The Q-Ton system uses R744 and can be located in either outdoor or indoor areas, as long as there is an unimpeded airflow to the system. The heat pump system has the following features:
- Supplies 12 000 liters of sanitary hot water per day
- Water storage at 65°C
- Power consumption of 30 kW (90°C max.)
- Coefficient Of Performance (COP) of 4.2 with outdoor temperature of 7°C (dry temperature) and water supply temperature of 5°C
- System efficiency of 420% compared with traditional boilers, which have an average efficiency of 92%
- ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) equivalent water hygiene risks
- A low Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1.0
In addition, studies carried out by the ITH show that the Mitsubishi Heavy Q-Ton can cover 100% of the energy demand without using any other external energy support. Therefore, the technology is able to significantly reduce energy costs.
Three-stage pilot project provides 3-year guarantee and economic advantages
The project, which provides a 60% discount on system costs to participants and a 3-year guarantee, involves three stages:
1st stage: In the first instance the ITH will evaluate the technical and economical feasibility of a Q-Ton installation, depending on a hotel’s needs. Data such as fuel consumption, electricity bills and daily estimated demand for hot water over the period of one year will be analysed in detail.
2nd stage: The next stage involves identifying potential equipment locations, piping design and studying the quality of the local water supply.
3rd stage: The final project stage involves system installation and commissioning of the system, as well as monitoring, and following up on results in terms of efficiency, performance and energy savings.
Successful Case study: Lancaster Hall Hotel in London
A working example of the benefits of an MHI CO2 hot water heat pump installation can be found in the Lancaster Hall Hotel in London. The hotel has installed at its premises two MHI Q-Ton heat pumps using CO2 as a refrigerant with the following results:
- Up to 40% savings in operational costs
- An industry leading COP of 4.3
- 45% savings in carbon emissions
About Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH)
Hotel Institution for Technology, (Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero, ITH) is a hospitality and tourism innovation center for hotel, whose mission is to improve the sector’s competitiveness through innovation and technology. ITH is a national, private, non-profit organization, founded in 2004, based in Madrid, attached to Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (Confederación Española de Hoteles y Alojamientos Turísticos,CEHAT), Spanish hospitality employers’ association that represents 14,000 accommodations and 1,500,000 beds, and gathers 64 local, provincial and regional organizations throughout the country. ITH fosters innovation by promoting the adoption of new technologies and management systems, and facilitates access to cutting-edge tools sharing useful information, providing professional training and developing projects, in order to improve hospitality and tourism industry’s profitability, quality, efficiency and sustainability.
