Heat Pumps Today

April | May 2021 14 C A S E S T U D Y The view was to source and supply a better heat supply, ideally a heat pump, for the Trago Mills store in Devon, which at 12,500 square feet was one of Co-op’s larger format stores within the portfolio. The store serves a large local community and was earmarked for a refurbishment in 2020. Ahead of this store refit, a new heating system would have to be selected, as the existing system which operated on a series of ducted HFC based heat pumps had become dilapidated and was in need of replacement. Mr Crowther explained, “With the lack of a suitable natural gas supply in the area, coupled with the fact that the Co-op group had switched to the use of natural refrigerants, it was logical that we sourced a heat pump which could meet the duty of 178kw, whilst operating on a natural refrigerant”. After searching companies at home, within the UK and in Europe, it was apparent that there was limited scope within the supply chain for non HFC heat pumps operating on CO 2 or Hydrocarbons. Mr Crowther was aware of Clade’s development of cooling and heating products which used Hydrocarbon as the refrigerant of choice. Clade had, in the previous years, pioneered a new system using scroll compressors combined with heat recovery, using R290 as the refrigerant of choice. Clade’s growing expertise in the area was well known. Following the initial approach by Co-op, designs were developed and the project duly costed. The air source heat pump would use Dorin compressors and operate with a plate heat exchanger coupled to a wet system. The wet system in turn was designed with a series of fan coil units making the installation both simple and aesthetically no di erent to other Co-op stores. The new fully natural hydrocarbon heat pump was installed in October of 2019, some five months ahead of the planned store refit and has now been operating for over sixteen months. Co-op food store, a de-carbonise heat project During the early part of 2019 Clade Engineering was contacted by Adrian Crowther, the Design and Standards Manager from the Co-op’s FM Engineering team.