Press Release

Joint Development and Sale of "Compact Cube for Cold Regions"~ The industry's first air-cooled heat pump chiller capable of operation at outside temperatures as low as -25°C ~

October 05, 2011
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. have jointly developed the industry's first*1 air-cooled heat pump chiller*2 capable of operation at outside temperatures as low as -25°C. This "Compact Cube for Cold Regions" (hereafter "the developed unit") can be used for applications such as air conditioning (cooling and heating) at buildings and factories in cold regions.

Heat pump performance has increased in recent years, and the use of energy-efficient heat pump chillers that help to reduce both CO₂ emissions and running costs is spreading.

However, conventional heat pump chillers are unable to operate at outside temperatures below -15°C, so their use has not spread to cold regions.

Therefore, to promote further energy conservation, Mitsubishi Electric and Chubu Electric Power modified the heat pump cycle and made other advances to develop an air-cooled heat pump chiller that is capable of operation at outside temperatures as low as -25°C. Compared to an existing absorption water cooling/heating unit nearing its renewal period*3 (hereafter "the existing unit"), the developed unit can reduce annual energy consumption by 42%, annual CO₂ emissions by 54%, and annual running costs by 29%*4.

Mitsubishi Electric is now accepting orders for the developed unit, and shipping is scheduled to commence from December of this year.

Overview of the developed unit

Model name	Rated power capacity	Manufacturer's recommended price (including tax)	Projected sales by Mitsubishi Electric
MCHV-HP1500AE1	Heating 125kW Cooling 150kW	15,015,000 yen	100 units/year

Main features of the developed unit

1 Capable of operation at outside temperatures as low as -25°C

Modification of the heat pump cycle and optimization of the air heat exchanger have expanded the outside temperature range for heating operation to -25°C. (The conventional unit*5 can operate at outside temperatures as low as -15°C.)

2 Hot water with a temperature of 60°C can be produced

Production of hot water with a temperature of 60°C (outside temperature range -5°C to +20°C) was realized by optimization of the compressor control. (The conventional unit can produce hot water with a temperature up to 55°C.)

3 Heating capacity increased by up to 60%

Heating capacity drops at low outside air temperatures, but the modified heat pump cycle and optimum compressor control enable the rated heating capacity to be maintained at outside temperatures as low as -12°C, and increase heating capacity by up to 60% (at an outside temperature of -12°C) compared to the conventional unit.

*1 Industry's first
As of October 05, 2011, investigated by Mitsubishi Electric.

*2 Air-cooled heat pump chiller
An electrical heat pump device that makes cold and hot water used for air conditioning of buildings and factories. It includes a heat exchanger for venting the exhaust heat during cooling and the exhaust cold during heating to the outside.

*3 Existing absorption water cooling/heating unit nearing its renewal period
Absorption water cooling/heating units use town gas, fuel oil, kerosene or other fuels to make hot and cold water for applications such as the air conditioning of buildings and factories. The existing unit used for comparison here is the Mitsubishi Electric gas absorption water cooling/heating unit (model TGH-300AA).

*4 Reduction effects (calculated values)

Reduction effects (calculated values)