CASE STUDYCOPELAND SCROLL™ COMPRESSORS

China’s largest air
source heat pump
district heating project
adopted Copeland
Scroll™ Compressors

This project utilized the most compressors with the industry’s largest
scales in China and it is widely recognized for its success within 		
the industry.

BackgroundIn recent years, China has been promoting
environmental protection initiatives, and modernizing
district heating is one of its main priorities. In 2019, theZhao County government in Hebei Province, China,
planned to upgrade the district heating in urban
areas, replacing traditional heating methods with airsource heat pumps, a cleaner alternative method for
comfort heating. Covering an area of about 4.3 million
square meters, this project exclusively adopted 1,200
Guangdong New Energy Technology Development
Co. (New Energy)’s GKD air source heat pumps, each ofwhich is equipped with four Copeland Copeland Scroll™
ZW286 compressors. The system was officially put into
use before the 2019 winter and by January 2020, it had
been tested by six parties that included project investors,
operators, and installers, surpassing all standards.

Challenge
As a public service project, it has faced criticalchallenges from the beginning, so the government

looked to find a better solution to solve its problems.
Some of which included:• Technical requirements: located in central China,
the Zhao County winters are long with an averagetemperature of below zero degrees Celsius andin extreme cases even reaching -25˚C. Therefore,
the project required that the heating pump could
withstand the cold (at least -20˚C), so it could operate
steadily and stably during the winter months.
• Installation requirements: as most of thecommunities in Zhao County are peaceful andunassuming, the government needed to take power
coordination, noise control and heating flexibility
into consideration, with the hope it wouldn’t cause
any inconvenience to citizens while launching therenovation project.
• Cost control: the project operated under a BOT(Build—Operate—Transfer) model, which has certain
requirements regarding its return on investment,
so it was necessary to control costs and improve
economic efficiency.

• Project scale: since this was China’s biggest district heating project, it
needed a significant amount of heat pumps, therefore it was necessary
to match the project with a provider who was able to provide sufficient
units in a short period of time in order to support the project.

Solution
To meet the project’s needs, Copeland applied the Copeland Scroll™
ZW286 compressor to New Energy’s GKD heat pumps, supportingthe completion of the clean energy heating renovation project in Zhao
County. After application and testing, the Copeland Scroll compressor
with EVI (Enhanced Vapor Injection) scroll heating technology shows
it can safely and stably enhance the heat pump’s heating effect at low
temperatures. Compared to other conventional heaters, the overall
energy efficiency is increased by 10%–20%, significantly reducing energy
consumption. On May 1, 2020, GB37480-2019 Minimum allowablevalues of energy efficiency, and energy efficiency grades for low
ambient temperature air source heat pumps (water chiller) packages
were implemented. According to the standards, Copeland’s EVI scroll
heating technology improved the operation’s energy efficiency and COP(coefficient of performance) by up to 20% at low ambient temperatures,
which helps to regulate energy efficiency. For this project, Copelandprovided a total of 4,800 compressors, ensuring the operation runs
smoothly. This project utilized the most compressors with the industry’s
largest scales in China and it is widely recognized for its success within
the industry. So far, the units continue to run effectively and have passed
six different parties’ strict requirements and standards.

Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy
efficiency grades for low ambient temperature air source heatpumps (water chiller) packages
Energy Efficiency Standard
Nominal Heating
Capacity (Or Nominal
Cooling Capacity) kW

H≤35 (Or CC≤50)

H>35 (Or CC>50)

12Integrated PartLoad Value(IPLV[H],W/W)

Integrated Part
Load Value(IPLV[H],W/W)

Integrated Part
Load Value(IPLV[H],W/W)

Coefficientof Heating
Performance(COPh,W/W)

35˚Ca

3.40

3.20

3.00

2.40

41˚Cb

3.20

2.80

2.60

2.10

55˚Cc

2.30

1.90

1.70

1.60

35˚C

3.40

3.20

3.00

2.40

41˚C

3.00

2.80

2.60

2.30

55˚C

2.10

1.90

1.70

1.60

Rated Water Outlet
Temperature

3a. It is mainly suitable for the end application of Low-temperature Radiation Heating, such as Radiant Floor Heating.
b. It is mainly applicable to the end application of Forced Convection Heating, such as Fan Coil, Forced Convection
Low-temperature Radiator.
c. It is mainly suitable for the end application of the combination of Natural Convection and Radiation, such as Fan Coil,Low-temperature Radiator.

2

Result/benefit• Reliability: serving as the heat pump system’s core, Copeland Scroll™ ZW compressor maintains stable andreliable operations with reduced failures. The six parties, which includes the project investor, operator and installer,
tested 20 units of operating equipment about their average heating capacity and average COP to ensure theyreached standards.
• Stable system and wide operating range: through EVI scroll heating technology, the air source heat pumpexhibits a strong heating capacity. The operating evaporating temperature is -35˚C, while the condensing
temperature is 50˚C, which means it can produce 45˚C of hot water with the ambient temperature of -30˚C. It canhelp heat pumps deal with cold weather in northern China and ensure they remain stable.
• Excellent performance and economic benefits: Using Copeland Scroll ZW286 compressor, the heat pump’s
heating capacity can reach ≥130kW, increasing overall energy efficiency by 10% -20% compared to heat pumps withscrew compressors. Also, compared to liquid injection technology, EVI technology’s capacity is increased by 8-10%,
while the energy efficiency is increased by 15-20%. Meanwhile, the investment and operating cost are relatively low,while the investment return period is short, which is beneficial for both investors and individual end users.

Scroll Units VS Screw Units

Increase

EVI Technology VS Liquid Injection Technology

Overall energyefficiency
increased 10-20%

Heating capacity in
low temperatureenvironment
increased 8-10%
Increase

Operation
feeReduce

Heating energy
efficiency increased
15-20%• Shorter and quiet construction period: the heating system was easy and convenient to install. This project
installed heat pumps across 46 different energy stations in a span of two months. Meanwhile, the project was quiet
during completion & operation, reducing the negative impact on the community.
• Replicable success model: as the industry’s largest district heating project with the air source heat pump,
its construction and operation will provide valuable experience for future ultra-large heating projects. Using air
sources to replace traditional energy sources not only meets the heating needs of residents, but also helps tocontribute to today’s environmental standards.

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