Sindelfingen, Germany: The Association of European Refrigeration Component Manufacturers (ASERCOM) has certified a total of 32 Bitzer compressors and condensing units in 2015, the company said in a press communiqué.
The communiqué informed that the performance data of twelve models in the series of Bitzer Ecoline reciprocating compressors have now been certified by ASERCOM, including those developed for use with the new low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants R-448A and R-449A.
Furthermore, the communiqué highlighted, 15 LHE condensing units can now carry the ASERCOM seal of approval for use with the R-134A refrigerant. The air cooled condensing units, the communiqué said, are almost infinitely adjustable, have integrated capacity control and electronically commutated fans. In addition to this, the mini-channel condenser, the communiqué revealed, has been further developed to improve the eco-efficiency of the condensing units, even more via small temperature differences at the heat exchanger and a reduction in the refrigerant charge.
By including five additional reciprocating compressors, ASERCOM, the company said, has now, in turn, checked the performance data of all Bitzer series for subcritical and transcritical CO2 applications and has added them to its list of certified compressors.
The company claimed that it was the first compressor manufacturer to completely test, document and integrate both refrigerants in the Bitzer software, which users can employ to choose the best compressor and refrigerant for their systems.
Explaining the process of certification, the company said that experts from the 25 ASERCOM members, as well as independent specialists (including experts from TÜV SÜD), which comprise two certification committees, assess the submitted performance data of the compressors and condensing units, followed by a plausibility check. The experts, Bitzer continued, select the units to be checked, which are then tested in independent laboratories or in a competitor’s laboratory, and the results are compared with the catalogue data and with the permissible tolerances using the standards EN 12900 and EN 13215. In several expert groups, specialist teams discuss the results and certify the Bitzer devices as ASERCOM approved, the company added.
Bitzer mentioned that the complex process limits the amount of performance data which may be submitted, so that not all compressors, condensing units and refrigerants are included in the ASERCOM certification.
