GEA's BluQ-Chiller has received the "Accelerate Europe Innovation of the Year" award. The readers of Accelerate Europe Magazine voted GEA BluQ "Innovation of the Year". The use of natural refrigerants in BluQ chillers was particularly praised.
With the BluQ, GEA offers the possibility of operating large air-conditioning systems in commercial and public buildings in an environmentally friendly way. The new ammonia (NH3) chiller requires only 40 to 50 grams of ammonia per kilowatt of cooling capacity. The BluQ furthermore meets the energy efficiency and environmental protection requirements of the Ecodesign Directive and the EU Regulation on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases ("F-Gas Regulation").GEA, with more than 50 years of experience in the development of screw compressors, set another highlight in 2018 with its winning award after numerous product innovations and its successful appearance at the Chillventa trade fair in Nuremberg.
GEA BluQ is the world's first ammonia chiller with a semi-hermetic compact screw compressor. It was developed as an environmentally friendly technical solution and also as a contribution to a sustainable future through the use of natural refrigerants. GEA BluQ is the ideal core component for air conditioning in buildings. Almost all modern commercial, residential or public buildings require air conditioning systems to provide stable room temperatures and healthy working and living conditions. Technologies in this application area must meet high safety standards.GEA BluQ is characterized by an innovative design that eliminates the risk of refrigerant emissions under normal use and operating conditions. In this way, GEA provides a modern technical solution for building air conditioning.
The heart of the BluQ system is the GEA CompaX, the world's first ammonia screw compressor with suction gas-cooled electric motor. GEA presents a completely new NH3-based refrigeration solution. Compared to an open solution, the risk of leakage is further minimized by eliminating the mechanical seal, making operation with ammonia as a refrigerant even more attractive. A big plus is the smart 3-in-1 design. The concept combines the motor, compressor, and oil separator into a very compact and hermetically flanged unit.This contributes significantly to the improved safety and user-friendliness of the NH3 refrigerant.
The chiller is also designed to minimize refrigerant charge as much as possible: The evaporator and the liquid separator are housed in a single housing. Compared to conventionally designed NH3 refrigeration systems, the refrigerant charge quantity is reduced to a minimum.
Ammonia as a raw material for fertilizer production has been a natural refrigerant for more than 100 years. It is particularly suitable for cooling capacities greater than 200 kW. This fluid has the potential to at least partially eliminate the need for environmentally harmful synthetic refrigerants. In addition to the high efficiency due to the large specific evaporation enthalpy and the good volumetric cooling capacity, this is also supported by the fact that NH3 has no ozone depletion potential and no greenhouse gas effect.