Fulton, a global manufacturer of
steam, hydronic and thermal fluid heat transfer products and provider of
innovative energy management solutions, introduced the Invictus gas absorption
heat pump at the 2010 International Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration
(AHR) Expo in Orlando, Fla.,
Jan. 25-27. Hydronic heating systems that incorporate the new heat pump can
achieve operating efficiencies as high as 149 percent.
The Invictus is a natural gas- or propane-fired heat pump that
is incorporated and piped into a traditional hydronic heating system alongside
either condensing or non-condensing boilers.
Unlike other heat pumps on the market in North
America that are primarily air handling products, the Invictus is
a hydronic product. The unit uses an environmentally friendly solution,
comprised of 2/3 water and 1/3 ammonia – a natural refrigerant, within a small
closed system.
Invictus models include air source units, which extract energy
from the outdoor air, ground source units, which pull energy from the earth via
geothermal wells, and water source units, which remove energy from a local body
of water. Additionally, Invictus units have both heating and cooling
capabilities.
“For the past 20 years, boiler manufacturers – and the
commercial heating market in general – have been focused on designing
condensing boilers that have the ability to achieve thermal operating
efficiencies of 99 percent. But, with the introduction of the Invictus,
Fulton’s engineers are now able to custom-design systems that achieve up to 149
percent efficiencies,” Erin Sperry, commercial heating product manager with
Fulton Heating Solutions, elaborated.
“By integrating a renewable energy source, we’re able
to significantly reduce the amount of grid energy used. And, adding a customized
intelligent control system – like Fulton’s ModSync, for example –
further optimizes system performance to meet building requirements, and,
ultimately, impacts customers’ energy spending.”