Johnson Controls is introducing a new technology in China to meet the growing demand for central heating that does not emit harmful pollutants. The York Dual Steam Turbine (YDST) heat pump recycles surplus heat from industrial or power plants into higher temperature hot water that can be used to operate large central heating plants. Compared to traditional boiler heating, the company says the YDST can reduce coal consumption by up to 30% while supplying the same amount of heat.

“Urbanization and the government’s efforts to promote sustainable development are driving demand in China for more energy efficient technologies and solutions,” said Soren Bjerg, vice president and managing director of Johnson Controls Building Efficiency in Asia. “This is a real opportunity for us to expand our presence in an important market and use our expertise and innovation to address a growing need to reduce emissions.”

According to Johnson Controls, this technology is an important innovation for the Chinese market where the government has made a major commitment in its five-year plan to reduce pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. The plan uses industrial surplus heat as a major source of urban heating.

The capacity and versatility of the YDST make it ideal for large-scale central heating plants. The centrifugal heat pump is driven by a steam turbine that supplies over 100 megawatts of heat per heat pump system, doubling the current capacity available. It can also accept waste hot water as low as 50ºF to 120ºF and increase the temperature up to 140ºF to over 200ºF.

The demand for central heating is estimated to grow significantly in China over the next five years due to rapid urbanization, particularly in northern China. Johnson Controls has already implemented a heat recovery solution at a large northeast Chinese municipal heating facility. It has saved more than $1.2 million while alleviating the need to burn 9,200 tons of coal in the last heating season, the equivalent to removing 4,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.

Recently, the company opened a $35 million expansion of its manufacturing and research and development center in Wuxi, China. The campus and its engineering center is now one of Johnson Controls’ largest research and development centers in the world for building solutions for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as industrial refrigeration solutions. The campus will spearhead continuing innovation on heat recovery for the global market.