Domestic hot water heat pump company Sirac has supplied platinum producer Impala Platinum (Implats) with 90 solar heat water pumps, and will supply the cmpany with a further 600 additional units in early 2009, Sirac product manager Jason Deane tells Engineering News.
Sirac launched its domestic hot water heat pumps earlier this year, as an alternative to solar panel hot water heating systems, which are more expensive to install, states Deane.
He adds that the Sirac heat pumps, as a solution for reducing current draw for domestic hot water heating, are a lower installation cost solution and a more practical alternative to solar panel hot water heating.
Deane says that the company launched its domestic and commercial heat pumps to the local market earlier this year, and he mentions that the pumps have been successfully installed in a number of homes, as well as at the new mine residences at Implats, in Burgersfort, Mpumalanga.
Sirac markets a 4,8 kW, self-contained, air-to-water domestic hot water heat pump that has been specifically developed to heat domestic hot water, Deane explains.
He says that the system is provided as a plug in unit, complete with circulating pump and wall-mounted display controller, adding that the system is easy and cost-effective to install, offering simple and accurate control of domestic hot water temperature.
"Basically, it replaces the element in a geyser," states Deane.
"The units are extremely efficient, providing 4,8 kW of heat with a 1,3 kW input. Typically, a unit draws 6,2 A when producing 4,8 kW of heat compared to about 14 A for the 3 kW elements," he explains.
Deane says that the machine has been tested by the South African Bureau of Standards, in Pretoria, and obtained the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) compliance certificate.
"The heat pump is currently on test at State-power utility Eskom's demand side management test facility, and has received an extremely favourable response. The Sirac heat pump will be positioned as the benchmark for all future tests," states Deane.
Technology
Sirac reports that its solar heat pump technology combines energy from ambient air temperatures with electrical energy, without requiring the sun to shine.
The solar heat pump absorbs free energy from the air and upgrades it to a higher temperature, through the refrigerant cycle.
Solar heat pump efficiencies are up to four times greater than conventional electric geysers, as about 4,8-kW of energy is produced for each 1,3-kW of energy consumed, reports Sirac.
By contrast, conventional electric geysers produce 1-kW of heat for every 1-kW consumed.
Sirac states that heat pumps are extremely cost effective, eco-friendly and use renewable energy.
As the ambient air temperature increases, the solar heat pump becomes more efficient, reports the company.
A heat pump is essentially a vapour compression cycle, similar to an air conditioning unit.
However, instead of the cycle being used for air-cooling purposes with the associated heat as a by-product, a heat pump utilizes the heat generated in the cycle to heat water.
Product Demand
Deane says that Sirac is currently receiving a positive response to the product from property developers, hotels, mines and the private sector, owing to the significant potential for energy savings of the product.
He mentions that the product has been adapted for the South African market, although the principle product design originated from China.
"The heat pumps have been through a few modifications, including the internal installation of the circulation pump, and there have been modifications to the circuitry and controls," explains Deane.
He says that the market for domestic hot water heat pumps is still in a burgeoning phase, mentioning that Sirac is the first South African company to supply a high-quality, affordable domestic heat pump.
By Sylvester Haskins
Article Source: engineeringnews.co.za
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