Achievements

2018 – HECO/C reactor test bench

Designed as a true hot / cold converter, the HECO / C reactor follows our work on the HECO / S reactor, more suited to energy storage. It has several advantages over its predecessor:

• High power density
• Under 0.3 kg / kW of ammonia needed per cycle
• A modular and easily industrializable design
• Low operating costs

In order to develop this new reactor, we equipped ourselves with a specially adapted test bench which makes it possible to precisely monitor the influence of each parameter.

2017 – Industrial pilot PIFAC

The PIFAC industrial pilot was launched at the end of 2016 at the Toulouse site. In operation for nearly a year, it used the heat of cogeneration from a LEPRON generator. This prototype has led to significant advances in our technologies of both production and cold storage.

Although PIFAC was designed to produce continuous cold using 24 HECO / S type reactors, it also highlighted the adaptation of HECO / S reactors for energy storage. In the wake of this, the development of the new HECO / C reactor was launched, drawing lessons from this first experiment on an industrial scale.

2016 – Continuous refrigeration prototype

This prototype is the first COLDINNOV product to realize a continuous cold production. The use of 4 COLDINNOV HECO/S reactors allows for heat recovery and ammonia evaporation to happen simultaneously.

2015 – Proof of concept and first models

• Continuous refrigeration model

This model has demonstrated that continuous refrigeration was made possible by the use of two reactors HECO/S operating in phase opposition. The temperature of the “process” water circuit is maintained between -2°C and +2°C.

• B and C Models

B and C models are settled in a climate chamber to control condensing temperature and oil cooling system.

The 2^nd generation of HECO/S reactors can be taken appart in order to test different chemical compositions of the COLDINNOV reagent.

• A Model

This first model of the complete system operates in two sequential phases. It allows the study of the reagent’s ageing process.

• COLDINNOV demonstrator

COLDINNOV developed the D1.0 demonstrator for a quick demonstration of the thermochemical process.

The fast refrigeration effect always sparks interlocutors’ interest.