Unilab HEAT PUMPS & DHW

Simulation software for Air to Water HEAT PUMPS & DHW

Industrial & domestic heat pumps for air-conditioning & domestic hot water applications (DHW)

Just what you need, to simulate Air to Water HEAT PUMPS & DHW

We are in the age of renewable energy: how to design and simulate different performance indexes require software tools that are up to the times. In this context, manufacturers are and will be increasingly engaged in a multitude of heat pump projects, and the use of Unilab software can greatly affect a more agile, safe and faster product development!

The heat pump market is in a phase of great expansion, and is supported by numerous community initiatives in the world of thermal and electrical renewable energy development. Competition is increasing, and a very strong tension is expected in the next three years: on installation capacities, component availability, and new refrigerants. Equipping oneself with a robust and proven calculation engine can help a lot to govern the strong transformations of products and performance that describe them.

A SOFTWARE SIMULATING HEAT PUMPS, LIKE YOU WOULD DO.

A tool aimed at speeding up heat pump simulation, component selection and calculation of energy indexes greatly facilitating the designer’s work, HEAT PUMPS is the Unilab simulation software package dedicated to manufacturers of air to water heat pumps, for air-conditioning and domestic hot water (DHW) applications. An essential tool for the designer, allowing:

Complete THERMODYNAMIC SIMULATION, right from the initial project phases,
Enhancement of PERFORMANCE INDEXES;
Flexibility in modelling the entire RANGE of units;
DATA GENERATION for the DOCUMENTAL AREA, for quick and easy export to the various platforms;
Increased productivity of the technical department and strong REDUCTION OF TIME TO MARKET!

DHW HEAT PUMPS MODULE!

The DHW HEAT PUMPS module enables the design of DHW (Domestic Hot Water) heat pumps for high-efficiency domestic hot water, and DHW COP calculation according to UNI EN 16147:2023.

The DHW module considers both DIRECT and INDIRECT DHW types.

In the Direct DHW, sanitary cold water is stored in a tank and heated via a spiral tube immersed in the tank, which acts as a condenser in the refrigerant cycle. The refrigerant circulates inside the submerged spiral tube and condenses, heating the water aimed at sanitary use.
In the case of Indirect DHW type, a Plate Heat Exchanger acts as an intermediate condenser. In that case, the refrigerant flows into this PHE and condenses, heating a technical, non-sanitary water which in turn flows through the spiral tube submerged in the tank and heats the water aimed at domestic use.

Both modules allow the user to:

Calculate the DHW COP according to the EN 16147:2023 regulation.
Determine the energy efficiency class and generate the energy label.
Calculate the heating time.

FILTER COMPRESSORS according to the precise TOTAL CAPACITY you want to achieve!

HEAT PUMPS has a standard execution for the technical office. The first step of the wizard allows you to choose the STRUCTURE, i.e. the type of unit (air to water), the refrigerant (criterion for filtering the compressors on file) and the capacity range of heat pump according to the most popular capacity segments in the market (small up to 17 kW, mid from 18 a 50 kW, big from 51 a 250 kW and extra from 251 a 1500 kW). By choosing a given range, e.g. small, up to 17kW, the software will filter the compressors in the archive, showing the user only those that, for that given refrigerant, at a given
operating point (e.g. Tevap 15°C Tcond 65°C – editable) reach a maximum capacity of 17kW, discarding the other models (the user can then further filter the compressor by imposing a precise total capacity required). According to these choices, the type of preset components will vary: depending on whether the heat pump is small, mid, big or extra, the user will find certain components enabled rather than others (e.g. rotary compressors for small units, finned pack evaporators and plate exchangers, or multiscroll or screw compressors for large units).

During the design phase, it is also possible to further filter the compressors according to the exact total capacity desired. Do you need to design a 6kw heat pump? Choose the 17 kW range and filter the compressors by entering the total power 6kW!

TWO COMPONENTS ARCHIVES FOR YOUR NEEDS

The archive for each component is huge, and divided in Standard & Customer. The standard is updated regularly by unilab with the main models from manufacturers like Copeland or Bitzer for Compressors, Alfa Laval or Swep for brazed plate PHEs, just to name a few. The customer archive allows you to independently insert components. And Unilab can configure the archive to be shared within your office, so if you insert a new component, also your colleagues will be able to see and use it immediately (requires SQL Server).

CHOOSE AND SET THE COMPONENTS, & CALCULATE

In the COMPRESSOR CONTROL, the user can set various STAGING steps and compressor on/off dynamics. By setting the compressor on or off, and by defining the modulation of the switched-on compressor, the software will display the staging of the unit as a whole.

The user can perform a component and unit calibration, and increase/decrease the overall capacity, sensible capacity, absorbed power and electric current consumption in percentages with tuning factors, displaying the results before and after corrections, for quick comparison.

Finally, it is possible to add project fixed data, such as width and length, weight, electrical data and other unit data which are not calculated by the software, and can be saved to the project and shown in a dedicated section of the printout. And even insert a TECHNICAL DRAWING or IMAGE, or even a scheme of the unit, right into the printout.

The user then proceeds to set the calculation INPUT (outside air Temperature, temperance difference on the condenser).

HEAT PUMPS allows calculation at any condition (e.g. 48°C/55%) alerting the user to situations outside the compressor or unit envelope.

The fan is calculated by keeping the flow rate fixed or by imposing the flow rate to find the number of rpm, and it is possible to edit on the go the number of rows and circuits of the coil, and the materials of tubes and fins (e.g. copper instead of aluminium if at risk of corrosion).

By clicking on calculate, the software will quickly identify the OUTPUTs, the operating point with evaporation and condensing temperatures, and provide detailed information on the performance of each component, with representation of the pressure-enthalpy diagram, and compressor and unit operating limits.

ECO DESIGN SCOP index (according to EN 14825:2022)

The modern designer must work according to energy efficiency indexes, i.e. he must
quickly realise whether the selected components allow him to fall within the indexes
provided by the marketing, quickly adjusting the design if this is not the case. HEAT PUMPS
allows you to calculate the EcoDesign SCOP index according to EN 14825:2022, in just
few seconds, display the results and export then as a report with energy label. And if
the unit falls outside the index, you can quickly change components and recheck,
recalculate the index and print the relevant documentation. Defrosting is calculated with reference values from standards depending on the chosen climate profile and temperature range. The electrical data can then be edited by the user to make them conform to any tests in the test room.

ENERGY CALCULATION WITH CITY THERMAL PROFILES

Understanding the annual savings of the buyer using your heat pump, and the unit’s consumption trend over the year is crucial to selling it.

With the ENERGY ANALYSIS tool,it is possible to quickly simulate the behaviour of the heat pump at a given temperature and identify its annual consumption in a given city by loading its thermal profile* or by using the default profiles included in the Unilab package. The calculated unit has a reference load with a capacity, a flow rate and a temperature difference. The user can reduce the load percentage by simulating the unit at reduced load, keep the load constant all year round or set a variable load, i.e. maintaining maximum load up to a certain temperature, and reducing it to a certain percentage within a user-defined temperature range. It is also possible to set a temperature at which the unit switches off: the analysis will stop when it is reached.

The energy analysis can be launched by holding the thermal difference constant (in this case the machine will have an inverter pump that varies the flow rate) or by holding flow rate and fluid inlet temperature constant, or by holding flow rate and fluid outlet temperature constant, at which point it will vary the temperature difference. Upon launching the calculation, the software will start to search for the partialisation that will lead to the capacity required by the user. At the end of the calculation, the total annual hours and consumption will be displayed, and it will be possible to export the table to Excel and a dedicated PDF printout to provide to the customer.

ALL NEWEST REFRIGERANTS!

A wide range of refrigerants is available, including those specifically for heat pumps such
as Propane (R290), R134a, R410A, R32, R1234ze, R454C and many others. All our software use the latest REFPROP library of NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). This library comprises the thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of more than 300 liquids & gases, and 12 mixtures of liquids, including the newest and the most used refrigerants. And we update it constantly, ensuring that you are always up-to-date with the market.

Refrigerants can be selected from drop-down menus, and their safety classification and GWP can be displayed.

CREATE COMPLEX TABLES FOR YOUR CATALOGUES DINAMICALLY

The software allows the DINAMICAL GENERATION, IN REAL TIME with any calculated data, of very complex and flexible Excel output tables, which can be constructed by the user for the individual unit or for an entire range! You can define outside air and relative humidity ranges, water temperature ranges, and the software will calculate all combinations of outside air temperatures and water temperature differences, generating complex tables for technical product documentation, such as this one. The highlight of this solution is that the table can be generated using ALL calculated data in the list on the right of the screen. By clicking on it, you can include any data calculated by the software in the table, generating the customised excel table in real time, with the data you need, in complete autonomy, in just a few clicks. The tables created are automatically saved in the project, so that you can resume the configuration and temperature profiles set without having to recreate it from scratch. Finally, by clicking on one of the cells in the Excel table, the software will display on the right-hand side the complete calculation corresponding to that cell, populating all other data related to the calculation of the selected cell.

PRINT WHAT YOU NEED, AND FULLY CUSTOMIZE YOUR PRINTOUT

HEAT PUMPS gives the designer complete autonomy in the data he wants to bring to
print, allowing him to choose, from ALL the data calculated by the software (and any fixed
data that can be entered in the appropriate section) what to show: by clicking on the
data generated by the software, it will be added or removed to the printout in real time.
Lastly, there is an elaborate text editor, which allows the user to edit font size or formatting, and to colourise fonts and print sections, creating complex, customisable print configurations that reflect your brand identity, which can be used as a link between the technical department, marketing and sales, and as an excellent basis for a sales document. All information is exportable to Excel, Word, PDF. You can add your company data and logo to all printouts.

Once the unit has been designed, another problem arises: it becomes necessary to communicate the performance of the heat pump, and this is done through company documents. As this is a very complex phase, requiring strong interaction between the technical office and marketing, Unilab has worked to make Heat Pump a complete tool
capable of producing all the output shown: exhaustive, useful for the technical office and customisable graphically, greatly speeding up the generation of all technical data and its communication to marketing and sales. And this contributes to a strong reduction in project time to market, for a range of standard units but also for a special heat pump on request. In fact, it is possible to quickly create the design of a special unit, either from scratch or by modifying the components of an existing design, simulating it and verifying that it falls within the energy indexes, creating the annual simulation energy printout with a city profile, quickly adding a specification and drawing, and passing everything on to the marketing or sales department to provide a comprehensive technical base accompanying a special project offer very quickly.

CREATE YOUR UNIT RANGE IN A FEW CLICKS!

The SERIES section allows individual projects created to be grouped together in a range,
or to organize the entire range in a single table, changing and harmonizing the selected
components. The series is given a name, a short description and specifications can be
added, and it can be divided into various configurations, to which the project files of
the individual units will be associated. It will be then possible to perform a multiple
calculation of all the series, & generate dynamically series excel tables.

There is also the possibility of attaching entire PDF and other content for units or ranges: THIS IS WITH THE AIM OF UPLOADING OR ATTACHING ALL DATA SUCH AS TECHNICAL DATA SHEETS OR LABORATORY TESTS IN ONE PLACE, MAKING THE SOFTWARE A CONTAINER AND ARCHIVE WHERE ALL TECHNICAL DATA CONVERGE TO CREATE THE FULL UNIT OR RANGE TECHNICAL FILE.

The software generates an editable standard print, which can be exported to Excel, Word,
PDF. It is possible to display the descriptive specification, to give the printout a
technical-commercial content. All this can greatly help the designer interact better with
his marketing & sales, preparing a technical project printout in which to include the
range full performance, aside each units’ general data, fixed data, partial load
performance data, tables for catalogue, a unit drawing for each size and its energy
analysis printout with annual consumption, giving the user the possibility to show and
discuss with his colleagues the entire project status on a sharable document.

Need to simulate Water-Water Heat Pumps & Other units?

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FROM SIMULATION, to COMMERCIAL SELECTION

Unilab’s X-SHARK standard solution is capable of cutting to zero the Time to Market of products. From Unilab’s experience in the selection of refrigeration cycle equipment (Air-Water/Water-Water Chillers & Heat Pumps, Precision Close Control AC, Condensing and Condenserless units), we designed the commercial selection software X-SHARK STANDARD. A FAST TO MARKET solution designed specifically for companies that want to get out on the market quickly with their units, or for companies that need a basic starting point, essential but scalable and customisable with a view to continuous improvement. Our developers, together with our engineering team, have defined a typical unit selection tree and created a tool allowing the autonomous loading of all the necessary data, through a user-friendly Excel based structure.

The software can be loaded BY YOU, with your equipment in 2 ways:

1) Directly from the projects you create in the Heat Pumps software, or

2) Suppose a customer does not have our software, or cannot simulate certain units with it, or does not have all the data and wants to go out on the market with some basic starting data, or present his units at a trade fair with a simple dataset (dimensions, prices & standard conditions at 7°C & 35°C outside air). Or better, the customer has certified the units with Eurovent, and wants a very precise output. It is possible to feed the software with an Excel spreadsheet, with the possibility of linear or multi-tabular data interpolation.

A standardised starting solution, in line with market requirements, with a competitive initial price and complete autonomous management of the data by your technical office, to boost your sales. Program will display your logo, company data, starting page and product images, and further interface customizations are possible on demand.

DISCOVER how you can customize X-SHARK, here