Technology group Johnson Controls’ latest offering in its York YLRA pumps series – the air-to-water revers-ible heat pump, YLRA – was launched in August last year to replace the discontinued YLAE HP pump.

The YLRA heat pump features several new technological advances, including a more ecofriendly R410A refrigerant, improved full-load efficiencies, a wider operating range and several customisation options, says Johnson Controls building efficiency GM Neil Cameron.

It is also available in six sizes, from YLRA0200 to YLRA0330, with a nominal capacity range of 181 kW to 307 kW in cooling mode and 200 kW to 327 kW in heating mode.

Users can tailor-make their own solution by selecting from a range of electrical safety and control options, electronically commutated fans, acoustic jackets, desuperheaters and hydrokit options, explains Cameron. He tells Engineering News that the heat pump has improved energy efficiency ratios by 10%, with a coefficient of perform- ance that improved by 24%, without compromising part- load efficiency in cooling mode.

He also highlights that use of the pump has increased the European seasonal energy efficiency ratio by 1% to 4%.

“It is also one of the quietest units on the market, with the super-low-noise (SLN) models ideal for commercial applications, such as in the hospitality industry, where low noise is desirable,” he says.

The basic low-noise version of the heat pump is equipped with delta-connected fans running at a fixed speed and is fitted with compressor boxes to reduce noise.

The SLN models have inverter fans driven by an electronically commutated motor – a brushless, direct current, external rotor motor – fitted with a variable-speed controller specially set to enable the fans to operate at very low revolutions per minute.

Johnson Controls also sup-plies chillers, which include the York YLRA pump, also with compressor boxes and soundproof jackets on com-pressors, says Cameron.

The York YLRA pump has a wide heating and cooling operating range and is designed to operate in extremely cold climates of up to –18 ºC.

“If you need cool air, the unit works in cooling mode and in winter, if you need heat, the unit reverses the cycle to provide it. “Further, it is possible to provide cooling and heating simultaneously using the optional desuperheater, which recovers the heat generated by the unit during cooling,” explains Cameron.

He concludes that Johnson Controls can now enter a segment of the market where the company previously did not have a presence, owing to an outdated product design.