Capability · 01 · Fluids
Heat pumps and refrigeration
A heat pump test bench does not measure a single point but a performance map: heating capacity and COP across the whole range of source and sink temperature — with defrost cycles, part load and endurance running. We build the plant that provides the source, absorbs the sink, operates the test item and records the result traceably.
From the project
A closer look
The plant as a whole, and the view into the chamber where the test item stands.
The task
A performance map, not a single point
A heat pump that delivers its figure at A2/W35 says little about how it works with a source at −7 °C and a flow temperature of 55 °C — or when it defrosts every twelve minutes. What is tested is therefore the whole range in which the unit will later run.
- Capacity and COP — heating and cooling capacity, coefficient of performance across the performance map of source and sink temperature (EN 14511).
- Part load and seasonal performance factor — operating points and climate bins for SCOP/SEER (EN 14825), not just the rating point.
- Defrost behaviour — defrost cycles in air operation, return into tolerance, effect on capacity.
- Domestic hot water — tapping profiles and heat-up behaviour for domestic hot water heat pumps (EN 16147).
- Endurance running and reliability — load changes, start-stop, unattended night operation over days.
- End-of-line — fast, reproducible final testing in series production, with a record for every unit.
Conditioning
Providing the source, absorbing the sink
The test bench takes the place of the unit’s surroundings: it holds the source at temperature and absorbs the sink under control — stable enough that the measurement stays a measurement and does not become an estimate.
| Circuit | Medium | Range (design) |
|---|---|---|
| Source, brine/water | Water-glycol, water | −15 to +40 °C |
| Source, air | Climatic chamber, controlled temp. + humidity | −25 to +55 °C |
| Sink, heating | Heating water | up to 80 °C |
| Flow rate per circuit | controlled | 0 to 30 l/min |
| Control accuracy | at steady state | ± 0.2 K |
In air operation, uniform approach flow is what matters: conditioned air in a closed circuit, guided laminar through the chamber by distributor plates, so that temperature and humidity are the same everywhere at the unit. Two kelvin of imbalance across the inlet area turn a performance map into a cloud.
Standards and traceability
To the relevant standards — and demonstrably so
We build the test benches so that the relevant standards can be reproduced: EN 14511 for capacity and coefficient of performance, EN 14825 for part load and the calculation of SCOP and SEER, EN 16147 for domestic hot water heat pumps, plus the standards for heat exchangers (EN 305/306/1117/1118) where they are needed.
What matters is not the citation of a standard but the chain behind it: calibrated measuring equipment with an equipment number and calibration status, a documented measuring chain and a time-stamped record that you can still explain a year later. Which points from the standards are actually run is set out in the functional specification.
Refrigerants and safety
Including R290 and CO₂
The test items are becoming flammable or transcritical: propane (R290, A3), CO₂ (R744), together with the refrigerants of classes A1, A2 and A2L. The test bench has to cope with that without anyone standing next to it.
- Safety by design — extraction, gas detection and concentration monitoring, a zoning concept and an ATEX assessment for flammable media.
- Leak tightness — leak testing down to the helium leak rate where the application calls for it.
- Enabling chain — emergency stop, limit shutdown and guard door monitoring, acting independently of the control system.
- Unattended operation — safeguarded for endurance running and night operation without supervision.
The warning and fault logic belongs in the plant, not on a data sheet. Which safety level (performance level, zones, extraction capacity) is required follows from the risk assessment for each refrigerant and installation site.
Design
This is the window we work in
| Feature | Value (design) |
|---|---|
| Test items | Brine/water, water/water and air/water heat pumps; chillers; domestic hot water heat pumps |
| Sink | up to 80 °C |
| Source | Brine −15 to +40 °C · air −25 to +55 °C |
| Capacity range | 1 kW to 1 MW |
| Circuits | Source and sink controlled separately (brine and water) |
| Refrigerants | A1, A2, A2L, A3 — including R290 and CO₂ |
| Standards | EN 14511 · 14825 · 16147 |
| Operation | up to 72 h unattended |
| Construction | Frame, control cabinet, optionally container / climatic chamber |
Design limits, not a project commitment. The figures given are the limits of our modular system, not a commitment for a particular project. What is possible in your plant is set out in the functional specification — before money goes into hardware.
From the project
A closer look
Photographs of the plant will follow — conditioning unit, climatic chamber and the source/sink connections.
A heat pump to test?
Tell us the test item, the refrigerant, the source and sink ranges and the points from the standards you want — and we will design the test bench for them.
