CHICAGO — During a press briefing at the 2003 Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), Danfoss noted a wide range of its product developments, including solar hermetic compressors, small hermetics for commercial applications, bi-metal valve connections, zone control panel applications, thermostats, and drive technology.

  • Solar hermetics: A series of compressors for R-134a included an electronic module enabling them to be powered from solar panels, with or without batteries. The compressors are suited for any application where a traditional power source is not readily available.

    The Solar BD compressors can be connected to a photovoltaic panel and can operate on 9.6 to 31.5 V. A programming option is included that will adapt the compressor for the voltage range of different solar power modules.

  • Small hermetics: The company is offering 16 new models of fractional horsepower hermetic compressors. They are approved for use with R-134a, -404A, and -507. Applications include vending machines, bottle coolers, ice machines, and food and beverage merchandisers.

    SC commercial-duty, fractional-hp hermetics now cover 1,300 to 3,200 Btuh (low temp), 2,588 to 5,900 Btuh (medium temp), and 4,730 to 7,500 Btuh (high temp). The product is produced at a Danfoss plant in Flensburg, Germany.

  • Bimetallic connections: Danfoss announced what it called “unique” bimetal valve connections “that not only require much less heat during brazing, but also retain brazing heat in the connection rather than conducting it to the valve body and power element where it can cause hidden damage.”

    The technology was first offered on the TU Series of smaller stainless steel expansion valves. The company is now making the connections available on larger brass-bodied valves for air conditioning applications, and on a range of solenoid valves.

    The connection is made by rolling together sheets of stainless steel and copper until the metal fuses. Connections are then deep drawn from the bimetal sheets. The copper layer is thinner than a standard copper connection, so it reaches brazing temperature faster, and with much less heat input, the company said.

    “Because stainless steel is a relatively poor conductor of heat, the heat tends to remain in the connection,” the company said. “So little heat is used that the brazing process, with common flux-free brazing material, requires no chill blocks or other cooling of the valve body. The faster braze and heat containment means that costs for field replacements due to invisible damage are virtually eliminated.”

  • Thermostats: The company also reported on 8000 Series thermostats in a storage facility in Baltimore. The six-story enclosed structure had many lockers but no floor-to-ceiling walls. The owners also didn’t want to try individual zoning due to the high cost.

    The solution was to have each floor with its own climate control system governed by an 8000 Series commercial thermostat. The stats feature separate heat and cool settings and range limitation of maximum and minimum heat and cool setpoints. The product can be used with remote sensors.

  • BAClink: Danfoss Graham, a division of Danfoss, focused on the introduction of the VLT® BACLink™ portal designed to provide connectivity of the VLT® 2800 and VLT® 6000 drive families to BACnet® networks.

    Publication date: 02/24/2003