Oilon’s new test bench promises to improve testing accuracy and bring new capability for the company’s heat pump production. In the future, it will allow the company to test new types of products that utilize highly flammable natural refrigerants.
To expand and futureproof its production testing capabilities, Oilon recently commissioned a new test bench for their heat pump factory in Kokkola, Finland. The new facility improves testing accuracy and removes bottlenecks. This ensures that each heat pump delivered operates optimally at the conditions indicated by the customer.
Built for large heat pumps
The largest heat pumps made by Oilon have a heating capacity of around 3 megawatts, packing a lot of punch in a package that can still fit on a truck for transport. At around 15,000 kg apiece, the heat pumps are still big.
The size of the heat pumps creates unique challenges. As a practical example, testing requires large and stiff 200-millimeter hoses that can be difficult to wrestle into place. To account for this, there are duplicates of the larger connections at both ends of the test area.
“The most significant advantage is that we can now test large two-compressor heat pumps at full capacity. Previously, this was only possible with one compressor at a time,” says product development engineer Miika Lönnblad.
Futureproofing for natural refrigerants
As environmental regulations evolve, refrigerant requirements are changing rapidly. Oilon’s product development is constantly exploring alternatives to current refrigerants. Besides the more traditional hydrofluorocarbons, the potential candidates include natural refrigerants such as butane and pentane. These are often highly flammable.
To account for personnel and fire safety during testing, the test bench facility is equipped with “sniffers”, or, sensors that measures the content of different gases in the air. At hazardous levels, the heat pump stops and an emergency ventilation system removes hazardous gases from the test area.
In the future, the test bench will be further developed for steam production testing. With current products, steam production is not feasible, but Oilon’s product development team is exploring alternative solutions.
“We know what kind of technology is required for reaching a 130 °C flow temperature. As long as the technology used remains the same, there will be no big surprises if the size class increases,” Lönnblad believes.
By investing in cutting-edge testing facilities, Oilon is not only enhancing product performance but also paving the way for cleaner, safer, and more sustainable heating solutions worldwide.