Mobile air conditioning and heat pump systems for rail vehicles come with their own set of challenges. Factors such as space requirements, weight, efficiency and lifetime have a direct impact on investment and operating costs as well as future compatibility. To meet the specific requirements of railways, air conditioning components must therefore be compact, reliable, lightweight and have a low sound level – all features of the new scroll compressor SPEEDLITE ELV52 by BITZER. 

To meet specific customer needs, the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump specialist BITZER has tailored the compressor design of the new SPEEDLITE ELV52 to precisely suit the requirements of mobile applications. 

Light and efficient: coherent overall package for rail transport

The SPEEDLITE ELV52 features a compact design with a low installation height and low sound emissions. Thanks to its aluminium design and efficient permanent magnet motor, it is around half the weight of other compressors and is therefore suitable for installing in air conditioning or heat pump systems with limited space. 

The SPEEDLITE ELV52 has a high cooling and heating performance and thanks to its wide control range, it is ideal for applications prone to drastically changing operating conditions. The compressor’s capacity to meet current cooling and heating requirements can be adjusted by means of a speed control. This increases the efficiency of the compressor and the system as a whole, ensuring stable temperature regulation inside the vehicle for the highest levels of passenger comfort.

Flexible and reliable: expanded application range thanks to Economiser technology

Heat pumps are already used in a whole host of areas and will also be at home in modern rail vehicles in the future. Compared to electric heating systems, heat pumps achieve much higher efficiency, further reduce operating costs and help meet the requirements of global environmental regulations. In this particular area of application, some scroll compressors do reach their limits but, thanks to its integrated Economiser technology, this is not the case with the SPEEDLITE ELV52. 

The use of an Economiser as liquid subcooler cools the compressor and its discharge gas, thereby expanding the application limits of the compressor significantly. Another aspect is that the enthalpy difference at the evaporator is increased, leading to improvements in the efficiency of the system. Economiser technology has proven itself in refrigeration and air conditioning technology. 

Sustainable and future-proof: suitable for use with various refrigerants

The SPEEDLITE ELV52 scroll compressor is also suitable for use with various refrigerants, including low-GWP refrigerants as well as the natural refrigerant R290 (propane). Choosing a future-proof refrigerant available for the long term is a key issue at the moment in various areas of application, particularly in regard to the EU F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 and the forthcoming tightening of this regulation.

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