Efficient and climate-friendly: The new energy systems for commercial applications

Allendorf (Eder), Jun 24, 2021

The new products at a glance

• The new compact Vitobloc 300 NG 15 and NG 20 (NG: natural gas) CHP modules can be operated with up to 20 percent hydrogen in natural gas. The modules are very compact, quiet and fully wired at the plant, and especially long maintenance intervals guarantee their high level of availability.
• The new Vitomax industrial boilers are now also optionally available for an all-electric operation or as a hybrid version combined with forced-air burners and electrical heating cartridges. They can also be operated with pure hydrogen.
• The Vitosol 200-T, Type SPX, is a new vacuum tube collector specifically designed for large-scale solar heating plants.

Vitobloc 300: Compact, fully-wired modules for profitable electricity and heat generation

Combined heat and power generation units (CHP) must be quick and easy to install, produce electricity and heat highly efficiently and have the longest maintenance intervals possible to be able to operate with maximum efficiency. The new Vitobloc 300 NG15 and Vitobloc 300 NG 20 CHP modules are ideally suited to meet these requirements.

Compact, quiet and fully wired at the plant

Vitobloc 300 NG 15 (15 kWel/39.6 kWth) and Vitobloc 300 NG 20 (20 kWel/45.4 kWth) are compact and fully-wired units with water-cooled synchronous generators to generate three-phase current and hot water. They are equally suited to new buildings and modernization with their low operating noise of below 49 dB(A) and low space requirement.

Maintenance only required every 8000 hours

A maintenance interval is only required every 8000 operating hours. This means the user can usually get by with annual maintenance. The operating costs are correspondingly low for the new CHP units and the economic profit is higher.

Sustainable through operation with hydrogen

As a new fuel source, CO₂-neutral hydrogen will play an important role in future. Vitobloc 300 NG 15 and NG 20 are already prepared for this and can be operated smoothly with admixtures of up to 20 percent hydrogen in natural gas. This also secures the investment in these devices for the future.

Meets the connection conditions of energy suppliers

Power units meet the demanding current and future German technical connection conditions (TAB) of energy suppliers. The intelligent electronic platform allows the grid phase shift (cos phi) to be switched using the software. Additional hardware adjustments are not required. The certified CHP modules are equipped with integrated grid and system protection as standard and prepared for the grid backup system.

Extensive hydraulic equipment

The pipeworks are pre-assembled at the plant and connect the key elements of the CHP (cooling water exchangers, exhaust gas heat exchangers and motor). The elements have complete pipeworks for cooling water, heating and exhaust gas and are insulated if required. All pipe connections are equipped with metal expansion joints or flexible tube connections for vibration isolation and designed as flange or flat-sealing screw connections. The motor is filled with a water glycol mixture at the plant, which is circulated with an electrically driven cooling water pump, to protect against corrosion.

Integrated condensing technology ensures a high degree of efficiency

An overall efficiency of up to 106 percent is achieved with the integrated condensing technology. The resulting low exhaust temperature allows a cost-effective plastic exhaust system to be used. The hydraulic connection is simplified and a return temperature increase is not necessary.

New electronic platform with innovative functions

The electronic platform with the ViNCI module developed by Viessmann is used to control the CHP. The heart of the control system is a Linux-based industry computer. It offers a connection to innovative remote services and interfaces for communication in multivalent systems and the building management system (GLT). The cloud-based data management meets the highest security standards. The visualization and operation on professional back-end solutions is of course carried out remotely via the internet.

Remote access via professional interfaces

The Vitobloc electronic platform can be used to monitor CHPs from anywhere. Valuable conclusions about potential improvements and therefore a higher efficiency of the power unit can be drawn from continuous operation. Service assignments can be planned more efficiently based on the available data and the response speed of the CHP service team can be improved. Maintenance on-site is sometimes not required thanks to remote access. This reduces costs and increases the availability and reliability of the CHP.

Benefits for trade partners

• Complete fully-wired and factory-tested compact units
• Reduced installation outlay with water-cooled generator
• Strict German technical connection conditions (TAB) of energy suppliers are met
• Certified according to the German low voltage application guide VDE-AR-N 4105 with integrated grid and plant protection
• Integrated LAN interface for remote monitoring
• Flexible parameterization according to system requirements
• Integrated heating water pump for feeding a heating water buffer cylinder

Benefits for users

• Optimally designed electrical and thermal outputs for small commercial buildings and large residential complexes, hotels, restaurants, car dealerships, garden centers and swimming pools
• Suitable for natural gas, bio-natural gas, liquid gas and the admixture of 20 percent hydrogen
• Low maintenance costs due to long maintenance intervals of 8000 operating hours
• Smooth four-cylinder motors
• Attractive subsidy programs (especially in Germany)

Technical specifications

• Output: 15 kWel/39.6 kWth / 20 kWel/45.4 kWth
• Overall efficiency: 105.1/106.2 percent
• Dimensions (length x width x height): 1810 x 760 x 1810 mm
• Operating weight: 1100 kg

Delivery

The new combined heat and power generation units are available from the fourth quarter of 2021.

Vitomax: Innovative solutions for climate-friendly heat and steam generation

The reduction of greenhouse gases and the change of fossil fuels to alternative and environmentally friendly solutions are also key issues in heat and steam generation for trade, industry and municipal authorities.

Vitomax low-NOx boilers are ideal for low-emission combustion processes due to their design. This means that the strictest requirements can also be met with less than 30 mg/m3 NOx. However, it is not only Vitomax low NOx variants that reduce emission values. Pure electric and hybrid boilers offer new benefits

100 percent electric or hybrid

The Vitomax boilers are optionally designed for an all-electric operation or as a hybrid version combined with forced-air burners and electrical heating cartridges.

When using electricity, it is sometimes possible to benefit from low tariffs on the electricity market. CO₂ emissions are also reduced with the (operational/local) emissions of electric boilers even amounting to zero.

Variants with alternative fuels or the use of waste heat are also becoming more important. Especially hydrogen, which is one of the most promising fuel sources for achieving the current climate goals.

More environmentally friendly with hydrogen

Previously, the majority of hydrogen gas in chemical processes such as the production of chlorine and other industrial processes has been released into the atmosphere unused. A profitable and efficient solution is the use of Vitomax boilers that can be operated entirely with hydrogen. A large volume of climate-damaging CO₂ is also avoided.

The use of biogases and bio oils as a fuel is also not a problem for Vitomax boilers and rounds off their wide range of applications.

Quick amortization with waste heat boilers

Waste heat boilers use hot exhaust gases or exhaust air flows from combustion processes to produce saturated steam or for DHW generation. Two types of industrial boilers are available in a waste heat and hybrid version for this purpose. Waste heat boilers without additional firing exclusively use exhaust gases/exhaust air flows. Hybrid waste heat boilers are boilers with a burner and additional features for using waste heat. Due to the economic and legal requirements, they often operate in combination with gas turbines and combined heat and power generation units. This means there is a strong case for waste heat boilers, especially given the rising energy costs.

Pure steam boiler in a complete product range

Providing a complete system from a single source is part of the overall concept of the Viessmann industrial boiler product range. The product range also includes the Vitomax boiler for generating pure steam to satisfy the highest demands. They are mainly needed for sterilizing in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry.

New Vitographite design

Viessmann is also giving products for commercial and industrial use a consistent new look: These include Vitomax boiler insulating plates painted Vitographite. They form an attractive contrast with the front doors, boiler supports, and platforms in deep black and the company logo in Vitorange.

Benefits for trade partners

• Simple system planning with components that are already perfectly matched
• Everything from a single source: hot water and steam boilers and all other system components
• Quick creation of offers with the product configurator
• Use in production industries such as the food, fertilizer, building material, paper, beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, hospitals and refineries

Benefits for users

• Industrial solutions perfectly tailored to specific requirements
• Offer and overview of the required investment costs within the shortest time
• Maximum inspection intervals and easy to service due to sufficient access and inspection points

Technical specifications

• Outputs: heat from 0.35 to 22.0 MW for each boiler, steam from 0.22 to 31.5 t/h for each boiler
• Fuels: Hydrogen up to 100 percent: Similar NOx values to fuel oil/natural gas | Electricity up to 100 percent: Almost 0 mg/m3 NOx emissions in purely electric boilers | Fuel oil (HEL): NOx emissions < 150 mg/m3 possible in flue gas | Natural gas: NOx emissions < 30 mg/m3 possible in flue gas | And many more, e.g. biogases/bio oils, animal fats
• High degree of efficiency of almost 100 percent in electric boilers (degrees of efficiency of 95.5 percent in fired boilers)

Delivery

The extensive range of Vitomax hot water and steam boilers is already available.

Vitosol 200-T SPX: Vacuum tube collector for heating networks and for generating process heat

The use of large-scale solar heating plants for local and district heating is rapidly increasing in Germany and neighboring countries. The German government hopes to ensure that all existing buildings are climate neutral by 2050. In Germany alone, it will be necessary to install roughly a million square meters of collector surface each year for the next 30 years in order to achieve this goal. Viessmann is supporting this development with the new Vitosol 200-T, Type SPX vacuum tube collector specifically designed for large-scale solar heating plants. On request, this collector can be employed to achieve complete systems under the framework of turnkey contracts, from planning and construction to commissioning and service.

Two models: Prefabricated or flexible installation on-site

The new collector is available in two models. For the standard variant of the Vitosol 200-T Type SPX with 5.05 sqm of collector surface, the collectors and tubes are assembled on the construction site. This is recommended for collector surfaces of up to several hundred square meters, for solar-supported districts and for installation on the roofs of large buildings.

The 10.3 sqm design, consisting of a collector enclosure, vacuum tubes and mounting frame, is supplied pre-assembled. It can be installed quickly using a crane or a telescopic forklift. This variant is ideal for larger collector surfaces, such as for local and district heating networks, district solutions and for generating industrial process heat.

Operationally reliable, highly efficient and durable

Thanks to the heat pipe principle (the solar medium does not flow directly through the tubes; instead, they are connected to the head exchanger in the collector enclosure dry) the Vitosol 200-T Type SPX is distinguished by a high level of durability and operational reliability. The absorber surfaces are placed directly in the vacuum tubes and thus protected from environmental influences. The SPX is designed without mirrors in order to maintain a high performance throughout the system’s lifespan. The reason for this is that mirrors behind the absorber that become less effective over time due to contamination and weathering cause sustainable degradation. The Vitosol 200-T supplies solar heat reliably and with a high output throughout its entire lifespan.

Due to the vacuum tube technology, network temperatures of up to 120°C are possible. Thanks to the dry connection, tubes can also be used with a filled system or exchanged when needed. Additional strengths include highly efficient operation, negligible pressure losses and a simple hydraulic structure.

Pure water solar medium for water protection zones

According to customer wishes, collector systems with Vitosol 200-T (Type SPX) can optionally be filled with a frost protection agent for passive frost protection or simply with pure water. Filling with pure water offers the advantage of fulfilling strict environmental requirements such as those in effect in water protection zones without issues. In this case, however, active protection against frost becomes necessary on very cold days, such as by supplying low-temperature conventionally generated heat.

Flexible installation

The new Vitosol 200-T (Type SPX) can be installed mounted on collector supports on open ground, on flat roofs and on inclined roofs. All necessary components such as transfer stations, controllers, piping and various services (planning and project support from Viessmann) are also offered.

"Invisible" installation on flat roofs

The Vitosol 200-T (Type SPX-F) can be fitted invisibly on flat roofs thanks to the horizontal installation with just a 3° inclination of the collector. The wind load is also significantly reduced with this type of installation. A lower ballast is therefore sufficient that can be more easily absorbed by the hall structural supports.

Benefits for trade partners

• Planning and project support from Viessmann
• Modules pre-assembled at plant
• Robust design, convenient maintenance
• Dry connection, i.e. tubes can be used with a filled system or exchanged
• Maximum heat generation with network temperatures of up to 120°C

Benefits for users

• Contamination-proof, innovative and durable heat pipe technology
• Efficient heat transmission thanks to large heat transfer surfaces
• Highly effective thermal insulation of the collector enclosure minimizes loss of heat
• Can be operated with frost protection agents or water
• Optimized for low pressure losses and thus low operating costs

Technical specifications

• Gross area: 5.05 m² (collector & tubes assembled on-site) and 10.3 m² (collector & tubes pre-assembled at plant)
• Mounting angle: 3° to 60°
• Network temperature: Up to 120°C

Delivery

The vacuum tube collector Vitosol 200-T (SPX Type) is already available.

Further information

Further information on the Viessmann solutions for commercial applications can be found on the virtual platform www.viessmann.live