PHAM NEWS | FEBRUARY 2024 Test& Measuring Instruments 37


New tricks: the kit you need for heat pump systems


With the growth of heat pumps in the UK as a key solution for decarbonising heating systems, installers will be looking to add this technology to their skill set, which will also mean using new instruments to eff ectively work on these systems. Testo’s Jon Bawden comments on some of the kit that will play a role in assessing pressures, temperatures, and refrigerant levels, ensuring the operation and performance of heat pumps.


F


or the last 50 years the UK domestic heating landscape has been dominated by the gas boiler, with around


85% of all domestic heating using gas. This equates to around 1.5 million gas boilers being installed each year. Heat in buildings is currently responsible for 23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and almost half of natural gas consumption, so decarbonising energy used in buildings is therefore essential both for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and combating climate change, and is central to the UK government’s Net Zero Strategy. With heat pumps being


a prominent feature of the decarbonisation strategy, the government has a target of 600,000 installations per year by 2028, and approximately 72,000 were installed in 2022. Heat pumps use heat from the external environment to provide space heating and hot water for buildings. They are more energy effi cient than gas or direct electric heating and, when combined with decarbonised electricity, are a form of low carbon heating.


Key technology Heat pumps are widely used in some European countries but are currently installed in just 1% of UK homes. The Climate Change Committee projects that, to reach net zero, domestic heat pumps will be needed in at least half, but likely closer to 80%, of homes by 2050. For installers and engineers


who are looking to upskill, ready for the growing demand for both installation of heat pumps and the ongoing service and maintenance for


The testo 550i app- controlled digital manifold with Bluetooth


Jon Bawden Product manager HVACR, Testo UK


these products, there will be a quite diff erent demand for the equipment needed to test and measure the systems to ensure correct and reliable operation. With boiler install and commissioning, heating engineers have been used to using an electronic fl ue gas analyser as the cornerstone of testing the boiler for both correct operation and effi ciency, however for heat pumps there will be a very diff erent requirement and the test equipment needed will depend on the type of heat pump being worked on. For a simple monobloc


BY NUMBERS 1%


Percent of homes in the UK fi tted with heat pumps


80% 23%


Percent of homes that will need to have a heat pump if the UK is to reach its 2050 net zero targets


system is where the engineer does not handle any aspect of the refrigerant circuit, the basic testing will be of the fl ow and return temperatures on the pipework and also ideally some


The testo 570s digital manifold


monitoring of the compressor current.


Monobloc and split However, although monobloc type heat pumps can be seen as an easy-fi t solution they are not as fl exible from an overall installation view potentially as a ‘split’ system – however with a split system the engineer will need to have specifi c F-gas training to handle refrigerants, because with these systems the refrigerant circuit is ‘split’ between components, so engineers need the competency and correct test equipment to ensure the heat pump is set with the correct charge of refrigerant and that the system pressures and temperatures are set correctly. This is where a set of test


gauges will be part of the future


toolbox for heating engineers – such test gauges were traditionally of an analogue design and were designed to be used with a separate digital thermometer for calculating values of superheat and subcooling around the system.


Going digital Digital manifold gauges started to appear in the early 80’s and have become the key test instrument used by refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump engineers. Testo as a world-wide manufacturer of HVAC test and measurement equipment is uniquely placed to provide for this infl ux of heat pump engineers, as we have been supplying our digital refrigeration manifolds and other heat pump service instruments for over 20 years already. Our testo 55x range of digital


manifolds help heat pump engineers to quickly assess the pressures/temperatures around the low-pressure and high-pressure sides of a heat pump system and evaluate if these readings are within the required parameters. With Bluetooth connectivity to a wide range of accessory probes, engineers can also measure system superheat and subcooling values, vacuum readings during a system evacuation, or even automate the charging of refrigerant into a system with the electronic scale and auto-charging valve.


Double duty For engineers looking for a simple low-cost solution to cover their requirements for both monobloc or split system heat pumps, Testo’s unique 550i ‘Smart’ manifold kit can provide Bluetooth pipe- clamp probes for fl ow/return temperatures as well as the testo 550i for monitoring system pressures on split systems. The testo 550i is a screenless design and uses the engineer’s smartphone or tablet to display all data in conjunction with the Testo ‘Smart’ app. Other key benefi ts of digital


Heat in buildings is responsible for 23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions


manifolds are with constant movement towards the use of refrigerant gases with a lower GWP (Global Warming Potential), compared to traditional ‘analogue’ type manifold gauges, the testo digital manifolds can be easily updated for future refrigerants as they become available. Also, the Testo range of digital manifolds is fully supported by the free-to-use Smart app, which can link the digital manifold to a smartphone or tablet device to provide the engineer with comprehensive digital reporting of all measurements being taken to help validate any installation or service work being performed. ◼ phamnews.co.uk/224/57


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