Faced with today’s energy and environmental challenges, more and more apartment buildings are being equipped with heat pumps. These systems are particularly effective in reducing energy consumption, but require special attention to ensure their longevity and performance. Protecting heat exchangers with appropriate filtration is a major technical and economic challenge. Hectron, the French specialist in automatic filtration solutions, explains why and how to effectively protect these installations in apartment buildings.
Why protect heat exchangers on collective heat pumps?
An investment worth preserving
Heat pumps installed in collective buildings (condominiums, hotels, schools, sports complexes, etc.) represent a substantial investment. The durability of this equipment depends to a large extent on the smooth operation of its heat exchangers, the key components in heat transfer.
Multiple risks linked to water quality
Collective systems are particularly exposed to several types of problems:
- Fouling: the gradual accumulation of suspended particles (sand, silt, plant debris, rust) clogs heat exchanger channels.
- Scaling: limescale deposits reduce thermal performance and increase energy consumption.
- Corrosion: certain impurities in the water can accelerate corrosion phenomena.
- Bacterial growth: biofilms can form in circuits, reducing the efficiency of heat exchange.
Without appropriate protection, these problems can lead to
- A significant drop in energy efficiency
- higher operating costs due to increased power consumption
- frequent and costly maintenance
- A significant reduction in equipment service life
Significant economic consequences
A clogged or scaled exchanger can lose up to 30% of its energy efficiency. On a collective installation, this can quickly add up to several thousand euros a year in additional costs. Not to mention the technical stoppages required to manually clean the exchangers, which are particularly problematic in establishments that can’t afford to interrupt their activity (hotels, retirement homes, hospitals, etc.).
Hectron filtration solutions for collective heat pumps
With over 25 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of automatic filtration solutions, Hectron offers equipment specifically adapted to the protection of collective heat pumps.
AS automatic filters: complete protection
The AS range of automatic filters is the benchmark solution for effectively protecting heat exchangers on collective heat pumps against clogging.
Operating principle
The AS automatic filter operates on a simple but effective principle:
- Water passes through a filtering sieve that retains suspended solid particles.
- Impurities accumulate progressively on the surface of the sieve.
- When the differential pressure reaches a preset threshold, an automatic cleaning cycle is triggered
- Vacuum nozzles sweep the screen surface and remove impurities, without interrupting filtration.
Advantages for collective systems
- Continuous operation: the cleaning process takes place without interrupting the flow, guaranteeing permanent plant availability.
- Total autonomy: no human intervention required for cleaning operations
- Water savings: the volume of water consumed during cleaning cycles is minimal (less than 1% of the flow treated)
- Adaptability: different filtration finenesses available (from 6 to 400 microns) to suit specific plant requirements
- Robustness: stainless steel or high-strength composite materials for intensive operating conditions
Typical collective applications
AS filters are particularly suitable for :
- Water-to-water heat pumps for collective housing
- High-capacity geothermal systems
- Primary circuits of plate heat exchangers
- Systems using groundwater or river water
HN hydrocyclones: efficiency without consumables
For certain applications, especially when the particles to be filtered are particularly dense (sand, silt), HN hydrocyclones offer a particularly interesting alternative.
Operating principle
The hydrocyclone principle is based on centrifugal force:
- water is introduced tangentially into a conical body
- The specific geometry creates a vortex that throws heavy particles towards the periphery.
- These particles fall down the walls and are evacuated towards a drain collector
- The clarified water is collected in the center and upper part of the hydrocyclone.
Specific advantages
- No moving parts: maximum reliability and virtually no maintenance
- No consumables: no filter elements to replace
- Constant efficiency: no clogging possible
- Exceptional robustness: resistance to harsh conditions (presence of abrasive sand)
- Low pressure drop: energy savings on pumping
- Compact design: small footprint for easy integration into existing plant rooms
Preferred applications
HN hydrocyclones are particularly recommended for :
- heat pumps operating on sand-laden groundwater
- Geothermal systems where there is a risk of silting up
- Cooling circuits using borehole water
- Pre-filtration of water containing heavy particles
Optimizing protection with a global approach
For optimum protection of collective heat pumps, Hectron often recommends a global approach, taking into account the specific features of each installation. Each collective installation has its own characteristics. The Hectron technical team carries out a complete analysis of your needs to determine the most appropriate solution:
- Analysis of available water quality
- Study of the system’s technical characteristics
- Simulation of operating conditions
- Precise sizing of equipment
- Assistance with commissioning
Rapid return on investment
Although the installation of a filtration system represents an initial investment, the return on investment is generally very rapid:
- Reduced need for corrective maintenance
- Lower energy consumption
- Longer service life for exchangers and pumps
- Guaranteed continuity of service
Conclusion
In a context where heat pumps are becoming increasingly common in collective buildings, it has become essential to protect heat exchangers with appropriate filtration. The automatic solutions offered by Hectron, whether AS filters or HN hydrocyclones, guarantee the energy performance, reliability and longevity of these installations.
As a French manufacturer with over 25 years’ experience, Hectron is committed to offering you the filtration solutions best suited to your specific needs. Don’t hesitate to contact our technical team for a personalized audit of your collective system.
