2023 AHR expo innovation awards announce top innovators in HAVC industry

The AHR Expo announced the winners of the 2023 AHR Expo Innovation Awards. Each year, winners are chosen in ten industry categories to represent the most innovative products and technologies set to hit the market in the year ahead.

The Innovation Awards draw hundreds of manufacturers designing new and never before seen solutions or improvements upon existing products and technologies launching into the marketplace in the coming year. They encourage exhibitors to submit new products and technologies for recognition via review and selection by a panel of third-party judges of distinguished ASHRAE members. Entrants are evaluated based on overall innovative design, the creativity of the product or service offered, product or technology real-world application, and overall potential market impact.

Heating
Copeland HVAC Compressors / ZPSK7 scroll compressor

Built on the award-winning ZPSK6 platform, Emerson’s ZPSK7 scroll compressor is the most efficient two-stage compressor developed in the 100-year history of the Copeland™ brand. The Copeland™ ZPSK7 scroll compressor is a product line of 1.5 – 5-ton two-stage compressors ideally suited for residential and light commercial HVAC applications. These compressors can operate at 100 percent capacity or as low as 65 percent capacity based on heating/cooling demand. When a partial load is needed, bypass ports inside the compression chamber open, which partially unload the compressor. This allows the compressor to achieve 65 percent capacity, thereby consuming less energy at light loads and avoiding costly stops and starts, which use more energy. When demand increases, the modulation control valve is activated, sealing the bypass and shifting capacity to 100 percent. The ZPSK7 two-stage compressor can run at lower capacity without stopping, ensuring air continues flowing over the coil and the filter. This yields important benefits in humidity reduction and air quality. In addition, this two-stage modulating compressor also allows systems to adjust capacity to match the load, resulting in longer run times at higher efficiency to maximise comfort.

Cooling
Chemours / Opteon XL41

Refrigerant
Opteon™ XL41 is a non-ozone depleting, low global warming potential refrigerant replacement for R-410A in residential and light commercial air conditioning and scroll chiller applications. This innovative product maximises the benefits of the transition to HFO refrigerants while minimising the impact of the transition. Opteon ™ XL41 provides a 78 percent reduction in GWP from R-410A, while remaining compatible with all R-410A residential and commercial applications and lubricants. This greatly reduces the re-design effort for OEMs and the learning curve for the technicians in the field.

Refrigeration
Copeland Refrigeration
Compressors / ZFW variable speed scroll solution for low-temperature refrigeration applications

The Copeland™ ZFW variable speed scroll solution includes brushless permanent magnet (BPM) motor-based scrolls and variable frequency drives (VFDs) targeted for low-temperature, stationary refrigeration applications. The variable speed scroll provides better efficiency, precision, flexibility and reliability, while Copeland variable frequency drives, EVM/EVH Series, complement Emerson compressors and controls. It has double the capacity of a fixed-speed compressor of the same size while providing a 20–30 percent efficiency improvement. With vapour injection technology and a speed range of 1,000–7,000 rpm, it offers unparalleled levels of control while reducing cycling rates and significantly improving reliability. Optimised for use with new Copeland EVM variable frequency drives, the combination offers cutting-edge performance levels. While intended for compression, EVM drives are also universally applicable for fans, pumps and other electric motors. With Bluetooth capability, commissioning is more streamlined than ever. To optimise ease of use, the Copeland EVM has been preconfigured for Emerson controls (iPro, E2, E3, Site Supervisor) and can be integrated universally with any controller. Available today with A1 refrigerants and moving toward A2L approval by 2024, the platform offers a robust design option for complying with current and future commercial refrigeration regulations.

Ventilation
SmartD Technologies / SmartD Clean Power VFD

SmartD’s Clean Power Variable Frequency Drive changes the motor control landscape. Delivering a clean, sinusoidal signal reduces motor system losses by up to 40 percent and extends motor lifetime in a compact footprint that can be deployed without ancillary filters. The SmartD VFD integrates wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors into its multi-level inverter architecture and combines them with patented modulation algorithms to produce a pure-sine wave electrical signal without needing external filters. WBG semiconductors have intrinsic characteristics that make them more efficient: on-state losses are 10-80 percent lower, and switching losses are 9 to 30 times lower than standard IGBTs. While the benefits of WBG are clear, they are but a piece of the SmartD innovation equation. By combining a single-carrier harmonics-canceling modulation with a multi-level architecture and the high-frequency switching of the WBG transistors, SmartD can integrate filters 400 (four hundred!) times smaller than auxiliary filters normally required to achieve a comparable signal quality. The integrated miniature filters reduce the overall footprint and simplify wiring. They also minimise filter losses while improving motor efficiency, resulting in an overall system efficiency improvement and system-loss reduction of up to 40 percent.

Product of the Year – Winner
Building Automation
Cielo WiGle Inc. / Cielo Breez Max

Cielo Breez Max is the industry’s first true smart thermostat for mini-split, window, and portable air conditioners. It is loaded with next-gen features and takes a giant leap in the HVAC industry with its AI-based Comfy Max mode which offers the true thermostat-like smart experience for all ductless air conditioners. It is also equipped with an auto-detection algorithm that automatically detects any AC brand or model, making it universally compatible with 200+ brands and 5000+ air conditioner models.

Breez Max is backed by AWS IoT cloud. It works with a 5V adapter or can be hard-wired through 12/18/24 volts AC or DC. All Cielo Breez Max are secured with TLS1.2 to authenticate and encrypt data securely when transferred over a network. Max is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, IFTTT and Siri shortcuts.

Show Manager Mark Stevens said, “The awards program experiences growth year on year. This directly correlates to how fast our industry is growing through innovation. The awards are a key indicator of how HVACR is being called upon to solve worldwide issues rapidly.

We aim to highlight this innovation trajectory and honour those pushing the bar to create real solutions to difficult problems.”