CO₂ water-to-water heat pump COOLSHIFT XL for an automotive painting process
Decarbonization in the automotive industry: a CO₂ water-to-water heat pump replaces gas boilers and chiller units in a painting process—delivering simultaneous heating and cooling with a high COP. Efficient, sustainable, and future-oriented!
Decarbonizing a paint shop
CO₂ water-to-water heat pump for an automotive painting process with simultaneous heating and cooling demand
A turnkey industrial solutions provider set out to explore the potential for decarbonizing a major automotive paint shop in Michigan. The facility has significant heating and cooling requirements—around 30 MW each—currently supplied by gas boilers and chillers. The goal was to launch a pilot project to evaluate the feasibility, sustainability, and efficiency of heat pump technology for this application and similar industrial uses.
A COOLSHIFT XL CO₂ water-to-water heat pump was selected for its ability to provide simultaneous heating and cooling. Another key factor was its capacity for a high temperature lift on the heating side.
The system is designed with parallel compression and can supply hot water above 82 °C. Under optimal operating conditions for this application, it delivers up to 2.5 MW of thermal energy (1.5 MW heating and 1 MW cooling). This includes 68,000 l/h of hot water at 63 °C and 91,000 l/h of chilled water at 7 °C, with a combined COP exceeding 5.
This heat pump, currently the largest of its kind in North America, will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and marks a first step toward potentially replacing the facility’s remaining boilers and chillers.
