Danfoss has been recognized by a panel of ASHRAE members with a 2015 AHR Expo Innovation Award in the green building category. The award is for the company’s Turbocor VTT series of oil-free, variable speed, magnetic bearing centrifugal compressors. The company also received an Honorable Mention in the cooling category for its new ETS Colibri® electronic expansion valve. Together, this marks the 17th and 18th time Danfoss has been recognized in the AHR Expo Innovation Awards program over the course of 12 years.

“We are honored to receive the 2015 AHR Innovation Award,” commented John Galyen, presiden of  Danfoss North America. “Innovation is rooted deep in our culture. For more than 80 years, Danfoss has been focused on engineering innovative, reliable technologies that reduce energy use and environmental impact — and, today, we remain committed to product development and partnerships that enable our customers to meet the challenges and standards of tomorrow.”

As the green building category winner, Danfoss Turbocor VTT series of compressors introduces IntraFlow™, a patent-pending technology, which the company says improves efficiency and provides an extended stable operating range while simplifying capacity control. Danfoss officials also said the IntraFlow™ eliminates the need for inlet guide vanes or mechanical variable geometry diffusers, allowing VTT compressors to offer both superior full-load and part-load performance and enabling chiller manufacturers to achieve the latest efficiency standards.

Intended for water-cooled chillers and with capacities of 350 tons per compressor, Turbocor VTT — or Variable Twin Turbo — compressors are ideal for commercial air-conditioning or process cooling chillers reaching up to 1,000 tons or more. New drive technology featured on the compressors is exclusive to the VTT series, and is the result of integrated R&D efforts blending Danfoss’ expertise and capabilities in high-efficiency compressors and variable frequency drives for the HVACR industry.

Recognized as an Honorable Mention in the Cooling category, the new ETS Colibri® electronic expansion valves enable precise evaporator flow control for increased energy efficiency and reliable compressor operation, and are ideal for variable speed air-conditioning and lower-GWP refrigerant systems.

Featuring a hermetically-sealed, smaller, four-times-lighter design that incorporates less complexity with fewer parts and leak points, and three-to-six-second fully-open-to-close functionality, ETS Colibri® valves offer simple programming and flexible installation, help reduce refrigerant loss, and significantly improve refrigerant migration from reaching the compressor — thus improving reliability and service calls, according to the company.

“Not only was ETS Colibri® developed for maximum flexibility and dependability and with a compact size that fits almost anywhere into a system, but this new valve is a perfect complement for the transition of air-conditioning, heat pump, and refrigeration systems to variable speed technology,” explained Jeff Warther, North America segment manager for refrigeration and air-conditioning controls at Danfoss. “We’re pleased to have been recognized for the engineering and design innovation that contributed to the development of this new valve.”

Danfoss will display its award-winning products at the AHR Expo in Chicago, Jan. 26-28, 2015.