U.K. Manufacturer Vert Raises £1.9 Million to Bring Conical Rotary Compressor to NatRef Applications

U.K- based compressor manufacturer Vert Technologies announced that it has received a £1.9 million (US$1.36 million) investment from different sources to expand the presence of its Conical Rotary Compressor (CRC) technology in the refrigeration and heat pump sectors, with a focus on low-GWP natural refrigerant applications.

“The Vert Conical Rotary Compressor will play a key role in the world’s climate ambitions, and we welcome the support for both the technology and the drive of the team to accelerate a swift transition in the use of low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants in world-wide domestic heat pumps and refrigeration systems,” said Phil Harris, CEO at Vert Technologies, in a statement.

On its website, Vert noted that the Vert CRC technology offers “a potential solution” for domestic and light industrial refrigeration products using low-GWP refrigerants such as CO₂ (R744) or ammonia/NH₃ (R717).

In regard to heat pumps, Vert said that “a long-term approach” is needed to compress refrigerants such as CO2and ammonia, adding that its CRC compressors offer “an efficient, high pressure solution.”

In comparison to traditional twin screw air compressor technology that uses rotating screws placed side by side to generate compressed air or gas, the Vert CRC technology places one conical rotor inside another, the company explained. 

The rotors turn in the same direction at different speeds compressing the air or gas as it travels down the conical screw to deliver “a low noise, low vibration compressed air solution that is still capable of producing exceptionally high pressures in a single stage,” said Vert. 

“Crucially for heat pumps and refrigeration solutions,” added Vert, “these pressure ratios are ideal for use with low-GWP refrigerant mediums soon to be required by law, which traditional technologies may struggle to efficiently compress without compromising user requirements.”

The compressors range in size from 40mm (1.6in) long with 80W (0.02TR) of power to pallet-mounted industrial units that are 400mm (15.7in) long with 13kW (3.7TR) of power.

Working with multinationals

Vert is working with some “large multinationals” in the refrigeration and gas compression sectors “and we have a clear line of sight to mass volume manufacturing approaches,” said Harris.  

Vert’s new funding includes a recently completed £775,000 (US$1,048,980) investment funding round, through existing investors Par Equity, Equity Gap, Aeroden and Scottish Enterprise. Vert also received a £650,000 (US$879,790) grant from Scottish Enterprise to develop a compressor for the refrigeration market. 

In addition, the company was awarded £490,000 (US$663,220) from the U.K. government’s Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. The 15-month BEIS project will help the company further refine its CRC technology for use in domestic heat pump systems, which the government plans to roll out nationwide to meet its net-zero carbon- emissions targets.

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