Climate Chamber for HVAC Systems Testing
The climate chamber is a highly insulated modular cell designed to reproduce extreme and controlled temperature conditions ranging from −15 °C to +35 °C, enabling experimental testing of HVAC systems and components under realistic and severe climatic scenarios. The chamber structure is composed of sandwich panels with 100 mm thick polyurethane insulation, characterized by a low thermal conductivity (λ = 0.023 W/m·K), ensuring excellent thermal stability and airtightness. The internal dimensions of the cell are approximately 2.03 × 2.03 × 2.03 m, providing sufficient space for the installation and testing of full-scale components. The chamber is equipped with an insulated floor designed to withstand high static and dynamic loads, allowing safe installation of test equipment. Temperature control is achieved through a high-performance refrigeration and heating system specifically designed for laboratory applications. The refrigeration unit is based on a semi-hermetic compressor using R449A refrigerant, delivering a cooling capacity of approximately 10–11 kW and ensuring reliable operation even at very low evaporation temperatures (down to −17 °C). Air distribution inside the chamber is guaranteed by a forced ventilation system, allowing uniform temperature conditions throughout the test volume. The system is managed by an electronic control panel that enables precise temperature regulation, real-time monitoring, and safe operation during experimental campaigns. Owing to its robustness and flexibility, the chamber can be used not only for heat pump and HVAC system testing, but also for experiments involving other components subjected to controlled thermal environments, such as thermal systems, building components, and thermal mannequins for human body modelling.
Activities
Simulation of different climates for HVAC systems components
To test heat pumps and evaluate their performance under different climatic conditions, a system capable of reproducing a wide range of temperatures, including extremely severe conditions, is required. By placing the units inside the climate chamber and connecting them to the Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) testing line, it is possible to perform comprehensive and accurate tests under a variety of operating scenarios.
Tests on thermal systems at different temperatures
To investigate the thermal response of different components, a wide range of energy systems can be installed inside the climate chamber and tested under controlled temperature conditions. This setup allows the simulation of component behavior at different temperatures, including advanced applications such as thermal mannequins for human body modelling.