Advansor, part of Dover Food Retail and Dover Corporation (NYSE: DOV), on April 8 announced the launch of the SteelXL Heat Pump, a high-capacity CO2 heat pump designed for food processing, district heating, and large commercial buildings.1Large Scale Natural Refrigerant Heat Pump Market To Accelerate Through 2035 Amid Global Energy Transition - News and Statistics - IndexBox With a per-unit capacity of 5 MW-scalable to 50 MW through parallel installation-the system targets industrial operators seeking to replace fossil-fuel boilers with a natural refrigerant alternative amid tightening HFC regulations in Europe and North America.
Background
The SteelXL enters a market increasingly shaped by the EU's revised F-gas Regulation (EU 2024/573). By 2036, HFC production must fall to 15% of the 2011-2013 average, with a complete phase-out targeted by 2050. All Advansor heat pumps use the natural refrigerant CO2 (R744), which carries a global warming potential of 1 and falls outside the scope of the EU F-gas directive. That positions CO2-based systems beyond the quota restrictions now constraining HFC-dependent equipment.
The large-scale natural refrigerant heat pump market, valued at USD 7.35 billion in 2026, is projected to reach USD 10.5 billion by 2030 at a 9.3% CAGR, according to Research and Markets. The global industrial heat pump market is separately projected to grow from $10.55 billion in 2025 to over $20.56 billion by 2035, expanding at a compound annual rate exceeding 6.9%, according to AInvest analysis. District heating, food and beverage processing, and large commercial facilities represent the primary demand segments for high-capacity CO2 heat pump systems.
Technical Details
The SteelXL can use air or water as a heat source to produce hot water at temperatures up to 203°F (95°C), with inlet water temperatures up to 140°F (60°C). The system operates across ambient temperatures ranging from 6°F to 113°F (-14°C to 45°C) and delivers a maximum cooling capacity of 3 MW (853 TR). Configuration options include ejectors, permanent magnet motors, and variable-speed drives, enabling a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 4.0.
According to Advansor's product data, each optional efficiency feature-parallel compression, cylinder unloading, permanent magnet motors, and ejector technology-can contribute approximately a 5% COP increase.
"The SteelXL Heat Pump expands Advansor's ability to deliver robust, energy-efficient heating solutions for industrial applications," said Kristian Breitenbauch, Managing Director at Advansor. "The platform is designed to support reliable performance at scale while enabling customers to meet evolving regulatory and sustainability requirements."2Heat Pump Market Report 2025-2030 [298 Pages & 281 Tables]
Individual units are available in standard sizes with maximum heating outputs of 1.3, 2.4, and 4.8 MW. Through parallel installation, systems can scale beyond 50 MW of heating capacity. Units ship with standardized controllers pre-programmed for heat pump applications, and MODBUS integration ensures connectivity with existing building management systems.
Advansor, headquartered in Denmark, has designed and produced more than 20,000 CO2 systems for commercial and industrial cooling and heating worldwide since 2006.
Outlook
The 203°F water outlet temperature positions the SteelXL as a direct replacement for gas or oil boilers in facilities with existing high-temperature hydronic distribution-a segment conventional heat pumps have historically struggled to serve. The EU F-gas Regulation's degressive quota allocation, which will reduce HFC production rights to 15% by 2036, is expected to accelerate the industrial heat pump market's transition to natural refrigerants such as CO2.
