UL Solutions opened an expansion of its Plano testing center for heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment on Oct. 12, adding room to test heat pumps, air conditioners, chillers and the cooling systems used in data centers. Local officials joined company leaders for the opening, according to the company's announcement.
The Plano site, which the company calls its HVACR Center of Excellence, handles safety, performance, certification and research testing under one roof. UL Solutions said that lets manufacturers catch problems sooner and move products more efficiently toward certification and market access in North America and abroad.
The added capacity covers variable refrigerant flow systems and the coolant distribution units that data centers rely on. The company said the work supports more energy-efficient products, refrigerants with a smaller climate impact and the fast growth of computing infrastructure.
New test chambers at the Plano center can simulate conditions from cold climates to desert heat by controlling temperature and humidity. They can handle systems with up to 30 tons of cooling capacity, a measure of cooling power rather than weight, which allows testing of the bigger units used in commercial buildings and data centers.
The center also measures energy use, tests product controls and checks how equipment holds up as the load on it changes. It can test against standards from groups including the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, ASHRAE, the U.S. Department of Energy and the ENERGY STAR program, and supports certification to international standards.
