By Ole Nygaard, CEO
Victor A/S

 

A COOL HEAT TO BE PROUD OF

For the past 25 years Victor A/S has been among the leaders in refrigeration technology and the production of process pipes for the offshore industry, but a worldwide oil crisis and new circumstances in the market inspired us to think outside the box.

In the future, Victor A/S will also be among the leaders in Denmark to leverage and transform the energy from our surroundings - such as outdoor air, seawater, wastewater and surplus heat - into the hot water that runs in the Danish district heating system. It’s a win-win situation for the business, the surrounding community and the environment.

In many ways, our journey paints a picture of the spirit of Frederikshavn, which characterizes the harbour and the port's businesses. Frederikshavn is a port city and we are proud of that.  Based on that pride, the port develops more efficient and sustainable ways to run a port business.

In Victor A/S, we have utilized our knowledge of cooling systems and pipe production, and in recent years also built up a significant expertise in land-based energy and process systems, as well as heat pumps for the district heating industry. One could almost say that the heating business came by chance.

As an apple from the sky
The idea for the development of the heat pump arose during the 2014 oil crisis, which forced us to consider how we could use our skills elsewhere than in the offshore industry where the orders became fewer and fewer. Like Newton's apple falling from the sky we were given the opportunity to make pipe installations for the waste burning facility Amager Bakke, which became our ticket into the Danish energy optimization market.

Working on Amager Bakke gave us the opportunity to explore new technologies, and here the idea of large industrial heat pumps was further developed. At first glance, heat and cold obviously are contradictory, but in fact it was all about turning things upside down and shifting perspective.

We actually thought that we only made refrigeration techniques and pipes for offshore, but it turned out that our skills could be used to a much greater extent than we ourselves had realized - and when we first started to separate things and eliminated the silo mindset, we created a whole new opportunity to pursue.

The simplest solutions are the hardest to spot
Our knowledge of cooling technology is now used not only for refrigeration systems, but also heat pumps. The whole setup behind the large heat pump is just a system where the known cooling technique is turned upside down. We have thus managed to develop a system that provides three times more energy than it uses.

Why didn't we see this solution before? Sommetimes, the simplest solutions are the hardest to spot, but the timing must also be right. The heat pump became a reality, because in Victor A/S we have a culture that makes it possible to pursue opportunities in the market as they arise. The heat pump is therefore not an outright result of a five-year plan or something like that. It is a result of tenacious work and good craftsmanship.

It is the same culture that is at the port. We're good at what we do. And even though we're North Jutlanders, we can be proud of what we develop. We're just not bragging about it.

 

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This post is part of Port of Frederikshavn’s blog universe, which we have called THE PORT VOICE. The blog has been put into the world to give the word to businesses and business partners of the port. The purpose is to create a channel, where we can share knowledge, passion and demeanour in an inclusive, engaging and non-profit way. The goal is to have as many businesses, organisations and partners of the port as possible to contribute in order to obtain a platform, where we can learn more about each other, pass on learning, wisdom or demeanour and invite one another into the world, each one of us find ourselves in.