In a product development move that speaks directly to the practical needs of refrigeration engineers, OEM equipment manufacturers, and HVACR contractors working across commercial refrigeration and chiller applications, Danfoss has formalised its EKE 100 1VK superheat controller kit as a comprehensive, pre-configured all-in-one solution for optimal evaporator superheat management. The kit brings together three precisely matched Danfoss components into a single, logistically simplified package that eliminates the component selection uncertainty, wiring complexity, and compatibility risk that have historically made electronic expansion valve control system specification more demanding than it needed to be.
The EKE 100 1VK kit is specially designed for cold rooms and chillers. It includes a stepper motor electronic expansion and superheat controller (EKE 100 1V), a pressure transmitter (DST P110), and a temperature sensor (AKS PT1000). All the components have been selected to ensure compatibility and optimal performance, but with only two product codes covering a wide range of applications.
Two product codes. One ordering decision. One installation package. That simplicity, achieved without any compromise in the sophistication or precision of the underlying technology, is the central engineering and commercial achievement of the EKE 100 1VK kit, and it reflects a maturity of product thinking that has direct, measurable value for everyone involved in the specification, procurement, installation, and operation of commercial refrigeration and chiller systems.
Twenty Years of Superheat Engineering in One Kit
The EKE 100 1VK does not represent a new direction for Danfoss in superheat control. It represents the distillation of a long and technically rich heritage in electronic expansion valve management into its most accessible and practically deployable form.
EKE 100 is based on more than 20 years of experience in developing best-in-class superheat management. Thanks to Danfoss’ deep application knowledge in HVAC, food retail, and commercial refrigeration, this state-of-the-art product range comes with user-friendly commissioning. Whether for chillers, rooftop units, heat pumps, CRAC units, or cold rooms, the EKE 100 range works as a practical platform to help cooling professionals reduce development costs.
That two-decade knowledge base is embedded in every aspect of the EKE 100 platform, from the precision of its control algorithms through to the robustness of its hardware design and the breadth of its refrigerant compatibility. When Danfoss engineers specify an operational temperature range, a sensor accuracy target, or a communication protocol suite for the EKE 100 family, they do so with the accumulated evidence of thousands of field installations and decades of application engineering feedback informing every parameter. The 1VK kit brings that accumulated expertise into a single package that any refrigeration engineer can specify and install with confidence, regardless of their prior experience with Danfoss electronic controls.
The application scope of the EKE 100 family confirms its versatility. EKE 100 is ideal for controlling a wide range of air conditioning, commercial and industrial heat pumps, commercial refrigeration and food retail applications, helping to achieve the highest efficiency in the system. The 1VK kit, with its specific focus on cold rooms and chillers covering thermal capacities from 0.5 kW to 32 kW, addresses the heart of the light and medium commercial refrigeration market, which represents the largest volume segment of EEV controller deployments globally.
What Is Inside the Kit: Three Components, One System
Understanding the value of the EKE 100 1VK requires a clear picture of the three components it contains and why their pre-matched combination matters technically and commercially.
The EKE 100 1V Controller
The EKE 100 1V is the intelligence engine of the kit, a stepper motor electronic expansion valve controller and superheat supervisor that combines advanced control algorithms, precise signal processing, and a broad input sensor range within a compact, industrially robust housing. The EKE 100 range comes with precise superheat control using accurate signal processing, advanced superheat control algorithms and a broader sensor range, reliability in harsh environments with consistent supply to the valve under extreme conditions without derating, stable performance throughout lifetime with precise auto-calibration, and flexible use with IP00, IP20 and IP20 with display encapsulation options alongside NTC or PT1000 temperature sensor compatibility.
The auto-calibration capability deserves particular attention. In conventional EEV controller installations, calibration drift over time can gradually degrade superheat control precision, requiring periodic manual recalibration by a service engineer. The EKE 100’s precise auto-calibration feature addresses this degradation mode automatically, maintaining the original accuracy of the control loop without service intervention. For cold room and chiller applications where continuous operation over extended periods without service visits is the norm, this self-maintaining performance characteristic is a meaningful reliability advantage.
The DST P110 Pressure Transmitter
DST P110 is a digital ratiometric pressure transmitter selected specifically for compatibility with the EKE 100 1V controller. The digital ratiometric output format provides high noise immunity in industrial electrical environments and eliminates the gain and offset calibration uncertainty that can affect analogue 4-20 mA pressure signals. In an EEV control loop where pressure measurement accuracy directly determines the calculated saturation temperature and therefore the computed superheat value, the quality and stability of the pressure signal is a critical determinant of overall system control performance. The DST P110 is designed to deliver that quality consistently throughout the operational life of the installation.
The AKS PT1000 Temperature Sensor
The AKS PT1000 is a high-precision platinum resistance temperature sensor that provides the suction line temperature measurement on which superheat calculation depends. The kit consists of the EKE 100 1V controller, a DST P110 pressure transmitter, and an AKS PT1000 temperature sensor. By utilising a pre-configured wiring harness, the system eliminates the need for manual wire cutting or soldering, which are common points of failure in field installations.
The pre-configured wiring harness is a detail that any experienced refrigeration installer will immediately recognise as practically significant. Custom wiring fabrication in the field, often performed under time pressure in confined equipment spaces, is a common source of installation errors ranging from incorrect terminal assignments and inadequate strain relief through to inadvertent earth faults and intermittent signal connections. By pre-fabricating and testing the wiring connections in a controlled manufacturing environment, Danfoss removes this failure mode from the installation process entirely, improving both the reliability of the initial commissioning and the long-term signal integrity of the installed system.
Superheat Control Performance: The 0.5 K Benchmark
The headline performance specification of the EKE 100 1VK system is superheat control accuracy of plus or minus 0.5 K, and the significance of that figure deserves detailed examination because it sits at the heart of the energy efficiency case for electronic expansion valve control.
The digital interface allows for rapid parameterisation, targeting a superheat control accuracy of plus or minus 0.5 K. Such precision is critical for maintaining the efficiency of the ETS 5M electronic expansion valve, which serves as the primary metering device in this technical ecosystem.
To understand why 0.5 K matters, it is necessary to understand what superheat is and why it consumes energy. Superheat is the temperature difference between the actual temperature of refrigerant vapour leaving the evaporator and the saturation temperature at the evaporator pressure. A refrigerant leaving the evaporator at a higher temperature than its saturation point has absorbed more heat than the minimum necessary to complete the phase change from liquid to vapour. That additional heat absorption, while it protects the compressor from the catastrophic damage that liquid slugging causes, represents wasted evaporator surface area and forces the compressor to work harder than strictly necessary.
The lower the superheat, the more efficiently the evaporator uses its surface area for useful heat transfer, and the lower the compressor suction temperature and pressure differential the compressor must handle. The EKE 100 regulates the superheat of the evaporator by charging optimally even when there are great variations of load, resulting in reduction of energy consumption and operational cost.
EKE is ideal for controlling a wide range of commercial air conditioning and refrigeration applications, helping to achieve the highest efficiency in the system and reducing operational cost by up to 20% with minimal effort. The superheat is regulated to the lowest possible value within a short period of time.
A potential 20% reduction in operational cost from optimal superheat management alone is a figure that transforms the economics of EEV controller investment in commercial refrigeration. For a food retailer operating hundreds of cold rooms across a national store estate, the aggregate energy saving from deploying EKE 100 1VK kits across the estate represents a substantial and recurring financial benefit that compounds year after year across the operational life of the equipment.
Environmental Performance: Extreme Range, Extreme Reliability
Industrial and commercial refrigeration equipment operates in environments that span a wide range of temperatures, humidity conditions, and contamination exposure levels. From the freezing cold rooms of food distribution centres to the warm, humid compressor rooms of tropical supermarkets, the sensors, controllers, and wiring that manage refrigerant flow must perform consistently across the full operational envelope.
While standard industry solutions typically operate between minus 25 degrees Celsius and plus 60 degrees Celsius, the EKE 100 1VK components are rated for temperatures between minus 40 degrees Celsius and plus 80 degrees Celsius. To ensure longevity in corrosive environments, the sensors and cabling meet IP67 ingress protection standards, providing a hermetic seal against moisture and dust.
The extension of the operating temperature range to minus 40 degrees Celsius on the cold side is particularly relevant for deep freeze and ultra-low temperature refrigeration applications where conventional sensor and controller specifications can become marginal, and where the consequences of sensor or controller failure in a fully loaded freezer are measured in product losses of considerable commercial value. The IP67 rating for the sensors and cabling provides the dust and moisture resistance needed for reliable long-term operation in the challenging environments of cold store machine rooms, condensing unit enclosures, and outdoor rooftop chiller installations.
A2L Refrigerant Compatibility: Future-Proofing the Installation
The ongoing global transition away from high global warming potential HFC refrigerants is placing new demands on every component in the refrigerant circuit, including the electronic controls that manage refrigerant flow. The EKE 100 1VK is designed to meet those demands today, not as a future upgrade.
Direct integration with Danfoss components ensures stable control and the operational reliability you need, whether using traditional refrigerants or A2L refrigerants.
A2L refrigerants, also known as mildly flammable refrigerants, include R-32, R-454B, R-452B, R-1234yf, and R-1234ze(E), all of which are increasingly specified in new commercial refrigeration and chiller equipment as the industry migrates away from higher GWP alternatives. The compatibility of the EKE 100 1VK system with this refrigerant class means that OEM equipment manufacturers designing new products around A2L refrigerants can specify the same control kit as those using conventional refrigerants, without requiring separate component qualification for each refrigerant. For refrigeration engineers retrofitting or upgrading existing installations to lower-GWP refrigerant alternatives, the same compatibility assurance applies.
ETS 5M is designed for use with various refrigerants with suitable lubricants including R410A, R32, R290, R454C, R515B, R1234ze, R452B, R1234yf, R452A, R454B, R454A, R455A, R449A, and R407C, confirming the breadth of the refrigerant compatibility envelope across both the valve and the controller system.
Integration and Commissioning: KoolProg, KoolKey and Modbus
One of the most practically valuable features of the EKE 100 1VK kit is the integration of the EKE 100 display directly within the controller housing, and the trio of commissioning and communication tools that this enables.
The integrated EKE display simplifies setup via KoolProg, KoolKey, and Modbus, all with pre-configured wiring.
KoolProg is Danfoss’s PC-based parameter setting and commissioning software for EKE controllers, providing a comprehensive graphical interface for configuring all control parameters, setting superheat targets, adjusting alarm thresholds, and downloading operating data for analysis. For installers commissioning new installations or service engineers diagnosing performance issues, KoolProg provides a clear and efficient toolset that does not require deep familiarity with Danfoss controller architecture to use effectively.
KoolKey is the handheld alternative to KoolProg, providing a portable parameter setting and readout device that allows field technicians to commission, adjust, and interrogate an EKE 100 installation without the need for a laptop computer. In the practical environment of a cold room installation or a rooftop chiller commissioning, where space is limited and working conditions can be uncomfortable, the ability to perform all commissioning tasks from a compact handheld device is a meaningful practical advantage.
Modbus communication support enables integration of the EKE 100 1VK system into building management systems, supermarket energy management platforms, and centralised refrigeration monitoring systems. In large-scale food retail and food service applications, the ability to read superheat values, valve opening positions, alarm states, and energy performance data from EKE 100 1VK installations into a central monitoring platform provides the data infrastructure for system-level performance optimisation and remote fault diagnosis that modern commercial refrigeration management demands.
The ETS 5M Integration: A System Built to Work Together
The EKE 100 1VK kit is specifically designed to work with the Danfoss ETS 5M electronic expansion valve, and the performance characteristics of this pairing reflect the engineering investment that Danfoss has made in optimising the control relationship between its controller and valve product lines.
Danfoss Electric expansion valve Type ETS 5M is a compact and lightweight stepper motor driven electric expansion valve with high reliability. It provides precise control for expansion and flow in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
The SH controller Kit is a comprehensive equipment package designed for controlling ETS 5M electronic expansion valves across various applications, including air conditioning, commercial refrigeration, and food retail. It is ideal for situations requiring precise superheat control, effectively regulating superheat to the lowest possible level in a short time frame. By optimally managing the evaporator’s superheat, even amidst significant load variations, the kit helps reduce energy consumption and operational costs. Note: the coil for ETS 5M is included in the kit.
The inclusion of the ETS 5M coil within the kit eliminates another potential source of specification error. The ETS 5M valve body and coil assembly are a matched pair, and specifying a mismatched coil for a given application is a not uncommon installation error that results in suboptimal valve performance. By including the correct coil within the kit, Danfoss removes this risk from the specification and installation process.
The integrated approach ensures that the electronic expansion valve, pressure transmitter, and controller operate within a synchronised feedback loop, minimising the risk of liquid slugging and extending the mean time between failures for the compressor.
Liquid slugging, the ingestion of liquid refrigerant into the compressor, is one of the most damaging failure modes in a refrigeration system and one of the most expensive to remediate. Valve control systems that allow superheat to drop too low, particularly during transient load changes or system startup and shutdown cycles, create the conditions in which liquid slugging can occur. The precision of the EKE 100 1VK superheat management system, with its 0.5 K accuracy target and its advanced algorithms for managing transient load variations, directly minimises the probability of these events, protecting the compressor and extending system life.
Commercial Benefits: Simplification at Every Stage of the Value Chain
The commercial benefits of the EKE 100 1VK kit extend across every party in the commercial refrigeration value chain, from the OEM equipment manufacturer through to the end-user facility operator.
The EKE 100 1VK kit, combined with the ETS 5M electronic expansion valve, simplifies selection, inventory management, and installation, thereby reducing the risk of errors and logistical costs.
For OEM equipment manufacturers, consolidation of the EEV control system into two product codes simplifies bill of materials management, reduces supplier relationships, and enables more streamlined production planning and inventory management. The guaranteed compatibility of the pre-matched kit components eliminates the application engineering work that would otherwise be required to validate component combinations selected from separate product lines.
From a logistical perspective, the reduction to two product codes simplifies inventory management for original equipment manufacturers and wholesalers. The use of the ETS 5M valve within this kit further contributes to a reduced physical footprint, facilitating compact machine designs in space-constrained chiller applications.
For wholesalers and distributors, the simplified product code structure reduces catalogue complexity, minimises stock holding requirements, and simplifies customer order processing. For contractors and installers, the pre-configured wiring and the inclusion of all required components in a single kit eliminates the risk of missing parts on a commissioning visit, and the pre-tested wiring harness reduces installation time and eliminates a common source of post-installation call-backs.
For end-user operators, the commercial benefit is most visible in the energy bill. Such control helps to achieve the highest efficiency in the system, reducing operational cost by up to 20% with minimal effort. For a food retailer, a cold storage operator, or a chiller plant manager responsible for significant refrigeration energy consumption, a 20% operational cost reduction achieved through superior superheat management represents a return on the kit investment that can be measured in months rather than years.
Industry Context: Why Superheat Management Matters More Than Ever
The launch of the EKE 100 1VK kit comes at a moment when the commercial refrigeration industry is under greater pressure to improve energy efficiency than at any previous point in its history. Across Europe, the United States, and increasingly across the Asia-Pacific region, tightening energy performance regulations are raising minimum efficiency standards for commercial refrigeration equipment. Carbon reduction commitments from major food retailers and food service operators are driving demand for refrigeration systems that demonstrate best-in-class energy performance. And rising electricity prices in many markets are strengthening the economic case for every efficiency improvement that technology can deliver.
In this context, optimal superheat management is not a marginal technical refinement. It is a foundational requirement for any commercial refrigeration system that aspires to meet modern energy performance expectations. A system with poorly controlled superheat, whether running too high due to conservative thermostatic expansion valve settings or subject to hunting and instability due to inadequate control bandwidth, is inherently and continuously wasting energy relative to its potential. The EKE 100 1VK kit, with its precise, stable, AI-assisted superheat control across the full load range, addresses this waste at its source.
The refrigerant transition dimension adds another layer of relevance. As the industry migrates to lower-GWP refrigerants, many of which have different thermodynamic characteristics from the HFCs they replace, the importance of precise, refrigerant-aware superheat control increases. The broad refrigerant compatibility of the EKE 100 1VK system, combined with Danfoss’s continuously updated refrigerant database within the EKE 100 platform, means that the investment in this control infrastructure remains productive through refrigerant transitions rather than becoming stranded by them.