Alaskan Microbrewery Completes Startup of CO2 Chiller
Alaska-based Denali Brewing and Spirits has completed the commissioning, site training and startup of its PROGreen CO2 (R744) chiller from U.S. manufacturer Pro Refrigeration; it is one of the first CO2 process cooling chillers installed in the U.S.
The installation marks the completion of “another phase of its decarbonization efforts,” according to a recent statement from the microbrewery.
Based in the village of Talkeetna, Denali brewery is Pro Refrigeration’s second installation of a CO2 process cooling chiller. Last year, Pro commissioned its first CO2-based chiller for a dairy in Tulare, California,
Plans for the installation at the brewery were first announced in May, following a year of research, development and engineering. The installation was done by Pro Refrigeration and Denali’s service contractor, Arctic Refrigeration. Additional remote support was provided by South African consultancy Future Green Now (FGN).
Pro Refrigeration’s 100 HP PROGreen CO2 chiller replaces Denali’s HFC-blend-based 40HP PROChiller System, also from Pro Refrigeration, which was installed in 2013. The old chiller will remain at the site as a backup solution.
The new CO2 chiller system will be used to cool the microbrewery’s ready-to-drink cocktail range. The drink has been chosen as the official canned cocktail of the Seattle Kraken NHL ice hockey team and its home arena, Climate Pledge Arena, a multi-purpose facility in Seattle with a focus on sustainability that uses an ammonia/NH3 (R717)-based refrigeration system.