Commercial refrigeration

South African consultant Future Green Now (FGN) has designed an integrated CO₂ (R744) system to serve the medium-temperature load, freezers and air-conditioning of Massmart’s Makro warehouse store in Woodmead (Johannesburg), resulting in estimated energy savings of 17%.

Roche Pharma Viet Nam, a division of Swiss multinational healthcare company Roche, has chosen six propane (R290)-based chillers to meet the cooling needs at its new facility located in Sang Pharma Warehouse, Long An Province, Viet Nam, in what is thought to be the first such project in the country.

Arneg Korea, part of OEM Arneg Group, has helped reduce the GHG emissions of a CU convenience store in Seoul, South Korea, by 67% with the installation of transcritical CO₂ (R744) condensing units.

Hydrocarbons like propane (R290), propylene (R1270) and/or isobutane (R600a) are a feasible choice for applications in any temperature range, especially in supermarket applications where integrated systems can show great efficiency and reduce costs, according to Joachim Schadt, General Manager at German hydrocarbon chiller manufacturer Secon.

Carrier has launched the MiniCO2OL Compact CO₂ refrigeration unit, a new generation of its MiniCO2OL range of racks for convenience stores and supermarkets.

St. Olav Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, retrofitted the numerous cold rooms for its laboratory, on-site hotel and canteen with a CO₂ (R744) installation, complete with advanced controls and variable frequency drives (VFDs) to optimize energy efficiency and enhance system accuracy.

SCM REF Australia, Beijer Ref Australia’s manufacturing operation, has installed transcritical CO₂ systems in between 250 and 280 locations in Oceania over the past four years, noting a growing interest in all applications, particularly at convenience stores.

One of France’s most popular grocery retailers, E.Leclerc, recently chose PLUTON SPACE semi vertical cabinets from FREOR for its new supermarkets.

Variable frequency drives from Welshpool-based Invertek Drives have been retrofitted to a CO₂ based HVACR system at a hospital in Trondheim, Norway.

The models being launched come with a set of new features, in comparison with Embraco’s previous condensing units’ portfolios. One is the mini-channel condenser technology, which is based on thinner tubes that raise the pressure on the refrigerant and require a smaller refrigerant charge than other technologies. Another feature is the electronic fan motors (ECM technology) in all models, which further increases energy efficiency.

Functioning prototypes show how CO₂ (R744) can be successfully used in applications such as bottle coolers, refrigerated containers and mobile air-conditioning without increasing costs or compromising on efficiency as compared to HFCs, according to Stefan Elbel, CEO of Creative Thermal Solutions (CTS), the Urbana, Illinois (U.S.), HVAC&R research company.

Emerson announced its E360 Webinar series, “The Journey to Lower-GWP Refrigerants” will include five webinars designed to prepare food retailers and other industry stakeholders for the U.S. phasedown of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. The series, which kicked off with the webinars “Regulatory Update: The Latest in Refrigerant Rulemaking and Safety Standards” and “The Role of Emerging Refrigerants Alternatives: CO₂, A2Ls and R-290,” is designed to provide food retailers with strategies to achieve compliance of federal refrigerant mandates by exploring refrigerant and equipment options that align with their operational and sustainability goals.

Started accepting orders for commercial freezers using natural refrigerants.

Daikin has recently been involved in the commissioning of three water-cooled R1234ze chiller units at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research and home of the Large Hadron Collider.

By transitioning its lineup of commercial refrigerators and freezers to propane (R290), Georgia (U.S.)-based manufacturer Hoshizaki America has reduced the energy consumption of its equipment by an average of 11%, according to a recent presentation from the company’s Director of Engineering, David Sellers.

In a study coordinated by energy-efficiency-as-a-service (EeaaS) company Budderfly, two Subway restaurants in Connecticut (U.S.) realized average energy savings of 50% by installing U.S. manufacturer Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG)’s new propane (R290) Capsule Pak ECO refrigeration system for indoor walk-in coolers and freezers.

Dutch supermarket chain Boon’s Markt, part of the Boon Food Group, has fitted its newest store in the village of Wolphaartsdijk with propane (R290)-based refrigeration display cases from Lithuanian manufacturer Freor.

German compressor manufacturer BOCK is expanding its transcritical CO₂ (R744) compressor portfolio with two efficiency-improving technologies: a new Line Start Permanent Magnet (LSPM) motor technology series, and the DCR22 CO₂ compressor output controller.

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 latest Boon’s Markt local supermarket in the Dutch village of Wolphaartsdijk is using a range of Freor propane refrigeration and freezer cabinets operating with Freor’s Hydroloop refrigeration system.