Industrial refrigeration

Trane Agility™ centrifugal chillers continue to maximize building performance by providing a solution that is compact and environmentally sustainable.

The International Institute of Refrigeration is now calling for abstracts of papers to be presented at the International Congress of Refrigeration (ICR) in Montreal in August 2019.

This will be a year of integrating air conditioning and heating technologies in commercial refrigeration systems, while ejectors will continue to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of CO₂ transcritical systems, manufacturers said.

Some manufacturers and end users are expecting low-charge packaged ammonia systems and ammonia-CO₂ cascade systems to face increased competition from CO₂ transcritical in the industrial sphere, while foreseeing a boom for ammonia heat pumps.

In a bid to increase understanding of transcritical CO₂ systems in North America, Hillphoenix’s senior corporate trainer Rusty Walker led a training session in an effort to educate technicians who typically work in industrial plants on the finer points of the technology at the RETA (Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association) National Conference, held in Hershey, Pa., September 25-29 2017.

Ammonia is “a superior refrigerant” to HFOs and low-charge ammonia systems are improving safety and reducing regulatory burdens, Gerard von Dohlen, president of Newark Refrigerated Warehouse, said.

It has been widely acknowledged that the number of technicians trained to handle natural refrigerant systems is dwindling. But the advent of small and standardized low-charge ammonia packaged systems – which can be used instead of traditional massive ammonia plants or synthetic refrigerant systems – will make it easier to train and maintain enough qualified technicians, according to Mike Chapman, director of process safety management (PSM) compliance at Stellar, and Kurt Liebendorfer, vice-president of Evapco.

Johnson Controls’ new York YZ centrifugal chiller is said to be the first such machine designed specifically for use with low GWP refrigerant R1233zd and using magnetic bearing technology.

With the phase-out of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer progressing, the introduction of alternatives with not only zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) but also low global warming potential (GWP) and improved energy efficiency is becoming an issue of increasing importance, especially in developing countries.

A new guide on variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning was published in December 2017 ior cibse vrfas a joint publication from the Institute of Refrigeration and CIBSE. IOR members will be able to download it for FREE from the web site.

Daikin has officially announced the launch of its first chillers using the low GWP HFO refrigerant R1234ze(E).

The UK refrigeration and ac industry has backed staying within the European F-gas regulations post Brexit, but repeated warnings of dire shortages of high GWP refrigerants next year.

Danfoss displayed its new ICFD Defrost Module (type ICFD 20) for ammonia systems, packaged into the ICF Valve Station, at its booth at the RETA (Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association) National Conference, held in Hershey, Pa, September 25-29.

Two Yukon chillers provided by Italian firm Enex serve a new high-efficiency CO₂ transcritical refrigeration system with heat recovery at the Abazzia di Novacella winery in the Alto Adige (South Tyrol) region of Italy.

With rapidly rising natural gas prices, a fast growing food processing industry, and the coming HFC phase-down, there is a very large opportunity for high-temperature heat pumps in Australia – including natural refrigerant-based systems – a recent report has found.

Carrier Transicold has deepened the frozen range of its NaturaLine CO₂ container refrigeration units to achieve and maintain a temperature of -40ºC.

Coming hot on the heels of Maersk Line’s decision to invest in Carrier Transicold’s NaturaLINE container refrigeration system, Singapore-based Seaco Global Limited – one of the world’s leading shipping container leasing companies – has ordered 100 of the units.

Shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has invested in 1,000 Star Cool Integrated containers using refrigerant R513A, the lower GWP alternative to R134a.

Danfoss has expanded its Turbocor TT Series compressors to use the lower GWP refrigerant R513A and added new low lift capabilities.

Aermec is introducing its new range of air-cooled and water-cooled R1234ze chillers at this week’s Interclima exhibition in Paris.