Ammonia

Spanish manufacturer’s NH3/glycol unit can be stationed outside of industrial facilities.

Stratospheric ozone depletion as well as atmospheric greenhouse effect due to refrigerant emissions have led to drastic changes in the refrigeration and air conditioning technology since the beginning of the 1990s.

Stratospheric ozone depletion as well as atmospheric greenhouse effect due to refrigerant emissions have led to drastic changes in the refrigeration and air conditioning technology since the beginning of the 1990s.

Component manufacturer Güntner expects the industrial and commercial cooling industry to go for ammonia and CO₂, based on feedback from customers at Chillventa 2016.

The agency’s extension of Section 608 to HFCs also applies to HFOs.

Japanese manufacturer Mayekawa sees natural refrigerants playing a huge role in industrial refrigeration, both now and in the future.

Coldway, a French company, has developed an ammonia mobile refrigeration unit for deliveries for the food, health and pharmaceutical sectors.

“Ammonia is here to stay, because it doesn’t contribute to global warming or harm the ozone layer,” according to Isolde Dobelin, director of the OTTC, a major training centre for using ammonia in HVAC&R applications in South Africa.

Stationary air-conditioning, commercial refrigeration and domestic refrigeration make up 80 percent of India’s installed cooling capacity. Currently 90 percent of India’s cooling capacity and annual refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) is based on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) refrigerants, about 10 percent is based on naturals.

German retail giant ALDI has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its ammonia distribution centre and regional headquarters in Moreno Valley, California.

The wide acceptance of new technologies depends on a myriad of factors, in the technological, economic and social field, that form part of a complex network of interactions. Both innovators and technology adopters share a common concern for respecting the economic bottom-line and for choosing solutions that provide the highest possible level of investment security while being framed by solid industry support and favourable policy conditions.

The wide acceptance of new technologies depends on a myriad of factors, in the technological, economic and social field, that form part of a complex network of interactions. Both innovators and technology adopters share a common concern for respecting the economic bottom-line and for choosing solutions that provide the highest possible level of investment security while being framed by solid industry support and favourable policy conditions. The industrial refrigeration industry is no exception to this. While the use of ammonia has not been challenged on grounds of lacking energy efficiency nor overall environmental benefits, the trend towards reducing the refrigerant charge for increased safety is currently changing the industry.

The Madagasy Union of Refrigeration Technicians (UFM) is running an awareness-raising campaign to promote uptake of natural refrigerants.

Two U.S. supermarkets that use ammonia/CO₂ cascade refrigeration systems – a Whole Foods Market and a Piggly Wiggly – received the GreenChill Award for “Best of the Best” certified stores from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership.

France’s HFC phase-down obligations under the EU’s F-Gas Regulation are helping to increase uptake of ammonia refrigeration technologies in industrial applications.

US retailer Piggly Wiggly has recorded energy savings averaging 28.5% over a seven-month period in a Georgia store, thanks mainly to its NH₃/CO₂ refrigeration system.

French firm Atlantic Compressors is delivering an NH₃-CO₂ cascade system to serve the cooling needs of a distribution centre for one of France’s main supermarket chains. The system will be up and running next month.

A developed society cannot function without refrigeration. At home, in food production and storage (e.g. frozen foods, yogurt, and or coffee), in the production processes of the automotive or chemical-pharmaceutical industry, or for air conditioning – wherever you look, “cooling” is essential. Industrially generated “coldness” is a central pillar of modern life. In Germany, 14 % of the primary energy consumed is used for cooling purposes. Negative influences on the environment can be reduced by using natural refrigerants.

The conference, taking place from 21-24 August at Heriot-Watt University on the edge of the Scottish capital, brings together HVAC&R industry experts, academics, students and other interested parties to discuss the latest technological and policy developments driving wider uptake of natural refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, CO₂ and ammonia worldwide.

Fluorocarbon refrigerants are synthetic chemicals which usually have a high global warming potential, and some still have the potential to cause damage to the ozone layer as well if released to the atmosphere.