With over 5,500 supermarkets in Europe offering a shopping experience that minimises the environmental impact of central refrigeration, European manufacturers are branching out to spread their wealth of experience to nations all over the world.
One of these leading manufacturers, Italian company SCM Frigo, has swapped hemispheres to install its Plug & Cool CO2 unit in New Zealand – currently home to nine CO2 transcritical stores. The company’s technical director, Mirko Bernabei, told R744.com why he thinks SCM Frigo’s installation will be the first of many.
New Zealand primed to become exciting market for CO2 technology
SCM Frigo is expected to install a CO2 booster system in a New Zealand supermarket in the first quarter of 2016. Bernabei is optimistic that this is a chance for the company to solidify its place in the market, noting that New Zealand is fertile ground for accelerating sustainable refrigeration, such as CO2 refrigeration:
In New Zealand, transcritical system penetration will be quick and with potentially interesting numbers because the market is ready and the level of average skill is good.”
Bernabei is less certain that this is ubiquitous throughout the Australasian continent:
Australia will take longer due to the higher ambient temperatures and the consequent requirement of parallel compression or Ejector technology.”
He describes the push for CO2 refrigeration as being driven by a combination of factors, including the growing importance of corporate social responsibility for retailers, the success of the technology in Europe, and the system’s energy efficiency.
To harness the system’s benefits, companies in New Zealand are enlisting the help of European manufacturers as there is a clear need for new and qualified players – especially a company that is a European market leader, according to Bernabei.
European quality shipping to new destinations
The system that SCM Frigo is bringing to New Zealand shores is a SCM Frigo Plug & Cool CO2 booster system for medium and low temperatures, used for supermarket applications. The system is installed outside and has a built-in high efficiency gas cooler. The system operates with three medium-temperature compressors and two low-temperature compressors.
System efficiency is further improved with inverter technology. The medium-temperature cooling capacity of the booster system is 74kW at -10oC and 6kW at -35oC.
To help improve the unit’s resilience during stand-still periods, Bernabei explained that “the system is signed with a maximum design pressure of 80 bar for the liquid line and 60 bar on the suction side of both medium and low temperatures.”
