Over the last decade, interest in R744 as a refrigerant for the commercial refrigeration sector has increased rapidly. The unique properties of the refrigerant require refrigeration technicians to learn how to handle significantly higher pressures. With many lacking practical experience, Carrier’s CO2OLacademy will help to overcome the knowledge gap by providing a 400m2 mock-up supermarket with functioning CO2 systems, where people can be trained to use these systems safely and knowledgeably.
“Participating in internal training activities under best-in-class conditions enables our field technicians to gain and apply the latest knowledge on how to install and service CO2OLtec® turnkey projects with the highest level of quality and reliability,” said Bart Driessens, director, service operations, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration Europe.
CO2 market growth requires investment in training
Carrier Commercial Refrigeration has experienced year-on-year growth of CO2 cascade and transcritical systems, which between 2013 and 2014, grew an impressive 51% and 63% respectively. The once ‘alternative refrigerant’ has now become a mainstream solution, a position that will be further cemented by the EU F-Gas Regulation. Sustaining this growth requires investment in CO2 training to ensure enough skilled people in the design, installation and maintenance of CO2 systems.
The CO2OLacademy
Carrier’s new facility features a training room as well as an operational cold room and freezer room. A CO2OLtec refrigeration system is installed and connected with remote cabinets to create a fully operational CO2 supermarket where real-time situations, such as scheduled service and other necessary repairs, can be simulated.
The CO2OLacademy facility will serve as the central training site for Carrier Commercial Refrigeration’s service and installation technicians from across Europe, who will participate in practical training and exercises to improve skills and root cause analysis efficiencies, while sharing best practices. Target groups for the CO2OLacademy include in-house field technicians, in-house project engineers and external field technicians.
About Carrier
Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Carrier is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide.
