HVAC&R Japan 2016: Mayekawa’s groundbreaking ultra-compact NH₃/CO₂ system

Ten years of product development went into the unique ammonia scroll compressor technology, which, if released, will be the first of its kind.

Koji Yamaguchi, director of the company’s Energy Department, was keen to explain that the development of the system is still not complete, with a tentative release date scheduled for mid-year 2016.

The first thing that struck onlookers as they passed by Mayekawa’s (MYCOM) red and white booth was the compact size of the system. Built for smaller cold stores and logistics centres, at 800mm x 800mm x 1630mm, the system is considerably smaller than even the smallest model of the company’s NewTon series.

“We have received a lot of attention from the audience who are surprised at the compact size of the system,” Yamaguchi said.

To provide some sort of scale, Mayekawa’s smallest NewTon F-330 model (for freezers) comes in at 70kW cooling capacity while its largest, the NewTon R-8000 (for cold store ice plants), has a cooling capacity of 270kW.

At 30kW, the prototype has less than half the cooling capacity of the smallest NewTon model and is considerably more compact, containing less than a fifth (4kg) of the ammonia charge used in the smallest NewTon models. Yamaguchi said the CO₂ charge would vary depending on the application.

“The system is designed for industrial applications and it’s more compact, covering small applications. We used to use Freon technology for some industrial applications; however this [will be able to] cover all of our industrial natural refrigerant needs.”

“Supermarkets and the commercial sector is possible; however this is a highly competitive market, so we are not sure how we would go there.”

The challenge for Mayekawa’s system will be to compete with Freon scroll compressor technology on a price, efficiency and size level. The company expects to release information on the price, COP and efficiency of the new prototype in around two months time.

Danfoss showcasing broader range of nat ref solutions

Janni Koie, Danfoss’ marketing and communications manager, pointed to an entire wall dedicated to CO₂ valves and related components at HVAC&R Japan, showcasing a clear focus on natural refrigerant solutions from the Denmark-based company, who supply everything through their domestic partner Saginomiya in Japan.

Koie said it was an interesting time to be doing business in Japan, amid rapidly growing interest in natural refrigerants and ongoing discussions about regulation. “We see a lot of market trends in Japan, we have colleagues flying in from the US to take home what’s going on here,” Koie said. “Take ATMOsphere Asia 2016 two weeks ago, for example: we saw so many discussions going on, particularly about legislation, and for us it’s a great opportunity to be present.”

The prototype of a “groundbreaking” electric expansion valve was on display in Tokyo. The ETS Colibri, designed for advanced chillers, heat pumps and data centres, is around 80% lighter than conventional expansion devices on the market today.

The ETS valve includes the following features:

• Five models covering a capacity range of 25kW to 400kW.
• Bi-metal design (copper & steel) allows for simpler and easier brazing.
• Integrated stepper motor enables superheat to be controlled more precisely.
• Mechanical play in the valve is minimised.
• Valve opening/closing times are very short compared to traditional valves.

Danfoss also showcased its highly flexible ICF Flexline valve station for ammonia/CO₂ systems and is expected to launch more new CO₂ compatible products in 2016.