Scottish component manufacturer Resource Data Management (RDM) has announced a major software update for its transcritical CO2 controller, the company said in a recent post on its website.
RDM’s Intuitive Transcritical Superpack Controller is designed for gas cooler control in transcritical CO2 systems with multiple compressors, and is suitable for both industrial and commercial refrigeration systems.
The updated software (V5.0) features a new parallel compressor section that provides support for controlling receiver pressure in parallel with, or in place of, the receiver (flash gas) valve.
The parallel compressor section “uses a dedicated receiver pressure input, or can be mapped to any transducers already connected to the controller,” RDM explained. An ambient temperature sensor input is used to stage off compressors if the ambient temperature drops below a defined set point.
“The use of parallel compressors can vastly improve performance and energy efficiency of transcritical systems, especially in warm climates,” RDM stressed.
The new section supports additional temperature and pressure inputs for monitoring purposes. Customers can also opt for oil injection control.
RDM controllers for CO2 applications are widely used in Europe. In 2018, the first one in the U.S. market was installed at a Lunds & Byerly’s store in Minnesota.
Updated gas cooler section
In addition to the new parallel compression section, the CO2 controller software also features an updated gas cooler section. A new fail set-point parameter provides more safety through a user-defined set point in the event of sensor failures, RDM said. The addition of standby and general fault inputs has improved the gas cooler section’s safety and alarming capabilities. These were previously only available on compressor sections.
Operation of the gas cooler valve output has also been enhanced. If a receiver low-pressure alarm occurs, the valve will open in a “controlled manner based on user-defined settings,” RDM said. The ability to open the gas cooler valve gradually “helps to better regulate the recovery of the system and provide a controlled response to a problem condition.”
The new version of the controller software also includes internal data logging, customizable Universal (analogue) IO configuration, alarm email notifications and the “increased flexibility and reliability of the Superpack range of products,” said RDM.
The software ships in updated hardware, but existing customers can get a copy of the updated software from their regional RDM team.
“The use of parallel compressors can vastly improve performance and energy efficiency of transcritical systems, especially in warm climates.”
RDM
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