Bringing you “everything natural refrigerants”, R744.com journalists were on site at the AHR Expo 2015 in Chicago, Illinois, from 26-28 January and had the chance to interview some key market players manufacturing CO2 solutions for heating and cooling applications.
The ROXSTA CO2 rack is the latest edition to TEKO’s line of advanced technology using natural refrigerants. Since 2006, TEKO has installed more than 1,100 CO2 racks with the next generation ROXSTA part of the company’s environmental evolution.
Mayekawa and Sea Sky Global presented the benefits and experiences in ultra low temperature storage thanks to the Pascal Air, which uses air as the working fluid, at ATMOsphere Asia 2015 in Tokyo.
ATMOsphere Asia 2015 unearthed plenty of positives for CO2 heat pump applications as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries explained the field test results for its Q-ton, the world’s first two-stage compressor for commercial use. Meanwhile, Yamato and The Coca-Cola Company demonstrated the benefits of their respective peak shift technologies, the Ultra-Eco-Ice thermal storage CO2/brine refrigeration system, and an award-winning CO2 vending machine.
At the 2015 AHR Expo, one of the world’s largest HVAC&R trade fairs, component manufacturers showcased small footprint transcritical CO2 technology; will North American convenience stores opt for these systems?
A new transcritical CO2 refrigeration system has been installed in a fishing vessel in Norway, which combines four DSI V3/26/100 freezers and one DSI V3/12/100, all using CO2 as the refrigerant. The new system allows DSI freezers to increase their capacity by 20-30%. Other vessels are in-line for the tests results of this first installation to replace their current R22 systems.
Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration has launched the Kirby CO2 evaporator suitable for low temperature freezer applications and direct expansion systems. The evaporator fares well in terms of heat exchange efficiency, capacity, reliability and compressor displacement.
In July 2014, leading CO2 technology player SANDEN expanded its operations in Europe, opening a new branch called SANDEN Environmental Solutions, in France (Rennes, Brittany). The Rennes office is tasked with expanding the market for CO2 solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a move that signals SANDEN’s commitment to developing the market for CO2 solutions, including residential, professional and commercial applications.
According to a new report by Carrier Commercial Refrigeration almost two-thirds of large supermarkets from North and West European countries now use natural refrigerants in their stores, a trend driven by company-wide sustainability policies, and one that is outpacing EU legislation. The study, developed in partnership with market development company shecco, seeks to provide a clear picture of the key drivers for and against the adoption of sustainable refrigeration and refrigerant options.
At the 11th Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants, Johanna Gloël of GIZ Proklima presented on the potential for China to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the use of natural refrigerants, which would replace fluorinated gases in car air conditioning systems. The research suggests that GHG emissions in China could be reduced by 30% by 2030.
