ENERGY SAVING


devising a control regime to get the best out of the new technology. This is where the marriage of old-fashioned refrigeration expertise and the newer skills of software design can bring the greatest gains. These components are no longer ‘fi t and forget’; they


are now ‘fi t and control’ for even greater benefi t. We can now continuously and remotely monitor variables such as ambient temperature and liquid pressures to make dynamic changes which ensure all system components operate as effi ciently as possible. In terms of energy effi ciency, you’ll only know about the


energy you’ve used (and saved) once you get the bill. This is why we recommend sub-metering to properly determine the ongoing energy usage of individual systems so that actual usage can be tracked against what was modelled. Usage data can also pick up when a system is performing just below par, for whatever reason. This is important, not just for energy effi ciency reasons, but also because whilst a sub-optimal system may perform adequately for most of the time, it has the potential to fail catastrophically on the hottest day of the year when it’s required to work at full load.


We can now continuously and remotely monitor variables such as ambient temperature and liquid pressures to make dynamic changes which ensure all system components operate as effi ciently as possible.


Refrigerant choice impacts system effi ciency Gone are the days when you could simply specify the best


refrigerant for the application in terms of system operation and energy effi ciency. The legislation to limit the use of high GWP refrigerants has made the choice very diffi cult for system designers who are now required to balance the eff ects of system effi ciency, against many other factors such as fl ammability, toxicity, availability, longevity, system pressures and leak prevention. The transition period in our journey towards lower GWP


refrigerants has already lasted 25 years, and it clearly has many more years to run. The diffi culty this brings is the uncertainty that it creates for those that need to invest in refrigeration systems and those that design them. With the lifetime of plant being 25-30 years, the choice of refrigerant is critical; will it continue to be available, will its use still be permitted throughout the life of the equipment?


Bespoke software delivers refrigeration system effi ciency Using new-generation controls enables designers to write


custom programs based on the specifi c components being Download the ACR News app today


used for each system. This can open up new and innovative avenues, in valve control for example, allowing software and components to operate in perfect harmony. This helps to achieve unparalleled precision in temperature control, leading to improvements in overall effi ciency. This ability is not unique to us, but we believe there are


few companies with both the refrigeration knowledge and the specifi c programming expertise to realise the full benefi ts this software and control can bring to system design.


Bringing innovative design to existing


refrigeration systems It’s probably true to say that most refrigeration systems currently in operation have already been designed, or enhanced, in an attempt to improve energy effi ciency as far as possible. The quick gains, the low-hanging fruit, have therefore largely been realised. That’s why it’s important to look for new marginal gains, and these are often found in the way the system is operated or the way it’s maintained, or by re-evaluating the system holistically. By rethinking operations as a whole, it’s frequently possible to reduce energy usage, deliver ongoing cost savings and off er a great return on investment.


Innovation – a leap of faith? Innovation – doing things diff erently – almost always


carries some element of risk. Some customers will not be ready to take that risk, or may seek to reduce the level of innovation to mitigate their fear of the unknown. However, by choosing an experienced design team with


a wide range of expertise and a track-record of delivering successful projects across diff erent applications, open- minded customers can be confi dent that ‘fortune favours the brave’.


www.acr-news.com • January 2024 29


Dashboard (above): An Ultra Refrigeration control dashboard.


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