PARTNER FOCUS Case study:
Exposing the performance gap
To gain insight into product underperformance, Europe’s leading product certifi cation body - Eurovent Certifi cation - put two uncertifi ed CO₂ gas coolers through a comprehensive evaluation process including laboratory tests, data analysis and evaluation via a professional design tool. This article explores product selection, laboratory tests and the results.
"To ensure impartiality and fair testing, Eurovent Certifi cation had no direct contact with the tested units."
H
eat rejection equipment is an essential component in refrigeration systems. Product performance is critical to achieving system reliability and energy effi ciency.
However, correct product selection and good system design hinge on accurate manufacturer data. Without it, refrigeration systems may underperform.
The aim of this case study was to ascertain:
■ If there were any discrepancies between the manufacturer-de- clared data and measured performance.
■ The accuracy of Eurovent Certifi cation’s correction factors: calculations applied to tests at standard conditions to simulate the effi ciency of CO2
units across diff erent climate zones.
Product selection It was critical for the research to follow an authentic customer journey. It was therefore decided to replicate a real-world experience by creating a project specifi cation which was submitted to independent distributors for an off er. Eurovent Certifi cation received fi ve off ers from the distributors based on the specifi cation.
The off ers included heat rejection capacity of the units under
standard and diff erent market conditions as follows: ■Condition 1: Standard transcritical condition (known as SC20) ■Condition 2: Market transcritical condition at High ambient T with 2K approach used in warm weather areas
■Condition 3: Market transcritical condition with 3K approach used in the Central and Northern European market (and UK)
■Condition 4: Market transcritical condition with 2K approach used in the Central and Northern European market (and UK)
■Condition 5: Standard subcritical condition (Condenser) known as SC25.
A design tool was used to calculate the predicted heat rejection capacity of the units under these standard and market conditions. The results from the design software simulations suggested that, while units behaved reliably at Standard Condition (SC20), performance may deviate from declared values when operating under non-standard conditions. Conditions 3 and 4 saw signifi cant underperformances: ■ At condition 4, the average underperformance was 32%, and the maximum underperformance was 41%
■ At condition 3, the average underperformance was 26% with a maximum underperformance of 28%.
The two gas coolers showing the most signifi cant performance gap in the simulations were selected for laboratory evaluation.
Tests by an independent laboratory The two gas coolers undertook an identical evaluation/test protocol as the one used for the Eurovent Certifi ed Performance for Heat Exchangers programme by using the test standard EN327 to measure:
10 June 2026 •
www.acr-news.com Download the ACR News app today
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
