FOOD RETAIL


Integrated display cases in a medium size supermarket format.


enough to match phase-down targets… To meet the phase-down timetable food retailers should have installed 18,500 low GWP systems in 2015 alone, but so far they have installed only 9,000 CO2


systems in total.” Think long-term


The good news is that food retailers are starting to make substantial investments in alternative refrigeration systems, and are pursuing a range of diff erent technologies and strategies to phase-down HFCs.


However, the fact that the industry is behind schedule and faces increasing regulatory pressure to shift, means retailers are in danger of hastily selecting systems that replace HFCs, but may not deliver the best results for either the environment or their businesses in the long run. Today, supermarkets are opting for volume refrigeration solutions based on two primary alternatives to HFC refrigerants - CO2


and


hydrocarbons, such as propane. So far, most seeking to phase-down HFC


refrigerants have chosen to start using CO2 systems, and only a handful such have opted for water-cooled propane (or ‘hydrocarbon integral’) systems.


This seems to be due to the fact that the CO2 system refl ects the legacy cooling architecture


of the larger store formats retailers are used to and which have traditionally favoured centralised or ‘remote’ systems, making it an easier near term, like-for-like replacement solution to HFC systems.


But while CO2 systems provide some


environmental benefi ts, its capital cost is fi ve to ten percent higher than that of the HFC systems they replace. Furthermore, CO2


systems depend


on high pressure engineering, which means they are more prone to leak and require greater skill to install and maintain over their lifetime. By contrast, water-cooled propane systems are cheaper to buy and effi cient to run, and evidence suggests they can produce greater fi nancial and emissions savings. They also operate at low pressure and are easier to install and maintain – thus presenting a potentially better long-term solution for some retailers. In fact, research fi nds long term maintenance and operational costs of integrated display cases used for hydrocarbon systems could be signifi cantly lower in many situations. An analysis by the Institute of Air Handling and Refrigeration ILK Dresden illustrates that in a convenience store with 10 display cases, integral systems would be €29,000 cheaper to install, and over 10 years would save a further €12,000 on energy and €6,500 on maintenance,


when


compared with CO2


remote systems. For a typical


European discounter with 10,000 stores, ILK Dresden fi nds, the total savings over 10 years would be more than €460m. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages associated with both options but the point is, the long-term costs associated with the maintenance and skills required for a system should defi nitely be taken into consideration before making a decision.


Time to skill up


With the whole retail industry shifting to natural refrigerants, it is therefore also vital that installation and maintenance engineers are properly trained on new technologies. Maintenance of natural refrigerants present some new challenges, however there is good evidence across Europe that the ACR industry hasn’t fully stepped up to the challenge of producing the next generation of skilled engineers.


There is a potential that this will create


signifi cant challenges, but it could be most acutely felt by those operating large, complex and high pressure CO2


refrigeration systems


where the maintenance requirements are likely to be greatest.


Compared to HFCs, natural refrigerants present some additional hazards, including high pressure (associated with CO2


or hydrocarbons. Additionally, a survey conducted by Shecco found that while companies are planning to increase training to accommodate the shift to natural refrigerants, signifi cant barriers exist – such as high cost of training, lack of courses and the fact that specifi c training for CO2


that only a small percentage has been trained in CO2


– and propane-based


systems is currently not compulsory. As a trained workforce will be critical to helping meet the phase-down schedule set by the Kigali Amendment, one of the recommendations that Professor Peters includes in his whitepaper report is for European Governments to ensure industry funding. But for refrigeration professionals and retailers alike, we should start preparing now, and invest in training qualifi ed engineers, regardless of what is currently required by regulation.


Ultimately, we all know the challenge of making the transition to natural refrigerants is signifi cant. But if we are smart about the technology solutions we specify, and invest in skilled engineers, then the retail industries can reap signifi cant benefi ts in terms of cost, operational and maintenance savings. But most importantly, the environment can


systems),


fl ammability (associated with hydrocarbons) and toxicity (ammonia). Yet, research conducted by Gluckman Consulting for the European Commission last year suggests a signifi cant skills gap in natural refrigerants. Of the 160,000 certifi ed F-Gas engineers registered by national governments, it appears


benefi t from more energy effi cient businesses, alongside a signifi cant reduction in the harm caused from HFC leakage.


This is part one of a two part series on research Emerson is commissioning on Europe’s transition to natural refrigerants. The full European Retail Report: The Transition to Clean Cooling can be found at www.emersonclimate.com/europe/ en-eu/About_Us/News/Pages/Studies


www.acr-news.com


October 2017 21


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