SUPERMARKET REFRIGERATION
A glimpse of a carbon free future via Covid-19
Ian Wood, managing director at Applied Design & Engineering explains how Aircell technology answers the call for a zero carbon future.
T
he Covid-19 lockdown saw an estimated cut of one billion tonnes in global CO2
with levels falling by 60% in London. The
Global Footprint Network has stated that the world’s ecological footprint, which includes carbon emissions, deforestation and use of raw materials, decreased by 9.3% in the first six months of 2020. Stagnated manufacturing activity, fewer flights and a drop in vehicular traffic precipitated a marked improvement, albeit temporary, in air quality and the environment in towns and cities around the world. Although this brief downturn in CO2
output will
have no effect on the reversal of climate change, it has given us a glimpse of what may be achieved by limiting greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the UK’s grocery retailing sector accounts for around 1.66% of the nation’s total annual electricity usage of 348 tWh. Of this, up to 60% of consumption may be attributed to refrigeration, meaning that retailers are in a position to significantly reduce carbon emissions by adopting more efficient refrigeration equipment. Retailers and OEMs need to grasp the nettle and work towards the development of radical new solutions, which deliver on energy, food waste reduction and improve the shopping experience. The Covid-19 lockdown presented retailers with
many new challenges, including continuity of supply, panic buying, social distancing and sanitisation regimes, with the extreme weather conditions of July and August causing further headaches. Temperatures of up to 35°C and high humidity caused refrigeration systems to work harder, resulting in higher energy consumption. In many stores, refrigerated cabinets
emissions,
broke down as they were unable to cope with ambient temperatures and humidity for which they were not designed. We can expect even harsher environmental conditions in future summers, exacerbating refrigeration problems. A recent study by Imperial College, London, conducted in conjunction with Sainsbury’s, indicates that a 2°C increase on today’s average UK summer temperature will boost the energy demand for refrigeration by 6%.
Food quality, safety and shelf life are also major factors for sustainable grocery retailing. Merchandise displayed at accurate, stable temperatures within narrow bandwidths will be maintained at better quality and appearance over longer periods, improving the eating experience for the customer and reducing the amount of food which may be price discounted or thrown away. To limit plastic waste, many retailers have eliminated packaging on some goods, especially fruit and vegetables. The removal of packaging has implications for the retention of moisture in food, potentially compromising its quality and shelf life. Such issues may be overcome by refrigerated displays which offer tighter display temperatures and higher humidity. Covid-19 has had an impact on customers’
shopping habits and it is changing the trading practices of retailers. In August, Tesco announced the recruitment of 16,000 employees to support the growth of its on-line business. The move will increase the retailer’s current capacity for 1.5 million on-line customers per week, up from 600,000 at the start of the pandemic. ASDA also announced that it planned to increase on-line slots to 740,000
per week by the end of the year and to 1 million per week in 2021. Efficient picking of goods from store displays is key to such operations, meaning that open front cabinets will remain the preferred option for retailers to speed up the order fulfilment process. So, what are the refrigerated display options and how do they stack up? Conventional open front cabinets The fundamental flaw in the design of conventional open front cabinets is the single canopy-to-base air curtain. Pressure builds on the air curtain, causing warm air to be entrained and the refrigeration system to work harder to maintain optimum cabinet temperature, increasing duty and energy consumption. This also has negative implications on temperature bandwidth and humidity, to the detriment of food quality, appearance and longevity. In cabinets where the temperature is too low, food is liable to ice crystal formation, which will compromise the eating experience. If the temperature is too high, food will deteriorate and there is potential for bacterial proliferation. The other impact of cold air falling out of the cabinet is cold aisles which make for an uncomfortable shopping experience.
Cabinets with doors Whilst some retailers and equipment manufacturers have employed glass doors on open front multi deck refrigerated display cases as a means of reducing cold air spillage, it has become apparent that glass doors are not suitable for busy retailing operations. Our laboratory tests have demonstrated that glass door cabinets, designed for the industry test standard of 10 openings per hour (one every six minutes), experience significant loss of temperature control and increased energy consumption at a more realistic door opening frequency of 30 (one every two minutes) or more per hour. Evidence also suggests that glass doors act as a barrier to browsing and shopping, reducing impulse purchases. They also have negative implications for the efficiency of order picking associated with on-line grocery retailing, which is growing rapidly. In this Covid-19 age, there is also the need to regularly sanitise door handles which are being touched by customers.
The graph provides a comparison of energy usage for various refrigerated display solutions as published on the ETL. 34 October 2020
Shelf edge technology There has been a good deal of hype about shelf edge
www.acr-news.com
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
