ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS
refrigerant choice for the food retail and cold chain sector?
Is CO2
With an increased interest in using natural refrigerants, typically ones having a Global Warming Potential (GWP) no greater than 150 and with a drive to protect our environment, Jason Ayres, application support engineer at Bacharach, questions what would make carbon dioxide the ‘natural’ refrigerant choice for food retail, food manufacturing, food processing plants, and cold chain?
T
here are several important considerations to make when questioning the use of CO2
(R744)
as a refrigerant gas for these sectors, such as: environmental benefits, refrigeration system technology, regulations and compliance, safety requirements, maintenance and operating conditions and refrigerant leak detection technology.
Natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrocarbons, are often used because of their inherent environmental benefits.
With zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and very low to zero GWP, natural refrigerants are seen as a great alternative to synthetic refrigerants as they are less polluting to our atmosphere.
For the food retailer or manufacturer, using a natural refrigerant, like CO2
carries with it a positive environmental
message, which in the case of a grocery store or food chain, often coincides with the ‘natural’ foods, or ‘farm to table’ branding messages that customers find appealing.
CO2
these systems, and the engineering base for maintenance has increased to enable quick responses to call-outs.
There have also been improvements made to the CO2 systems when it comes to CO2
’s energy efficiency, especially
regarding the transcritical stage with injector technology and parallel compressors.
It is easy to see why a food retailer or manufacturer would now seriously consider using CO2
as a refrigerant. Depending
on where you live in the world, there are also strict regulations in place to reduce the use of high GWP refrigerant gases, like F-Gas, the US EPA Clean Air Act Section 608 and CARB thus making it obligatory to report information and ensure compliance.
Using a natural refrigerant like CO2 , also mitigates a
company having to comply with local regulations targeting high GWP refrigerants like HFCs, meaning the commercial user or facility using the CO2
the ‘natural’
as a refrigerant are not required
to report the information to regulatory bodies. This could potentially mean not having to pay for costly fines for refrigerant leaks and non-compliance, while also eliminating any corresponding negative press coverage for the user.
refrigeration systems are now an established technology,
and the hurdles with early adoption of commercial CO2 systems have now been overcome over the past 15 years. OEMs and gas suppliers have increased the support base for
All of these factors mean CO2
is an increasingly attractive option for use as a refrigerant. However, regardless of the 32 December 2019
www.acr-news.com
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