ALL THINGS GREEN
A greener landscape for commercial refrigeration
André Patenaude, director of food retail marketing and growth strategy, cold chain at Emerson, examines how operators are transitioning to more eco-friendly refrigeration systems.
T
he commercial refrigeration landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, both globally and in the United States. New refrigerant and energy regulations, combined with an increased awareness of the environmental impact of legacy refrigeration systems, have led business owners and operators to explore ‘greener’ refrigerant and equipment alternatives. However, the decision to ‘go green’ is not one to be taken lightly. Because commercial refrigeration systems can potentially be in service for decades, end users must carefully consider not only today’s regulations, but also tomorrow’s potential constraints. While we cannot predict the future, operators can make informed equipment decisions and take the steps necessary to help maximise our investments throughout a system’s lifecycle. This process starts with a basic understanding of some of the environmental impacts of refrigeration. Today’s regulations and sustainability best practices
40 July 2019
are typically focused on limiting the harmful effects of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. When these refrigerants leak, they release direct emissions into the atmosphere, and their environmental impacts are measured in terms of ozone depletion potential (ODP) and global warming potential (GWP).
While most of the regulatory focus is on GWP from direct emissions, it is important to remember that the total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) also considers the indirect impacts of the greenhouse gases generated from the refrigeration system’s energy consumption. It is estimated that the indirect emissions portion of TEWI represents the majority of total climate impacts. By evaluating both energy consumption and refrigerant GWP over the lifetime of the system, including annual leaks and disposal, we estimate the system’s full lifecycle climate performance (LCCP).
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
