Commercial refrigeration

New air conditioning efficiency standards are needed if the world is to avoid an energy “cold crunch” from the growth in cooling demand in coming decades.

Scientists at the US Caloric Materials Consortium, CaloriCool, claim to be closer to producing a caloric refrigeration system that is markedly more efficient than current gas compression systems.

Epta’s FTE transcritical CO₂ refrigeration system has won the innovation award at the German Refrigeration Prize 2018.

Specialist in the industry Star Refrigeration have announced the launch of their new Envi range of eco-friendly, industrial CO₂ refrigeration packages to provide a long term solution for smaller scale industrial applications for temperature controlled storage, food and drink manufacturing, inline freezing and chilling, building services, industrial processes, data centres and leisure and ice applications.

Wholesaler Beijer Ref is continuing to benefit from investment and expansion of its manufacturing activities, reporting growth of around 21% in the first quarter of this year compared to 2017.

Faced with increasing costs of R404A, cold store rental company Blue Cube is switching to lower GWP refrigerant blends.

Bitzer has supplied its landmark 100,000th CO₂ refrigeration compressor produced at its Schkeuditz factory to long-term supermarket customer Aldi Süd.

Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration has launched a low-charge NH₃/CO₂ cascade system for industrial applications, based on a similar commercial system.

Toshiba UK has announced an immediate switch to lower GWP refrigerant R32 across its entire residential and light commercial air conditioning ranges.

Japan’s association of air conditioning and refrigeration manufacturers has added its voice to calls for the EU to remove barriers to the use of low GWP flammable refrigerants.

The Food Storage and Distribution Federation is urging companies with cold storage sites who haven’t yet joined a Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme to do so quickly, as the last window of opportunity for applications ends in July 2018, and won’t reopen again until the end of the current scheme in 2023.

Refcom’s refrigerant-tracking software is now accessible via a mobile app, ensuring F-gas compliance on the go.

Panasonic is set to follow up the European launch of a 2hp CO₂ refrigeration condensing unit last year with a 10hp unit in medium and low temperature versions.

On 16 March, the council of ministers of the Italian government on the initiative of the Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and the Minister of Environment Gian Luca Galletti, approved a much-awaited preliminary measure to implement the EU F-Gas regulation in Italy (No. 517/2014).

Eurammon explores the advantages and challenges of low charge ammonia systems.

The Canadian Pacific Railway’s has ordered over 400 Thermo King refrigerated containers using the lower GWP refrigerant R452A.

The Al Salam military supermarket in Amman, Jordan, has become the testbed for the Middle East’s first trial of a transcritical CO₂ refrigeration system.

A varied programme of talks is promised at the next Hampshire Refrigeration Society Technical Breakfast Briefing.

Small companies are showing leadership in moving the Japanese market to wider adoption of hydrocarbons, as evidenced at this year’s HOTERES 2018 tradeshow held in Tokyo, Japan from 20-23 February.

Viessmann’s ESyCool Green propane-based heat pump refrigeration system has been awarded the government-backed German Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment.