A lot of talk these days about natural refrigerants focuses on CO2, propane, isobutene, and the like. Stateside, they may be new kids on the block in terms of HVACR applications. But one natural refrigerant that has been around seemingly forever is ammonia. So it - like those “newcomers” - is drawing a lot of attention.

Once every three years, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration ups the ante within the expo portion of its annual conference by calling the expo a Heavy Equipment Show and including some especially large pieces of equipment. The most recent show in Orlando demonstrated the wide product range.

HVACR contractors who do work in the hotel-motel sector probably know it already - there is what has been described as “fundamental contradictions of sustainability in the hospitality industry.” For example, there may be a lot of talk of going green, but that may not mean action.

Emerson Climate Technologies has announced an “expanded presence” in China with the acquisition of Shanghai Well-Tech Refrigeration Systems Co. “Many analysts agree that the Chinese industrial refrigeration market offers significant growth opportunity,” said Ram Krishnan, president of the refrigeration division of Emerson.

When Stop & Shop was looking for ways to incorporate sustainable technology into its new multimillion dollar West Hartford, Conn., store, it focused on energy savings and a reduced carbon footprint. In fact, the store, which opened in December 2010, is a 38,000-square-foot model of sustainability.

Ferris State University’s Commercial Refrigeration Laboratory has gone totally chlorine-free. By replacing the refrigerant HCFC-22 that was in two medium-temperature commercial refrigeration cases in the laboratory, the students in the associate degree program in HVACR can boast that the lab is now chlorine-free.

Two refrigeration contractors were facing different challenges. In one situation, a restaurant in New York City needed to add refrigeration capacity for walk-in freezers and coolers, but in a constrained space. In another instance, a chain of restaurants was dealing with aging refrigeration equipment and the need to improve operating systems.

Actually, frost on the suction line only indicates that at the location where the frost is present, the suction line piping is below the dew point temperature of the surrounding ambient air and at or below 32°F. That’s it. It is neither an indication of a properly operating system nor a system defect.

The increased use of high pressure refrigerants has created new challenges for technicians, yet it is still possible to perform high speed recovery of high pressure refrigerants. The tips and practices in this article will help keep your refrigerant recovery speeding toward the finish.

The condenser is the component that rejects the heat from the system. Most equipment is air cooled and rejects heat to the air. The coils are copper or aluminum and both types have aluminum fins to add to the heat exchange surface area.