I just returned from my biannual visit to the Food Marketing Institute Food Retail Show, called FMI 2012. This is for all things in supermarkets and convenience stores. For me it means the latest in refrigeration equipment and — more and more these days — the refrigerants used in that equipment.

Interest in so-called natural refrigerants continues to grow, especially when it comes to the refrigeration of food. Here are some examples that illustrate how companies are using natural refrigerants to keep food cold and fresh.

While my last series of columns explored liquid subcooling in a refrigeration system, this article will compare subcooling amounts in a refrigeration system incorporating an overcharge of refrigerant, a dirty condenser, and air in the system.

Technicians should make safety a first priority when working on any refrigeration system. There are many potential hazards associated with installing, servicing, and maintaining these systems. One of these potential hazards is the refrigerant within the system.

Fresh on the heels of the announcement of an almost 50 percent reduction in supplies of virgin HCFC-22, the supermarket industry is reacting. What are they focusing on now? 

There are many reasons for wanting to stop refrigerant leaks in HVAC mechanical equipment. Some of the most obvious are partial or total loss of cooling capacity, decrease in efficiency, system damage, costly repairs and cleanup, etc. The list goes on and on.

Some developments are altering European supermarket refrigeration. The three case studies here illustrate some of these changes.

If and when contractors step up their commitment to reclamation, they will find plenty of places ready to perform the process that brings questionable refrigerant back to ARI-700 purity standards. And contractors will also find plenty of incentives to do so.

What will it take to jump-start more use of reclaimed HCFC-22 to service the huge inventory of equipment running on that refrigerant? The EPA and the dozens of companies offering reclamation services are hoping the most recent announcement of a potential 45 percent reduction in virgin R-22 coming to market.

How ready are contractors to embrace refrigerant reclamation? The answer depends on who you talk to. But some contractors are already plugged into the reclamation option — and hoping their colleagues, who might not be doing so, will soon join them.