Display Cases Attain 17% Energy Savings Using R-441A Refrigerant vs. Propane
Offers a quicker pull-down time compared to other refrigerants
KANEOHE, Hawaii — MTL Cool, a Quebec, Canada-based manufacturer of refrigerated display cases, has introduced a new line of energy-efficient units that run on U.S. Environmental protection Agency (EPA)-approved HCR188C/R-441A, a multi-blend hydrocarbon refrigerant that is ASHRAE-classified and ETL safety-listed. The company said the new line offers improved efficiency compared to units running on either R-134a or R-290 (propane), with test data showing that the first of this line, the new NRC2 system, runs on a 17 percent lower charge and requires 17 percent less energy compared to units running on R-290. (Test specifications: ambient temperature 75°F, relative humidity 45 percent, interior temperature brought down to 38°.)
• Running with R-134a, the unit required 10.5 ounces and pulled 443 watts at 5.25 amps.
• Running with R-290, the unit required 4.95 ounces and pulled 424 watts at 5.01 amps.
• Running with HCR188C/R-441A, the unit required just 4.1 ounces and pulled just 351 watts at 4.49 amps.
• Savings over R-290: 17 percent smaller charge and 17 percent less energy used.
Mark Bedard, MTL Cool president, said, “We noticed a quicker pull-down time (to get from 75° to 38°), which means even more cost savings passed on to the customer due to a shorter run-cycle and less power consumed. We are also tweaking the design for full production units, reducing the sizing of the coils compared to what’s used for propane. Reducing the surface area of the coils means even less charge is needed, creating another way that use of the multi-blend hydrocarbon saves money.”
HCR188C/R-441A was developed over a number of years by A.S. Trust and Holdings of Hawaii. Richard Maruya, president of A. S. Trust, said, “In many of my own tests I noticed a quicker pull-down time versus other refrigerants such as pure propane. This is why I went to use of a multi-blend hydrocarbon; faster cooling, as well as using a smaller volume of coolant, contributes to using less energy.”
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For more information about A.S. Trust & Holdings, visit www.hcr188c.com.
For more information about MTL Cool, visit www.mtlcool.com.
Publication date: 10/19/2015
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