HVAC Contracting

Italian Supermarket Claims Big Energy Gains from HFO/CO2 Cascade and Heat Recovery

First supermarket 1234ze/CO2 cascade with heat recovery expects savings of over a third vs. conventional system

Honeywell has announced that its Solstice ze (HFO 1234ze) refrigerant is being used in a new supermarket application that combines several systems to improve energy efficiency. The refrigerant is being combined with carbon dioxide in a new supermarket cascade system designed to deliver heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration in one comprehensive, low-carbon solution.

Italy-based refrigeration specialist Tecnologie del freddo (TDF) worked with Honeywell to design a cascade system capable of satisfying all of the refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning needs for a new Unes/U2 supermarket in Parma, Italy. This solution replaces conventional boiler and air conditioning units, using a heat exchanger to capture the energy generated by the refrigeration system to heat the store, provide hot water, and cool the store in the summer.

This system is expected to achieve energy savings of approximately 35 per cent per year, compared with stores with three separate refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning systems.

Dr. Gianfranco Iannace of Unes Supermarket said: “The new cascade system in our Parma supermarket drives the entire cooling, heating, and air conditioning needs of the store at reduced cost and is a template for lower carbon emissions and more sustainable solution for our sector. It also future-proofs our investment beyond the change in F-Gas Regulation.”

Robert Kebby, global marketing manager of commercial refrigeration at Honeywell Fluorine Products said: “We anticipate that many design innovations linked to the use of Solstice ze will arise as customers seek out the right solutions for the supermarket sector that meet their environmental and operational requirements.”

The company noted that Solstice ze is non-ozone-depleting, has a global warming potential of less than 1, and complies with the European F-gas regulation. It is mildly flammable according to ASHRAE class 2L and nonflammable below 30°C.

Content for the European Spotlight is provided courtesy of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Magazine, London. For more information, visit www.racplus.com.

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