“ZoomLock Flame-Free Refrigerant Fittings continues to be a priority product because of what it provides the industry: a safer and faster way to connect refrigerant piping,” said David Thomas, national sales manager, Parker Hannifin — Sporlan Division. “Imagine life without brazing. No flames, no fire permits, no fire safety equipment, no false smoke alarms, and no nitrogen purging. Within seconds, a UL-listed joint can be made capable of holding refrigerant pressures up to 700 psi. With over 2 million fittings currently installed in the field, ZoomLock is the proven refrigerant fitting for the future. ZoomLock is now adopted in both air-conditioning and refrigeration applications globally.”

ZoomLock was a major focus for Sporlan at last year’s AHR Expo in Las Vegas, and Thomas said the company continues to highlight the product because it continues to evolve and improve.

“Helping the service technician understand what ZoomLock can provide them and their customers will continue to be a focus for us in 2018,” he said. “ZoomLock offers a leak-free solution that is significantly faster than brazing and allows technicians to work safer and get more jobs done.

“Currently, we are going around the country with our ZoomLock Roadshow,” Thomas continued. “The program began last August and continues to be a focus for us as well.

MORE TO SEE

In addition to ZoomLock, the company also displayed the FR Series Thermostatic Expansion Valves for Refrigeration; S3C Series Refrigerated Case Controls, Pulse Width Modulation Valves (SPW), Smart Pro/R Service Tool; and Residential Air Conditioning Thermostatic Expansion Valve and Electric Expansion Valve.

“The S3C was designed to address the needs of the consumer and store owner for food safety and visual indicators for system issues; the OEM for ease of installation and testing; and the service technician with superior alarms and diagnostic capabilities with access to these features via their mobile device,” said Thomas.

Per Sporlan, the FR Series thermostatic expansion valves (TEV) are designed for smaller capacity refrigeration cases, reach-ins, and other food service applications. The modulating TEVs control superheat under varying loads and conditions. Maintaining precise superheat control improves operational efficiency and can lead to reduced refrigerant charge and equipment cost due to evaporator optimization.

With nominal tonnage capacities of 1/10 and 1/16 ton, these valves enable micro-system optimization, offsetting the effects of LED lights, improved insulation and doors, and smaller anti-sweat heaters — increasingly used in today’s refrigeration cases — which can lead to reduced load. The new valves’ selective thermostatic charges provide application-specific superheat optimization for enhanced system efficiency. Plus, FR Series TEVs work with all common refrigerants and many new refrigerants, such as R-290, R-448A, or R-449A.

The SPW pulse width modulation valves cycle open and closed to precisely control refrigerant flow to the evaporator in direct expansion refrigeration systems using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), and new low-global warming potential (GWP) hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerants that are both non-flammable and non-toxic.

The SPW line of electric expansion valves offers eight port sizes to cover a wide range of evaporator loads up to 4.5 ton nominal capacity for R-407A, R-407F, R-448A, and R-449A. The valve design allows the contractor to service and clean the inlet strainer and easily replace the port during a refrigerant retrofit.

Thomas added the implementation of new products, such as the S3C Series Refrigerated Case Controller, SPW pulse width modulating electric expansion valve, and new FR Series refrigeration thermostatic expansion valves, will be a major goal for Sporlan in 2018.

“All three items continue to build on the strength of Sporlan’s product line and knowledge in controlling refrigerant flow and their continuous improvement of their solutions in the Food Retail segment,” he said.  

Publication date: 2/26/2018