“This is a low-temperature sealed unit, and market trends are moving toward more natural refrigerants,” said John Prall, technical support, commercial compressor solutions & distribution and aftermarket, North America, Embraco. “Equipment builders have to invest a lot of money into their facilities to safely handle these gases. There are some new challenges contractors need to consider because some of these gases are flammable refrigerants. This is a sealed system that’s pre-charged. Contractors don’t have to invest in any charging, testing, or safety equipment. They simply drop the unit in the cabinet, connect a few water lines, plug it into the wall, and you’ve got cooling.

“This also reduces service calls,” Prall continued. “If the system goes down, a service tech can pull it off the equipment, take it outside, service it, and — in the meantime — have a replacement unit in place, so the store never has to worry about the loss of any product.”

The unit offers flexibility in a number of ways, said Daniel Campos, business director, Embraco.

“Remote systems in supermarkets often feature the pipes below the floor,” he said. “However, the Plug N Cool provides users flexibility if they need to go operate out of a smaller place or if they rent a place that may not offer the space necessary. This system eliminates the machine room on the outside. Everything a user needs is available right here.”

FMX & FMFT BIVOLT

The FMX is the latest generation of compressors with Fullmotion Inverter variable-speed technology for freezers with a high built-in energy efficiency cooling system. It provides food preservation, low noise, and a wide voltage range. It’s also compact, which is advantageous when developing applications with limited internal space. It is designed to use the natural refrigerant R-600a (isobutane), employed by Embraco for more than 20 years, which reduces the negative impact on the environment.

Embraco also showcased its FMFT Bivolt compressor, which is an intelligent, fast-cooling solution for light commercial applications, such as freezers and vertical refrigerated display cabinets. It is reliable, keeps food fresh, has low noise and vibration, and is an efficient solution for users in its capacity range. It also employs variable-speed technology that enables the machine to reach a target temperature quickly, helping to ensure better food preservation and reduce thermal fluctuations. It utilizes the natural refrigerant R-290, which has zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) and low global warming potential (GWP).

“The changeover to HCs [hydrocarbons] has been accelerated by the EPA’s ban of HFCs,” Prall said. “The DOE is also requiring higher energy standards, so we’re putting a lot of effort into developing variable-speed compressors. Our latest feature is our voltage inverter, which handles most of our variable-speed performance from 1/3- ¾ horsepower. You can plug it in to 115V or 220V power because it’s able to tell what the incoming voltage is and rectify it into the voltage the compressor needs. Now, an OEM can have one condensing unit, and it can work in a multitude of products as manufacturers can control the capacity the compressor delivers by limiting or expanding the speed range using one power connection.

“If you want it to work in Korea, you use this plug, if you want it to work in the U.S., you use this plug, etc.,” he continued. “This saves OEMs a lot of money in inventory, product development, certifications, etc.”  

Publication date: 2/26/2018