Throughout the food retail industry, supermarket stakeholders are rethinking their future refrigeration strategies. With zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and a GWP of 1, the natural refrigerant CO₂ (refrigerant name R-744) is emerging as a viable option for achieving regulatory targets, decarbonization plans and corporate sustainability initiatives. Continued proliferation of CO₂ refrigeration systems around the globe has given equipment manufacturers opportunities to improve compression, controls and valve technologies — simplifying system management and bringing system costs into parity with traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) systems.

In alignment with a global HFC phasedown, the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to enforce HFC mandates and establish sector-based guidelines. Per the EPA’s HFC production and consumption phasedown schedule, the next step will be a 40 percent reduction in 2024 (compared to the baseline established in 2011–2013) — with a 70 percent reduction set for 2029. Because each subsequent phasedown will reduce HFC supplies and drive up HFC prices, now is the time for retailers to plan their migration to CO₂ refrigerant technologies.

Today, CO₂ transcritical booster systems are the most widely adopted and preferred CO₂ refrigeration systems in medium- to large-format food retail stores. One key system advantage is that both medium- (MT) and low-temperature (LT) circuits run on R-744. Thanks to investments in research and development (R&D), equipment manufacturers continue to refine CO₂ components, overcome known challenges, and simplify system operation. CO₂’s inherent energy efficiency in most climates allows it to deliver direct and indirect emissions reductions, or lower total equivalent warming impact (TEWI).

Effective system design requires the seamless integration of all components and electronic controls, including compressors, case controllers, electronic expansion valves (EEVs), high-pressure valves, high-pressure controllers and supervisory controls. Copeland’s E3 supervisory control for CO₂ applications is designed specifically to manage CO₂’s high pressures and simplify installation, commissioning and system management — alleviating servicing concerns for technicians and delivering peace of mind to end users.

As a provider of complete CO₂ system components, Copeland can help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and operators to ensure the system integration needed to maximize system reliability and performance:

• E3 supervisory control for CO₂ applications
• High-pressure CO₂ controllers
• CC200 case controller
• Copeland™ variable frequency drives, EVM/EVH Series
• Copeland transcritical semi-hermetic compressors
• Copeland subcritical semi-hermetic compressors
• Copeland subcritical scroll compressors
• CO₂-qualified system components (oil management, high-pressure and bypass valves, temperature and pressure sensors, and leak detection)

As part of our commitment to ongoing CO₂ innovation, Copeland is expanding its CO₂ labs, testing facilities and developmental capabilities to support our OEM and end user partners. Our CO₂ mobile training units, used exclusively for CO₂ training in the U.S. and Canada, serve as the bases of our CO₂ training curriculum by giving service technicians hands-on experience working on a CO₂ transcritical booster system.