“The sky isn’t falling. There are plenty of options.” Those words are from Rajan Rajendran, director of engineering services for Emerson Climate Technologies to an audience of supermarket engineers at the Food Marketing Institute Energy & Store Development Conference.
While there are no pending regulations that would curb production of HFCs, those specific refrigerants are a part of the equation when talk turns to the broad, emotionally laden topic of global warming.
In the category of “as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation,” the HVACR industry has been closely watching the impact of what is being called “the nation’s first comprehensive regulation to reduce potent greenhouse gases from commercial and industrial refrigeration.”
No technology has stirred up more attention in recent years than use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant in both stationary and mobile HVACR applications. And yet the technology has more people head scratching over it in terms of dealing with the pressures, efficiencies, installation costs, and servicing skills.
Whether or not HCs become major refrigerant players in the U.S. depends on who you talk to. Advocates point to extremely lower global warming potential, low cost, and a proven track record in Europe and Asia. Others see the flammability issue, A3 safety rating, and current building and fire codes limiting use to smaller applications.
While troubleshooting or installing refrigeration systems using a thermostatic expansion valve, it is a relatively common task to measure the superheat value of the refrigerant leaving the evaporator. However, there is a major consideration when using this measurement to analyze the operation of a system.
A study from Carel has tried to get a precise handle on supermarket refrigeration energy savings at various levels of upgrades and at the same time has assigned some new terminology to the steps — ‘traditional,’ ‘evolved,’ and ‘excellent.’
The use of ammonia as a refrigerant has been around for approximately 160 years, dating back to its first use in France in the 1850s. It first appeared in the United States in the 1860s when it was used for artificial ice production. Its latest uses are a testament to the growing popularity of ammonia refrigerants.
Featuring a space-saving design, the Serenity Series Cubelet Ice Machine, FS-1500MLH-C, produces up to 830 pounds of chewable cubelet ice per 24 hours. The shallow depth provides easy access to the dispenser bin.
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