Lidl: New distribution centre using only natural refrigerants
R744.com - 2009-06-11
Rate:
Results:
[ - ] Text [ + ]
The German Retailer Lidl has started the construction of a new distribution centre in Western Germany. On 5,800 square metres of cooling space, Lidl will only install refrigeration systems using R744 and ammonia, reinforcing its commitment to natural refrigerants under the EU retail sector’s Environmental Action Programme. 
Lidl: New distribution centre using only natural refrigerants Lidl, which is part of the Schwarz Group, has decided to exclusively install refrigeration systems with the natural refrigerants R744 and R717 in its new distribution centre in Paderborn, Germany. The opening of the facility, which will have a total area of 33,200 square metres of which 1,400 are for low temperature (LT) refrigeration and 4,400 for medium temperature (MT) cooling, is planned for February 2010.

With the fast expansion of Lidl supermarkets not only in this area, the project is meant to simplify the storage and distribution of products. To further reduce energy costs as well as the facility’s environmental impact, the buildings will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and special thermal insulation. The rejected heat from the refrigeration systems will be used by heat pumps to supply heat to the storage and administration buildings.

Lidl’s CO2 track record

The decision in favour of R744 is a result of the positive experience in various field tests and previous installations the company has realised in the past 3 years. Since mid-2006, Lidl has been running a MT multicompressor refrigeration installation with R744 for the LT side. In addition, the Schwarz Group has been using a heat pump technology connected to a R404a/R744 cascade system to heat and cool several Lidl stores, whichhas led to a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions. At present, more pilot projects using different technologies with R744 as the refrigerant are under development.

Lidl’s commits to natural refrigerants under the EU retail sector’s environment programme

Responding to the European Commission’s Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Industrial Policy, the European retail sector has put forward the “Retailers Environmental Action Programme” (REAP), whereby each retailer has set out a “Matrix of Environmental Action Points” (MAP), which lists individual retail companies/federations’ actions and initiatives to define concrete targets. It is hoped that MAP will encourage companies to publicly record their individual sustainability commitments and stimulate competition among them to show leadership on environmental sustainability. Currently from a total of 24 retailers that have joined the initiative to record their individual sustainability commitments in different areas, only Lidl has referred to the use natural refrigerants, without, however, committing to any specific target.
 
 
Comments
 
First Name
Last Name
Email
(If you wish to receive notifications of new comments, please enter your email)
Anonymous
(If you check this box, your name and email will be hidden)
Post a comment: (Please do not add any links)
2009-06-11 17:24:09 - Terence McIver
Greetings,
Klass: How do we reconcile the advantages of CO2 against claims that it is a threat to global warming? Is it a GWP product?
Thanks for your comments. I serve on the staff of ContractingBusiness.com, a magazine for HVACR contractors.
2009-06-11 14:56:35 - Klaas Visser
Another bit of good news for natural refrigerants and hopefully another nail in the coffin for HFC's.
One man's bread is another man's poison. Hopefully those who are feeling threatened by the all conquering onslaught of the natural refrigerants will soon discover that it also represents a great opportunity.

I like the idea of using the heat rejection from an R404A/R744 cascade system as a feed to presumably a second stage R404A compressor acting as a heat pump. This makes a lot of sense particularly now that heatpump energy savings may be counted towards carbon credits in the EU. But I respectfully ask, wouldn't it have been easier and simpler to install a two stage transcritical CO2 plant, which could well have delivered a higher COP if the secondary water heating circuit had been designed for a high temperature rise. This would have been easy if the store had been designed for humidity control requiring reheat of the air after the cooling coil. With CO2/Ammonia cascades there is also the possibilty of using a second stage ammonia to act as a heat pump heating water up to 65-70 degrees maximum. Some of my preliminary studies have shown that the COP of a single stage transcritical CO2 heat pump is higher than the combined COP of the two stages of Ammonia compression.

However, where one already has an Ammonia plant, the extra heat pump stage by itself can have real COP's (based on kWhrs and not BkWhrs) upward of 5 if the discharge gas of the first stage compressor is desuperheated by the water to be heated to close to the saturated condensing level of the heat pump compressor suction (care needs to be taken not to condense Ammonia in this preheater to avoid liquid entering the heat pump compressor) and if, in addition, the Ammina liquid which is condensed in the heat pump water heater, is subcooled back to close to the first stage condensing level by the incoming water to be heated.

Here in Australia we have one impediment against integrating the supermaket refrigeration and building heating and cooling, because frequently the store is leased from landlord, whilst the refrigeration is installed by the supermarket operator, who leases the store on a long term basis. However, I am hopeful that such an artificial barrier will soon be lifted. The two parties obviously talk to each other and hopefully the integration of the supermarket refrigeration and AC systems will be a topic of discussion leading to positive outcomes for the enviroment in the near future, as new supermarket construction is proceeding apace.

With best wishes and kind regards

Yours sincerely

Klaas Visser
© 2008 R744.com - Managed by shecco®
myR744
Username:
Password:
Remember me