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First use of CO2 for switchgear cooling |
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tesa, a leading producer of self-adhesive tapes, is the first company to use a new R744 system in switchgear cabinets, a breakthrough achieved by the German manufacturer Pfannenberg.
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2008-01-15
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After years of intense research, Pfannenberg has successfully developed a system for switchgear cooling in industrial plants. The CO2-based cooling unit is a special variant of Pfannenberg's DTI 9441 cooling unit for partially counter-sunk door or side installation with a cooling performance of 2 kW. It ensures safe and efficient cooling of switch cabinets, allowing for a user-friendly assembly without the use of any screws. Due to the five times higher specific refrigeration capacity of R744 compared to R134a, the new cooling unit features a significantly smaller design than traditional systems.
The German manufacturer decided to intensify the research in CO2 several years ago after the natural refrigerant had proved its successful application first in large industrial refrigeration plants and later in small commercial applications. With the launch of the first CO2-based cooling unit for switch cabinets in August 2007, Pfannenberg achieved a decisive breakthrough for this type of application, previously considered to be impossible due to the delicate design of switchgear cabinets. This may open the door for the use of R744 systems in other highly sensitive installations to control industrial production processes.
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Trial at tesa plant proves technology to be ready for serial production
The first company to test Pfannenberg's CO2 climate control system under real-world conditions was tesa, a leading manufacturer of adhesive tapes. Unhappy with the performance of traditional cooling units, tesa approached Pfannenberg for a more environmentally friendly and at the same time cost-efficient solution to cool a switch cabinet for the central production control of its adhesive tapes. The R744 system has operated reliably since its installation six months ago, ensuring a stable and smooth production at tesa's Hamburg plant.
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Based on the positive results, Pfannenberg has already added the prototype "DTI 9441 CO2" to its cooling unit product portfolio ranging from 300W to 4,000W. Managing Director Andreas Pfannenberg now hopes that serial production will start after all trials have been finished. He acknowledges, however, that this will largely depend on how rapidly potential suppliers will provide the necessary components to allow for an early mass production.
Background
With 160 staff in Germany and further sites located in England, France, Italy, Singapore, China and the USA, Pfannenberg manufactures cooling units for sensitive controls, as well as optical and acoustic signal systems. Having applied for 47 patents in three years, the company invests around 8% of its annual turnover in R&D.
tesa AG is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of self-adhesive product and system solutions for industry, trade, and consumers. The company, part of the multinational Beiersdorf group, is headquartered in Germany. tesa markets its products in more than 100 countries.
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More information:
 Pfannenberg Press Release, 2007 (23 KB)
Article in: Kälte, Luft, Klimatechnik - December 2007 (31 KB)
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