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Industry visits Australia's first CO2-only supermarket |
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A site visit to the country’s first transcritical refrigeration system has reassured industry experts about the efficiency of CO2 in hot climates. The event also revealed a keen interest from leading food retailers to use CO2 in new installations.
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2008-02-22
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“It’s no exaggeration to describe the Angle Vale transcritical CO2 system as a revolutionary improvement in supermarket refrigeration in Australia,” Brent Hoare from the Natural Refrigerants Transition Board (NRTB) commented after the site visit to Australia’s first CO2-only system. Organized by the NRTB, more than 60 participants from all over Australia gathered on 20 February at the North Adelaide suburb of Angle Vale to take a closer look at the cutting-edge installation and discuss further steps. Close attention was paid to the operation of the system, and to distinguishing design aspects, such as the compact and streamlined characteristics of the plant, small pipework sizes, sophisticated controls and the yet simple design (see photo gallery).
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The site visit, organized to show the viability of CO2 Technology during worst-case summer conditions, proved a success, as participants could check themselves how the systems is operating efficiently under Australia’s current temperatures of up to 40°C. This makes transcritical CO2 systems, thoroughly tested in cool climates in Europe, have therefore made a first decisive step towards a wide-spread use in hot climates. After two months operation, modelling of the Angle Vale system’s performance indicates that it will use less electricity than conventional R-404 direct expansion systems. To demonstrate the data, the NRTB will start data recording soon to report on the system's performance over the next two years.
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CO2 sparks high interest from retail food industry
The NRTB site visit attracted a broad and senior level of industry representatives, as leading retail groups, such as Coles and Woolworths, who showed a keen interest in the new technology. Participants largely praised the independent Drakes supermarket for its courage to choose a CO2-only installation without any back-up system, seeing the installation as a major step towards a transformation of the refrigeration industry. Many were convinced that once cost issues have been addressed, local supplier networks installed, and the long-term efficiency determined there would be no looking back. The NRTB estimates that in one year’s time the replacement of old systems with the easy-to-install CO2 systems will become a much more compelling case for the industry.
Leading retail groups, including Australia’s largest food retailer Woolworths, had already announced to use CO2 cascade systems in new “green” supermarkets. (see attached article).
Australia moves towards sustainable refrigeration
At present, Australia’s government is considering ways to incorporate refrigerants in the country’s Emission Trading Scheme currently under development. If emission permits are required to import hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), this would raise the costs of conventional systems, favouring the use of CO2. In addition, policy makers have proposed an Eco-Labelling scheme for all large installations to make greenhouse gas emissions from commercial refrigeration equipment more visible. R744.com will be reporting on this issue as it evolves.
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More information:
› NRTB website
› Read the related article: “Woolworths to use CO2 in new supermarkets
› Read the related article: “Seminar explores CO2 refrigeration in hot climates
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