U.S. Food Manufacturer Chooses Low-Charge NH₃ for Process Chilling

A large U.S. food manufacturer, based in the state of Illinois, has chosen a low-charge ammonia (R717/NH₃) chiller from Zero Zone, as part of its drive to phase out old R22-based cooling equipment.

The ammonia chiller, which was installed by Air Management Technologies, has a 150TR (527.5kW) capacity and is used for process chilling. The end user has not been named.

The installation includes screw compressors, adiabatic condensers, plate heat exchangers, and an outdoor parallel system (OPS) configuration.

The chiller installation also has several energy-saving features, including VFD compressor controls and DC motor condenser controls.

The low-charge ammonia chiller was selected to meet health and safety standards for both the end user’s employees, and the surrounding neighborhood community, Zero Zone explained on its website. “The packaged chiller was customized to provide the same low temperature glycol refrigeration capabilities of chemical refrigerant chillers while exceeding target GWP objectives.”

“Ammonia systems are some of the most efficient and have been used safely in industrial applications for many decades,” Zero Zone said. “Both CO₂ refrigerant and ammonia refrigerant are readily available, and of course, the biggest benefit to natural refrigerants is that they are environmentally sound and meet global sustainability goals.”

Ammonia is a “future proof and environmentally friendly solution,” concluded John Collins, Industrial Sales Manager – East at Zero Zone.

In addition to low-charge ammonia, Zero Zone also manufactures CO₂ equipment for industrial applications. Recent installations include a transcritical CO₂ refrigeration system for a customer in Pennsylvania, which includes parallel compression, adiabatic gas coolers and hot gas defrost.

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