An NH3/CO2 refrigeration system designed and manufactured by Carnot Refrigeration for a warehouse of Courchesne Larose in the province of Québec significantly reduces ammonia charge and provides additional advantages such as heat recovery and free cooling.ammonia21.com visited the installation, which was also featured in the ‘Guide 2013: Natural refrigerants market growth for North America’. +PHOTOS
The warehouse of Courchesne Larose (Michal Inc.) in Québec is spread over an area of 100,000 ft2 (9,290 m2) and is 40 ft. (around 12 meters) in height, able to accommodate 2,069,945 kg (4 563 442 lbs) of food per day. It includes 22 ripening rooms for bananas, a main dock with 19 garage doors, and a banana dock with 3 garage doors. The temperature in the rooms varies between 0 and 15˚C (32 to 59°F).
Key advantages of the NH3/CO2 system
Carnot Refrigeration has designed and manufactured a highly efficient system for the warehouse that greatly minimises its environmental impact. Moreover, the ammonia refrigerant charge is reduced to about 600 kg and is contained in the mechanical room while CO2 circulates throughout the warehouse.
Additional advantages of this technology include:
Hot gas defrost and heat recovery
The hot gas provides fast and efficient evaporator defrost. The hot gas defrost offers the possibility to heat the docks and all other areas of the warehouse as needed, without additional energy expenditure and with no additional mechanical equipment (pumps, loop glycol, heaters, etc.) needed.
The NH3/CO2 refrigeration system is designed to recover direct heat from the discharge gases of the CO2 compressors to fuel recovery coils and to heat office and warehouse spaces, such as the shipping dock and work shop, which require heat. This option provides recovery capacity up to 8 times greater than the use of an intermediate loop glycol.
TFC mode - Free Cooling
Using CO2 by direct expansion in cascade with ammonia, allows the use of the TFC mode (free cooling) when the outside temperature is below 8°C. This mode is maintained for 4000 hours in the Montreal area. During the hours of TFC mode, NH3 compressors remain completely stopped. These breaks increase the lifetime of the compressors, the lubrication system, and other components of the ammonia loop.
About Carnot Refrigeration
Established in 2008, Carnot Refrigeration offers integrated services for the design, manufacturing and installation of high quality and eco-efficient CO2 systems for supermarkets, industrial applications and ice rinks. Carnot Refrigeration makes a conscious effort to design refrigeration systems and heat pumps that cut down on the use of polluting refrigerants. It has taken the lead in its field by creating high-efficiency refrigeration systems designed by specialised engineers and manufactured in an environmentally controlled plant at a constraint-free site.
Key advantages of the NH3/CO2 system
Carnot Refrigeration has designed and manufactured a highly efficient system for the warehouse that greatly minimises its environmental impact. Moreover, the ammonia refrigerant charge is reduced to about 600 kg and is contained in the mechanical room while CO2 circulates throughout the warehouse.
Additional advantages of this technology include:
- Completely eliminates the use of HFCs and / or HCFCs
- Reduces the ammonia charge without an energy penalty
- Reduces piping and insulation size by more than half and the related labour and material cost by 31.5%
- Reduces the use of paraseismic hangers and the structural need to support the pipes
- Provides full heat reclaim (if needed) for space heating or water heating (domestic or process)
Hot gas defrost and heat recovery
The hot gas provides fast and efficient evaporator defrost. The hot gas defrost offers the possibility to heat the docks and all other areas of the warehouse as needed, without additional energy expenditure and with no additional mechanical equipment (pumps, loop glycol, heaters, etc.) needed.
The NH3/CO2 refrigeration system is designed to recover direct heat from the discharge gases of the CO2 compressors to fuel recovery coils and to heat office and warehouse spaces, such as the shipping dock and work shop, which require heat. This option provides recovery capacity up to 8 times greater than the use of an intermediate loop glycol.
TFC mode - Free Cooling
Using CO2 by direct expansion in cascade with ammonia, allows the use of the TFC mode (free cooling) when the outside temperature is below 8°C. This mode is maintained for 4000 hours in the Montreal area. During the hours of TFC mode, NH3 compressors remain completely stopped. These breaks increase the lifetime of the compressors, the lubrication system, and other components of the ammonia loop.
About Carnot Refrigeration
Established in 2008, Carnot Refrigeration offers integrated services for the design, manufacturing and installation of high quality and eco-efficient CO2 systems for supermarkets, industrial applications and ice rinks. Carnot Refrigeration makes a conscious effort to design refrigeration systems and heat pumps that cut down on the use of polluting refrigerants. It has taken the lead in its field by creating high-efficiency refrigeration systems designed by specialised engineers and manufactured in an environmentally controlled plant at a constraint-free site.
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Apr 16, 2013, 10:35
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