Heatcraft Touts Transcritical and NH₃/CO₂ Cascade for Both Commercial and Industrial Uses

Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration sees its transcritical CO₂ and ammonia (NH₃)/CO₂ cascade systems catering to both industrial and commercial applications, according to Augusto Zimmermann, Senior Manager, for the company’s Alternative Systems Global Center of Excellence.

Zimmermann made this point during a technomercial presentation (available here) on May 19 during the the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) two-week virtual conference. The online event replaced IIAR’s March physical event, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He also unveiled its Heatcraft’s Magna equipment, including evaporators that can used in CO₂ applications.

Heatcraft, based Stone Mountain, Georgia (U.S.), has installed 160 transcritical CO₂ and NH₃/CO₂ cascade systems worldwide, more than 20 of which are in the U.S., said Zimmermann.

At one NH₃/CO₂ cascade installation at a Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Columbus, Georgia, the retailer recorded “rack energy savings of 22% when compared to an HFC rack topside [in the same store],” said Zimmermann. 

The roof of the store features an ammonia rack using 56lbs of ammonia refrigerant attached to an evaporative fluid cooler. It works in concert with a hybrid CO₂ rack with pumped liquid overfeed for medium-temperature cases and a DX system for low temperature cases and walk-in freezers, Zimmerman said.

For industrial applications, Heatcraft’s NH₃/CO₂ cascade system reduces the typical ammonia charge. As well as this, “there is not a penalty in efficiency, and there's a similarity as far as initial cost for an installation in that case,” Zimmermann noted.

Heatcraft is seeing “more and more applications using transcritical CO₂ systems,” especially within the cold storage market, according to Zimmermann. In retail, transcritical CO₂ is replacing hybrid systems using glycol or R134a that were popular with retailers between 2008 and 2013,

Magna industrial refrigeration 

Zimmermann also announced its Magna industrial refrigeration brand at the technomercial. The Magna line includes large condensing units, evaporators, and rack systems. It allows flexible control solutions, Heatcraft’s “intelligent refrigeration controller, Title 24 compliance options, and other fully specified options.”

Magna products will be more robust than commercial refrigeration equipment, and Heatcraft will offer screw and reciprocating compressors solutions for the line, said Zimmermann.

The line will offer individual products, racks, heat exchangers or complete systems, and evaporators will be offered “with options for CO₂,” he added.