FMI Connect 2014: gearing up to meet market demand for hydrocarbon refrigeration equipment

Gathering more than 800 exhibitors across 226,000+ square feet of exhibition space and over 12,500 participants, FMI Connect 2014 in Chicago provided insights into the market for hydrocarbon refrigerants such as propane (R290) in the commercial refrigeration sector. Whilst established players such as AHT Cooling Systems and True Manufacturing showcased some of their equipment, on site at the show hydrocarbons21.com discovered a number new entrants, such as Coolio based in Belgium, gearing up to

hydrocarbons21.com reporters were on site at FMI Connect 2014, organised from 10-14 June, eager to find out what progress has been made regarding the hydrocarbon technology offering for the commercial refrigeration market. Echoing statements heard in 2013, leading manufacturers were keen to emphasise the growing interest in R290 and R600a products, and referred to their work behind the scenes to develop a complete hydrocarbons product portfolio. Although the number of products on display was limited, the message from the trade fair floor was clear: the industry is working hard to ready itself for an inevitable shift towards more natural refrigerants.

AHT Cooling systems: On show at the hydrocarbons21.com Gold partner’s booth was an R290 VENTO FLEX 125 plug-in multideck chiller, designed for dairy and convenience sectors. The flexible and self-sufficient refrigeration system enables complete freedom of arrangement at the point of sale (POS) and can be either placed individually or combined with other VENTO systems. Most importantly for the US market is that the system meets the US EPA’s 150g charge limit. Also on show was the Manhattan integral freezer and chiller cabinet line, which can use R290. The cabinets feature a divided sliding lid system, and built-in semi-automatic defrost.

Coolio: the Belgian-based company was at FMI Connect 2014 for the first time, showcasing its portable plug-and-play R290 NRG Coolio, a new “Suitcase Island” flexible cooling concept. The NRG reduces energy consumption of electricity by up to 50%, and maintains a temperature spread in the products of between 1°C (33.8°F) and 6°C (42.8°F). The small footprint Coolio combines a cooler unit with a rebrandable, temporary cardboard upper part, providing an innovative solution to display products. It has a 12-week shelf life.

Hillphoenix: at the eye-catching Hillphoenix “Marketplace” display booth was the company’s test R290 self-contained cabinet suitable for fresh food display. In an exclusive interview with hydrocarbons21.com, Jules Chueifati, Manager of Research and Development, talks about the pilot project R290 display case.

Hussmann: involved in the H.E. Butt Grocery Company (H-E-B), an Austin Texas pilot store using R290 refrigerated display cases, Hussmann representatives confirmed that the company is investigating the commercialisation of R290. The company’s pilot hydrocarbon refrigerated display cases have achieved efficiency comparable to the widely used Protocol refrigeration system. In order to formalise the design of their hydrocarbon products portfolio, Hussmann has invested a lot of work on safety.

True Manufacturing: Showcasing two natural refrigerant R290, glass door merchandisers, visitors to the True Manufacturing booth could see the GDM-333SSL-56-HC-LD, labelled with a new unique “natural refrigerant” logo. The sliding door, narrow depth refrigerator is 22% more energy efficient that a comparable R134a unit, and has a refrigerant charge of only 3oz (85g) of R290. In anticipation of the widespread uptake of hydrocarbon technology, True Manufacturing has made significant investments in contractor training and in communicating the benefits of R290 to its US customers.

MTL Cool: according to company representatives MTL Cool will launch R290 versions of its horizontal double door freezer and double door vertical cooler this year, following demand from leading end users.