VIDEO interviews: developments in hydrocarbon technology at Chillventa 2014

Bjorn Skattberg, Managing Director of Frigadon introduced the MEGAFROST 130-HC chiller using propylene R1270, a plug-in unit for cooling cold storages. The unit’s charge is 2 kg and it performs 13 kW of cooling at -35°C. Skattberg stresses that this is an easy solution both in terms of installation and usage, which comes pre-tested, and pre-commissioned from the factory with all safety aspects included. In an example, a cold store utilising 5 MEGAFROST units was fully installed and operational within 2 days.

Also presented was a large capacity chiller which is pre-packaged and pre-charged from the factory with 4 kg of propylene (R1270) hydrocarbon refrigerant per socket. It performs 150 kW of refrigeration duty spread out over 12 kg of total charge. In regards to the safety, the chiller features continuous air-flow through the machine compartment to ventilate the unit, as well as a hydrocarbon sensor to pick up a concentration level of hydrocarbons as low as 5%. If a leak is detected a ventilation system is activated with a separate extraction fan, and the condensing fans switch on to full speed. For extremely rare conditions, the unit is equipped with blast panels where pressure is released upwards through the inner ceiling of the machine compartment, so as to not harm anyone standing in front of the unit.



Stephane Charbonnier, Marketing Director of Tecumseh Europe introduced the brand-new AJ² compressor optimised for propane (R290), which features redesigned housing, lower height (268mm) and a cooling capacity between 628 and 827 W in LBP at 50 Hz using propane. The T-Connect, a patented plug and play wiring connector, allows for fewer components at installation. Target applications for the AJ² include: commercial refrigeration display cases, as well as reach-in and walk-in coolers. The AJ technology platform is well established and reliable, with 20 million units running in the field.



Sylvain Lamy, Director of Marketing – Refrigeration for Emerson Climate Technologies presented the company’s full range of fully-hermetic propane (R290) scroll compressors for refrigeration launched this year. The compressors range from 3 kW to 9 kW at medium temperature conditions and can be fitted in parallel. These products are ATEX certified with a dedicated IP65 box, as well as fully-hermetic to protect against potential leaks into a system. Target applications include: medium-temp plug-ins for supermarkets, chillers using glycol as a secondary refrigerant and condensing units for cold rooms.



Fabrice Jallerat, Market Manager OEM of Tecumseh discussed 3 new R290 concepts that Tecumseh is proposing for 2015. The first, for smaller 1-3 door reach-in refrigeration applications, is a complete system including a condensing unit and evaporator using propane (R290) as the refrigerant. The system is pre-charged and features dedicated hydrocarbon components for safety. The second concept, designed for display cases, is a compact, complete system featuring a high-efficiency rotary R290 compressor. The third and largest of the concepts is for cold rooms, which also runs on propane, and features a hydrocarbon sensor for safety which automatically switches off the entire installation in case of leakage, and can also send an SMS notification. Other features include low-noise and easy installation.