Peter Terry, head of maintenance at John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose, the British retailer that has been rapidly rolling out hydrocarbon-based HFC-free refrigeration systems, has formally opened WR Refrigeration’s new HFO/HC/CO2 European Training Academy near Birmingham, UK.
Committed to a total HFC phase-out by 2020, Waitrose now has 67 HFC-free stores representing 25% of their total estate, according to the 2012 ‘Chilling Facts’ report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which evaluates food retailers’ progress in adopting HFC-free refrigeration.
The new training centre will enable engineers to be trained and get hands-on experience in low global warming refrigerants, allowing them to service the ever expanding installed base of systems.
The Training Academy’s equipment
Alongside the centre’s existing CO2 refrigeration system, the Academy is now further equipped with an integral refrigerated display cabinet running on hydrocarbon refrigerant R1270 that is linked to an HFO water chiller, enabling engineers to be trained in the new generation of low global warming refrigerants.
The CO2 and HC systems are linked in a cascade arrangement with the HFO chiller, which provides chilled water as a condensing medium for the transcritical carbon dioxide plant and hydrocarbon integral display cabinet.
Hence, “the facility enables end users and engineers to get first hand, practical experience of how the different systems work together and interact”, according to Patrick Mullins, WR Refrigeration’s business development and marketing director.
WR to offer City & Guilds hydrocarbon qualification
Already offering a course on CO2 refrigeration, WR Refrigeration will offer hydrocarbon refrigeration short course qualification developed by the vocational awarding organisation City & Guilds together with the industry (Award in Hydrocarbon Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump System Installation, Servicing and Maintenance).
The new training centre will enable engineers to be trained and get hands-on experience in low global warming refrigerants, allowing them to service the ever expanding installed base of systems.
The Training Academy’s equipment
Alongside the centre’s existing CO2 refrigeration system, the Academy is now further equipped with an integral refrigerated display cabinet running on hydrocarbon refrigerant R1270 that is linked to an HFO water chiller, enabling engineers to be trained in the new generation of low global warming refrigerants.
The CO2 and HC systems are linked in a cascade arrangement with the HFO chiller, which provides chilled water as a condensing medium for the transcritical carbon dioxide plant and hydrocarbon integral display cabinet.
Hence, “the facility enables end users and engineers to get first hand, practical experience of how the different systems work together and interact”, according to Patrick Mullins, WR Refrigeration’s business development and marketing director.
WR to offer City & Guilds hydrocarbon qualification
Already offering a course on CO2 refrigeration, WR Refrigeration will offer hydrocarbon refrigeration short course qualification developed by the vocational awarding organisation City & Guilds together with the industry (Award in Hydrocarbon Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump System Installation, Servicing and Maintenance).
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Aug 21, 2012, 12:58
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