Natural refrigerants trending at Spanish tradeshow

Brand new CO₂ transcritical systems, condensing units and heat pumps are on display alongside solutions with low-charge ammonia and propane at Spain’s biggest heating and cooling show – Climatización & Refrigeración 2017 – in Madrid this week (28 February-3 March).

“The growth of CO₂ is fairly recent. With innovations such as ejectors, we saw the potential to be competitive with CO₂ in Spain,” Alfonso Antoñanzas, managing director of Exkal, told R744.com.

Exkal, a leading manufacturer of refrigeration cabinets in Spain, launched a whole new range of cabinets for CO₂ transcritical systems at the tradeshow.

The company is cooperating with system and component suppliers Advansor, Sanden, Danfoss and CAREL at the tradeshow, all of which are presenting their latest innovations at a series of conferences taking place at Exkal’s booth.

CO₂ products for warmer climates

The market for transcritical CO₂ systems in Spain is evolving fast. Originally dominated by Carrier, new names such as Lennox and Pecomark have now entered the scene.

Pecomark is exhibiting a system specifically designed for warm climate conditions incorporating cutting-edge multi-ejector technology from Danfoss.

Spanish manufacturer TEWIS is presenting a new CO₂ transcritical rack, while parent company Zanotti – part of the Daikin group – is exhibiting its range of CO₂ solutions, propane chillers, and an innovative cascade system that uses propane (R290) and CO₂.

New CO₂ systems for small stores, water heaters

A new condensing unit from Japanese manufacturer Panasonic with a small capacity of 2 HP was officially launched on the European market at the show on 28 February.

Panasonic has previously dominated the Japanese market for CO2 condensing units and is now seeking to do the same in Europe, especially as the trend towards small capacity convenience stores continues.

Portuguese company Centauro, a supplier of CO₂ gas coolers for the European market, is hoping to compete with a new CO₂ condensing unit designed for small store formats. SCM Frigo also exhibited its offering for small stores, the CUBO₂ unit for small and medium capacities, at the booth of parent company Beijer Ref.

CO₂ heat pump water heaters are likewise gaining traction in Spain. Eurofred and Tecno have developed new models drawing on Italian know-how from Enex and Enerblue respectively. They have already made several installations in hotels and large buildings, potentially offering significantly costs reductions compared to conventional boilers in Spain.

Grupo Disco gets natural refrigerant party started

Climatización also saw the debut of an innovative low-charge ammonia system with a maximum refrigerant charge limit of just 10kg, which can be used in a cascade system with CO₂.

Developed by Spanish company Grupo Disco, the system is designed to provide a ready-made solution suitable for high ambient temperatures.

Several propane chillers were also on display at the tradeshow, as well as hydrocarbon-based cabinets.

Background:

Climatización & Refrigeración 2017 is currently taking place in Madrid, Spain, until Friday 3 March.

A total of three exhibition floors are dedicated to heating, refrigeration and air conditioning applications respectively. Alongside the exhibition space, a series of presentations are being held throughout the week, while a dedicated space for training technicians and installers serves to share the latest know-how in the sector.

The Madrid show is hosting over 700 companies and expects to welcome over 40,000 visitors.