Industrial CO2 Refrigeration in the Market | Inditer

Natural refrigerants have always existed, but it is in recent years, with F-Gas restrictions, that they have taken a step forward, becoming fundamental in the commercial refrigeration market and Industrial CO2 Refrigeration.

Its low global warming potential (GWP), its zero ozone depletion potential (ODP), combined with its properties and the advancement of the technology that accompanies it, which we will detail later, make industrial CO2 refrigeration systems an ideal companion for a large number of projects demanded today.

INDITER offers the widest range of products in Evaporators, condensers (subcritical), Desuperheaters, as well as Gas Coolers, all of them specific products for CO2 – R744.

 

Benefits of CO2 in Refrigeration Processes

Why CO2 – R-744? The main advantages are as follows:

 

Natural Refrigerant

• High-safety refrigerant. It has no effect on the ozone layer and a very low greenhouse effect.
• It is a gas that we find freely in the atmosphere without the need for it to be manipulated to obtain it. It occurs naturally from the combustion of hydrocarbons or carbon.
• Its state can be modified, that is, it can change from solid to liquid.
• This gas can be applied to industrial refrigeration air installations (especially in subcritical and transcritical phases).

(European Parliament Regulation on gas emissions by companies)

Non-flammable and Odorless

• Safety classification type A1 L1.

High Refrigeration Performance – High Heat Transfer

• Thanks to the design of industrial CO2 refrigeration systems, they achieve high performance and high heat transfer.

Low Cost and High Availability

• This is because it is present in numerous industrial processes (it is not created specifically for refrigeration, as is the case with synthetic refrigerants (HFC, HFO).

High Pressure at Freezing – Deep Freezing Temperatures

• It allows operation above vacuum at temperatures between -30°C and -50°C.

 

What Does Industrial Refrigeration with CO2 Consist Of?

The operation of industrial CO2 refrigeration systems is basically the same as we can find with fluorinated refrigerants. What is the main difference?

The main difference lies in its low critical point (close to 31°C) and its very high working pressure (73.77 bar for this critical temperature).

This means that the fundamental components (Evaporator, Compressor, Gas Cooler – Condenser and Expansion Valve), as well as the rest of the auxiliary components (valves, tanks, filters, ejectors, etc.) must be adapted to these high pressures. The order of magnitude is 120 bar for high pressure and 60 bar for low pressure.

CO2 Compression Temperature and Pressure

The location of the installation and therefore the ambient temperature largely determines the refrigeration cycle in which the installation will operate. We distinguish two systems:

Subcritical CO2 Refrigeration

The working pressure (compressor outlet) is below the critical point. In these cases, it is a subcritical CO2 condenser, with the refrigerant entering the condenser in gas phase and leaving in liquid phase. There is a phase change, condensation.

Transcritical CO2 Refrigeration

The working pressure (compressor outlet) is above the critical point (73.77 bar). The product for this type of installation is called a GAS COOLER.

In a Gas Cooler there is no phase change, there is no condensation. It undergoes large density variations in this area of the P-h diagram, with typical maximum working pressures (summer) of 90–100 bar.

This highly efficient component is manufactured under design conditions of 120 bar, whether in K65 or Stainless Steel, undergoing exhaustive quality controls by INDITER.

 

Types of Industrial CO2 Refrigeration

We distinguish two types of industrial CO2 refrigeration, also valid for commercial CO2 refrigeration, depending on whether it is an installation with a single refrigerant or if another one complements it:

CO2 Booster Refrigeration

Only CO2 appears in the installation. This type of system involves more than one stage of R744 compression. Some cycle improvements currently used (mainly in warm climates where performance decreases) include the use of parallel compressors and multi-ejectors.

Cascade CO2 Refrigeration

CO2 appears accompanied by another refrigerant (HFC, HFO, Ammonia or glycol in a secondary circuit) lowering condensing pressures.

 

The Best Refrigeration Systems at Inditer

INDITER masters the entire design process, from thermodynamic calculation, 3D design and component manufacturing, using first-quality raw materials and subjecting the heat exchange equipment involved in industrial CO2 refrigeration systems to the strictest quality controls.

The extensive experience and absolute versatility in providing solutions to the most complex projects make Inditer the ideal company to guarantee excellent performance of your refrigeration installation.

If you are interested in acquiring one of our heat exchange systems, please visit our website.

For any questions or inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at 957 66 41 42 or email comercial@inditer.es.