/Refrigerated transport/
NATREFS HIT THE ROAD Several European retailers are testing CO2 and nitrogen in trucking refrigeration, as Europe once again leads North America in a natural refrigerant application – By Mark Hamstra
U.K. retailer Sainsbury’s is testing a closed-loop CO2 transcritical refrigerated trailer
he use of natural refrigerant technologies in the transport industry is gaining some traction in Europe, but such systems appear to have a long road to travel before they earn a significant place on the highways of the U.S.
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As is the case with other applications of natural refrigerants, European F-gas regulations are steering companies away from HFCs in the transportation industry, particularly trucking, and leading many toward natural refrigerants such as CO2 and liquid nitrogen. U.S. companies, however, have not been as quick to adopt or even test natural refrigerants in their trucks, despite encouraging results overseas, continuing to largely employ R134a. But system manufacturers see potential for the U.S. market (see story, page 38). Among the larger European implementations of natural refrigerants in trucks was the 2013 launch by Delhaize Group — now part of Ahold Delhaize — of the CryoTech liquid CO2 system from Thermo King in 25 trailers in Belgium, where Delhaize is based. Delhaize has long been among the more progressive retailers in the U.S. when it comes to energy efficiency and
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natural refrigerant technologies at its Hannaford Bros. and Food Lion stores. Although Delhaize has cited multiple benefits from the CryoTech system, the small number of other end users in the Belgian market has left the company hesitant about expanding its use beyond the 25 trailers it already has in its 700-trailer fleet. “Further fleet expansion with CryoTech trailers depends largely on the availability of filling stations and a more general usage of this technology in the market,” said Jan Pijls, director of external logistics and transport at Ahold Delhaize, which operates the only filling station in Belgium Pijls said expansion of the technology in the market could help reduce the investment cost of the CO2 trailers, which are about 20% to 30% higher than traditional trailers. The lack of CO2-refill infrastructure in Belgium is “the weak link in the system” agreed David Schalenbourg, director, technical department, Ahold Delhaize’s Belgium division, who noted that