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They were generally cautious of leakage problems associated with DX systems. As a result they opted for Carter’s factory-assembled water-loop systems, requiring no work on site.”
The hydrocarbon water-loop system, in light of the refrigerant’s superior thermodynamic properties and lower density, is approximately 16% more energy efficient than comparable HFC models.
To date, Carter has built over 20,000 of the systems throughout Europe. It has also moved into Asia, laying the foundations for a significant market shift in Australia and New Zealand.
“For us hydrocarbons are very good refrigerants, better refrigerants than any of the HFCs we used to use, in terms of capacity, in terms of energy efficiency,” Garvey says. “So because we’ve designed the system correctly, manufactured correctly, there’s no real chance of anything going wrong with a hydrocarbon system. It would have to be something going wrong with the training.”
NOW FOR AUSTRALIA… The company is excited about the potential to develop strong relationships with Australia’s major food retailers. The depth of their enthusiasm was clear to see.
Most systems in the UK use a mechanically chilled water loop to maintain the compressors at maximum temperatures, using what Garvey describes as ‘free cooling’. Essentially this means that when the ambient temperature falls below 17°C, no mechanical cooling is required.
“Some of the most advanced retailers in the world are here in Australia. What they’ve done with the cascade [CO2] systems actually predates many other markets, so they’re getting ahead of the curb of legislation,” Amos says. “So that’s another pull to be down here.”
The simple design of the system’s dry air cooler allows water levels to float with the ambient temperature. “We can drop down to 10°C but still go up to 35-40°C,” Garvey says. “In higher ambients, that can affect the efficiency of the compressors but on the whole it’s fine. There haven’t been any issues.”
Hydrocarbons are used for all plug-in showcases at Coles’ state-of-the-art Coburg North store, a retailer Carter had been negotiating with for a couple of years. An adjacent Liquorland store, operated by Coles’ parent company Wesfarmers, runs on a closed-loop condenser water-loop system with three propylene (R1270) showcases, each with an 850g charge and an adiabatic spray system.
The lack of maintenance required is another key benefit of the system. It essentially only requires basic water treatment every six months or so. “It’s actually just water treatment. From the cabinet point of view there is nothing to be done,” Amos says.
The company recently secured further business with Coles, while talks about its hydrocarbon-based water-loop systems and transcritical CO2 solutions are ongoing with
If servicing is required, contractor Melbourne Refrigeration Services is on the ground to assist as it did with installation. “[The partnership] shows the investment we’re making in Australia, because we’re committing to people on the ground here,” Garvey says.
Woolworths and independent retailer IGA.
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“They’re interested. Coles want to do a costing model on a full retail store,” Garvey says. “They also want to look at petrol sites like Coles Express for these hydrocarbon water-loops, and [we’ve] definitely [had] interest from other independent supermarkets as well as independent liquor stores.”
A ‘VERY SIMPLE SYSTEM’ Garvey describes the water-loop system as a very simple system that “gets all your refrigeration done and rejects the heat out of the store”. With few moving parts, the hermetically sealed plug-in system is very much based on a traditional HFC system using R404A or R407, for example.
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Spring 2016 Accelerate Australia & New Zealand
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