The use of natural refrigeration systems is getting ever more popular in the food retail industry. Due to different environmental regulations aiming to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and the growing cost of HFC refrigerants, adopting sustainable solutions is the best way forward. However, natural refrigerants’ popularity doesn’t come without apprehensions and worries among retailers. This blog aims to clarify [...]
The fight against global warming has been a long-standing crusade for many decades now. Today, the push towards curbing global warming and eradicating climate change is deeply visible in the media, government campaigns, and often included as part of corporate responsibility initiatives. These environmental efforts are so prevalent and already deeply ingrained in our culture that one may ask, “What’s [...]
Natural refrigerants are found to be viable alternative refrigerants when it comes to industrial applications. First, they are energy-efficient due to their thermodynamic properties. Additionally, they offer a lower total cost of ownership than their synthetic counterparts, such as HFCs. More than that, natural refrigerants are safer for the environment since they have little or no global warming potential (GWP) [...]
Since the early 1900s, ammonia has long been used as a major refrigerant in industrial refrigeration. Due to its thermodynamic properties, ammonia (NH3, R717) is used as a common refrigerant for large-scale, industrial applications and considered as a foundation for food processing and cold storage. As the use of natural refrigerants evolves, and through the advancement of technology in the [...]
In the mid-19th century, carbon dioxide was being used as a reliable and efficient refrigerant. However, with the introduction and wide use of synthetic refrigerants, such as HFCs and CFCs, the utilization of CO2 in industrial and commercial refrigeration decreased. Today, new refrigeration regulations are in place with the goal to reduce the use of harmful refrigerants. As a result, [...]
As the food retail industry seeks alternative refrigerants beyond HFC’s due to environmental concerns, it is sensible to focus our attention on the increasingly viable alternative which is R290, or commonly called Propane. As a refrigerant, R290 has not caught on as quickly in North America, but it is frequently used in other parts of the world. For example, in [...]
The new California Air Resources Board (CARB) refrigerant regulations approved in December 2020 are expected to lead to increased adoption of natural refrigerants in the industry. Given the nature of the new regulations, which encourage the use of refrigerants with a low Global Warming Potential (GWP), natural refrigerants fit the bill. The new CARB regulation is in accordance with CARB’s goal [...]
Rising sea levels, the slow erosion of the earth’s ozone layer, and the threat of global warming have enacted environmental policies in different industries around the world. The commercial refrigeration industry is no exception. Ever since the Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol were put in place to protect the stratospheric ozone layer and reduce greenhouse gas emissions respectively, several states [...]
Ever since the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment, the search for the most sustainable refrigerant expanded in the commercial refrigeration industry. Historically, refrigerants like Ammonia, Propane, and most especially Carbon Dioxide (CO2) have been widely used in the 20th century. Although CO2 is one of the most benign refrigerants, many were hesitant to consider it as a viable option due [...]