An analysis of the long term sustainability of ammonia chillers will be examined at the 13th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants which began yesterday.
The vice-president of low charge ammonia refrigeration manufacturer, Azane Inc, Caleb Nelson, presented the paper which looks at the life cycle costs of air-cooled, low-charge packaged ammonia as well as ownership costs derived from capital costs, running costs, costs for refrigerant, maintenance, and useful lifespan.
The paper examines the long-term suitability of ammonia chillers for industrial and commercial purposes. The International Institute of Refrigeration event known as GL2018 is being held from June 18-20, 2018 and will make the case for sustainable natural fluids in the heating and cooling sector.
The global event attracts refrigeration industry professionals from all over the world to discuss research and network.
GL2018 encourages migration towards long term sustainable cooling solutions, especially in warm climate countries with a strong need for air conditioning.
Last year, the conference was held in Edinburgh and Azane's parent company Star Refrigeration was a major contributor to the event, delivering nine presentations and inviting delegates to see groundbreaking ammonia and CO2 installations in the local area.
For 2018, American-based Azane Inc is leading the way in the promotion of low charge ammonia refrigeration systems.
Commenting on the event, Nelson said the paper aims to further educate the industry about low charge ammonia and clarify why it is a feasible option for end users to future-proof their cooling plants.
“It also explicitly proves why ammonia is not just the environmentally friendly option, but is also the most viable in terms of life cycle costs,” he said.
Low charge ammonia is still gaining momentum in the US, but Nelson believes there are many opportunities worldwide to migrate existing systems to a natural refrigerant.
“With increased energy efficiency and reliability, zero GWP (global warming potential) and a guaranteed payback within four to eight years, ammonia is an ideal solution following global HFC phaseouts,” he said.
"We are delighted to have been selected to present our knowledge and experience with low charge ammonia at one of the industry's foremost events on natural refrigerants.”
European F-gas regulations, the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and other various HFC phase-down strategies around the world are continuing to drive interest, demand, and necessity for natural refrigerant solutions.
“With the increasing need for global warming counter-measures, reducing the direct and indirect carbon footprint of refrigeration systems is a priority and the most efficient way of doing that is converting from a synthetic refrigerant to a natural fluid,” Nelson said.
His paper directly compares the total cost of ownership of a low charge ammonia system compared to HFC chillers which are currently used to replace R-22 but struggle to provide similar efficiencies.
For event details visit: http://www.gl2018.upv.es