Hundreds of refrigeration and air conditioning technicians from the Coles Group are currently undergoing hands-on transcritical CO2 training.
The training which is underway in Sydney and will continue in Brisbane throughout July has already been held in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne.
The one day course which is run from mobile training pods includes a wide range of topics from commissioning and CO2 theory through to changing components including compressors and taking oil samples.
CA Group Services provides the training which is delivered by Peter McQueen.
CA Group Services director, Ian Tuena, said there has been plenty of interest in transcritical systems.
He said technicians from City FM, Gordon Brothers, Woolworths and Perth Refrigeration have already completed training.
“It is great to see so many technicians upgrading their skill sets,” Tuena said.
With zero ozone depletion potential (ODP)and a GWP of 1, CO2 (R-744) has become a viable alternative to higher-GWP HFC refrigerants.
Organisations around the globe, especially supermarkets and retail businesses, are showing a lot of interest in CO2. This has given equipment manufacturers opportunities to improve compression, controls and valve technologies which has simplified system management.
While CO2 transcritical systems are already in widespread use in Europe, Emerson expects CO2 adoption to increase by as much as 50 per cent by 2025.