Carrier Refrigeration UK Ltd. recently installed a CO2OLtec® transcritical booster carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigeration system in an ALDI retail distribution centre (RDC) in northern England; the first CO2OLtec system to be installed within a UK distribution centre. The environmentally sustainable CO2OLtec concept uses a natural refrigerant and reduces CO2 emissions. To date, Carrier´s more than 400 CO2OLtec installations have reduced CO 2 equivalent emissions by 115,500 tons, with their operation being equivalent to the removal of 33,800 cars from the road.
The ALDI distribution centre installation marks a new area of application for the CO2OLtec system and is the first ALDI RDC to utilize this technology.
Refrigeration to the site is provided by two sets of transcritical CO2 booster racks selected from Carrier's standard product range with remote gas coolers located adjacent to the plant room. Low- and medium-temperature refrigeration is provided to storage rooms covering an area of more than 5500 m2. Frequency-controlled compressors, electronically-commutated (EC) fans and intelligent controls work together to ensure that maximum energy efficiency is achieved. The installation, which included the removal and replacement of an existing R22 system, was fully managed by Carrier, which also carried out main contractor's duties under the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM).
"We are proud to provide ALDI with sustainable CO2OLtec refrigeration technology, which will help reduce carbon footprint and realize significant savings based on energy usage," said Jim Whelan, managing director, Carrier Refrigeration UK Ltd.
The heat transfer properties of the refrigerant CO2 enabled a significant reduction in copper pipe sizes and refrigerant charge on-site, compared to conventional refrigeration systems of comparable size. This allowed for an easier, cost-effective installation. The site, which is remotely monitored by Carrier's e*service centre, will also yield life cycle cost savings compared to traditional hydroflourocarbon (HFC) systems.
