Page 42 - Climate Control News September 2021

Variable Speed Compressors
Food retail and food
service segments are the biggestbenefici riesofthelatest technology trends in refrigeration.
A quest for constant innovation
in commercial refrigeration
NIDEC GLOBAL APPLIANCE SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR FOR EMBRACO REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS IN THE ASIA PACIFIC & CHINA, ESEQUIAS PEREIRA, OUTLINES THE BENEFITS OF VARIABLE SPEED COMPRESSORS.
hold refrigeration applications, is now gaining increased momentum in the commercial refrig- eration industry worldwide, especially because of its energy efficiency.
In comparison with a fixed speed compressor, a variable speed has a different type of motor, the BLDC (brushless direct current) motor, also known as ECM (electronically commutated motor). An- other difference is that this motor works connected with an electronic device called an inverter.
The inverter controls the motor, making it ro- tate at different speeds, according to the target- ed cooling load, decreasing it when the ideal temperature has been achieved and increasing it when there is need for more heat removal.
Thanks to these characteristics, variable speed compressors have significant advantages over the fixed speed ones (also known as on-off), and here we list them in the perspective that matters the most: the end user’s perspective.
Energy saving. A traditional fixed speed (on- off) compressor operates at a constant speed, continuously switching on and off to meet the
ENERGY, ITS PRODUCTION and availability are not only fundamental for any country’s economy and for the health of any population, but are also a global environmental issue.
The same happens with refrigeration: it is vital for food preservation and economic develop- ment, as well as for medical and scientific pro- gress. But it is also a major energy user: the esti- mate from the International Institute of Refrigeration is that the sector (including air conditioning) consumes about 17 per cent of the overall electricity used worldwide.
So, while countries such as Australia are imple- menting recovery plans after the Covid 19 pan-
demic, a focus on energy efficiency can bring eco- nomic and environmental benefits, since it reduces energy bills as well as CO2 equivalent emissions.
The good news is that there are refrigeration technologies that can be a great contributor for that in food retail and food service segments.
Refrigeration is a highly technological sector and energy efficiency is among the top priorities in the constant quest for industry evolution and innovation.
In this path towards evolution, we may say that one of the biggest trends is the use of varia- ble speed in compressors (VCC technology), which, after proving its advantages and becom- ing mainstream in air conditioning and house-
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