Page 38 - Climate Control News November 2021
P. 38

                 Product Focus
   Case study: Putting compressors to the test
IN THIS CASE study, tests were carried out us- ing an Embraco variable speed compressor in a vertical supermarket freezer. The results showed a 41 per cent saving in energy compared to a high efficiency fixed-speed model.
The results were presented at ATMO Europe by Embraco, a portfolio brand of Nidec Global Appliance.
The case study was undertaken in partnership with Epta, a multinational group specialising in commercial refrigeration for retailers and a long- standing customer of Embraco.
Nidec Global Appliance senior advisor, Mari- no Bassi, presented the results.
“The results show that the commercial refrig- eration industry can deliver great energy savings to retailers and, consequently, a better total cost of ownership, with the migration from fixed speed compressors (also known as on-off) to var- iable speed,” Bassi said.
Epta research & development laboratory man- ager, Marco Solimeo, said compressors make a big difference when it comes to energy efficiency and customers deserve clear comparisons be- tween different solutions.
“Competition will drive Original Equipment Manufacturers to use high efficiency compo- nents and variable speed compressors have a key role to play here,” he said.
According to an official study made by the Eu- ropean Commission, electricity running costs ac- count for 60 to 80 per cent of the life-cycle costs for all types of commercial display cabinets.
“That is why case studies like this one are so important, they show how much difference the compressor makes,” Bassi said.
The case study with the vertical freezer tested a selection of compressors and it was the Embraco FMFD model that achieved the best results.
The product is part of the FMF portfolio, the most energy efficient commercial refrigera- tion compressors line-up in its category of cooling capacity.
The FMFD achieves a maximum displace- ment of 15 cc however equivalent to 21 cc, due to its high speed feature. It is also bivolt, which means it operates in 110V and 220V.
In the case study, the model was controlled by Embraco Smart Drop In, a control logic software
ABOVE: Embraco said compressor selection can make a big difference to cooling performance.
ABOVE LEFT: Testing was undertaken with a vertical supermarket freezer.
BELOW: The Embraco FMFD model achieved the best results.
that deploys variable speed compressors with on-off thermostats.
Another relevant feature of this compressor is that it runs on R290, a natural refrigerant with no ozone depletion potential and global warm- ing potential close to zero.
As nations worldwide release or review their regulations and action plans in order to fight climate change, the type of refrigerant gas used in commercial refrigeration equipment is gradually becoming a very important decision.
In the same presentation, Embraco and Epta showed yet another case study, with an ice- cream freezer, a kind of application also known as merchandiser.
In this case, the best result achieved was 24 per cent energy savings, using an Embraco FMX compressor.
“Amongst merchandisers, the adoption of variable speed technology is still at a very low level. We wanted to show with this case study the excellent results in terms of energy efficiency using Embraco variable speed ‘en- try level’ compressors which can pave the way for the adoption of variable speed tech- nology as a standard solution for merchan- disers,” Bassi said.
The solutions used in the second case study also used a natural refrigerant, namely R600a.
“More stringent requirements on energy sav- ings are expected from regulations worldwide, reinforcing energy efficiency as a hot topic in commercial refrigeration for now and in the years to come,” Bassi said.
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