Readily available from stock and typically produced in large volumes, condensing units provide an economic solution for serving refrigeration loads in grocery stores.
Traditionally, condensing units were designed for indoor use, focusing on the small end of refrigeration capacities. Today’s condensing unit offerings have evolved into comprehensive portfolios, covering refrigeration capacities up to 100 kW while addressing emerging retailer needs including efficiency, space and noise emission requirements.
Three basic refrigeration unit concepts help retailers to integrate condensing units into their store design in a perfect way: indoor, outdoor and receiver units. Outdoor units have the benefit over traditional indoor units of optimizing vending area inside the store. At the same time they benefit from higher efficiency due to exposure to lower outdoor ambient conditions. Receiver units combine both worlds. The compressor-receiver set is available pre-manufactured on a frame, designed for indoor use. The outdoor condenser can be separately selected for the right balance between cost, sound and energy efficiency performance.
Emerson Climate Technologies has recently experienced a real boost in popularity for these unit concepts. The success can be mainly attributed to the technology that is common to all three concepts: the use of Copeland Scroll™ compressors combined with the innovation of Digital modulation. Scroll compressors have the advantage of very high volumetric efficiency compared to competing technologies, resulting in very compact designs. Efficiency at the operating point is typically 10 to15% higher than for reciprocating compressors, saving an equivalent percentage on the refrigeration unit related energy bill. Vapour injection technology is today available to further increase efficiency and compactness in low temperature applications. With the introduction of Digital Scroll compressors, the benefits of continuous capacity modulation are moving increasingly into focus. With its extremely wide modulation range, Digital scroll has the potential of replacing multiple individual hermetic condensing units. This again increases system efficiency by 10% and more. As one single unit is replacing a multitude of smaller units, system complexity and hence costs can be significantly reduced. Copeland EazyCool™ Digital Network systems nicely summarize the state-of-the-art of these innovations: up to 4 units are connected hydraulically and electronically, communicating with each other via intelligent LON based controllers to serve a given load in an optimized way. Many of these products qualify under the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme, increasing the Return on Investment.
Emerson Climate Technologies
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