Frascold upgrades its test laboratory for R290 and CO2 compressors

MILAN, Italy, 15 July 2021: Frascold said it has upgraded its test laboratory for R290 and CO₂ compressors. Making the announcement through a Press release, the company described the laboratory – situated at its production site, in Milan – as one of the most advanced of its kind. The strategic investment plan in the laboratory, it said, includes new testing benches for propane, with an upgraded calorimeter and CO₂ endurance system. The systems, added to the existing test benches, make the testing room an authentic centre of excellence, the company said.  

The main innovation in the testing room, Frascold said, is the endurance/calorimeter for propane compressors, which allows different performance parameters to be tested and new prototype components to be checked for efficiency. The company described the set up as a system dedicated to personnel safety, thanks to the numerous measures adopted, such as installation outside the building and the use of only ATEX components. Another advantage of the laboratory, the company claimed, is the possibility of using a single system to test a broad range of sizes of semi-hermetic compressors – from 30 to 300 m³/h, which correspond to cooling capacities up to 300kW, as well as other elements, such as the regulator and the flow switch intended for ATEX compressors.

Frascold also pointed out to the calorimeter for carrying out performance tests of CO₂ compressors, in compliance with the two reference standards: UNI EN 12900: 2013, which specifies the rating conditions, tolerances and method of performance data presentation, and UNI EN 13771-1:2017, which covers in detail the performance test methods for compressors, which must be conducted in terms of refrigerating capacity, power absorbed, refrigerant mass flow, isentropic efficiency and the coefficient of performance.

Frascold said it has upgraded its Endurance system for CO₂ with the aim of carrying out life and durability tests on compressors under stress, to replicate real-field operating conditions and, thus, ensure maximum reliability of the entire range of transcritical compressors.  

“With the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of the entire sector and meeting the stringent European and worldwide, which impose a drastic reduction of HFC, the industry-based actors are strengthening the development of systems which use refrigerants with low GWP,” said Marco Perri, R&D and Technical Support Manager, Frascold. “Frascold is one of the promoters behind this change and is investing accordingly in R&D and in its laboratory, with the aim of launching new generations of compressors and testing the existing ones, with alternative refrigerants, whether natural or HFO, capable of meeting the demand for sustainable, safe and high-performance solutions.”

GEA introduces BOCK HGX24 CO2 T

DUESSELDORF, Germany, 08 February 2021: With the new HGX24 CO₂ T range, GEA BOCK is expanding its semi-hermetic CO₂ compressor range with a specialised focus on transcritical applications in the lower capacity range, the company said through a Press release.

Cooling capacities from 5 to 26 kW and heating capacities from 10 to 48 kW offer flexible stationary and mobile use in applications for supermarkets, commercial and small industrial refrigeration systems as well as for air conditioning and heat pumps in buses and trains, the company said. With their CO₂-specific pressure design of up to 150 bar (HP) and 100 bar (LP) and a frequency range of up to 70 Hz, the gas-cooled compressors achieve the highest EER/COP values within their application spectrum – with up to five per cent higher efficiency in standard medium cooling compared to commercially available compressors in this segment. “The new transcritical compressors have proven themselves in extensive internal testing and in numerous field tests with our customers and will be available from February 2021 – equipped as standard with all the necessary features for use with the natural refrigerant R744,” said Manuel Fröschle, Product Manager Natural Refrigerants, GEA BOCK.

According to GEA, the advantages of the new range for planners, investors and operators include significantly reduced energy and operating costs combined with a long service lifetime with low maintenance requirements, a wide range of applications – from medium- and  low-temperature applications to high-temperature heat pumps – with reliable and flexible part load, as well as excellent low-noise and low-vibration running comfort with a minimal oil  carry over rate. The basis for this, GEA claimed, is a CO₂-optimised driving gear design combined with BOCK compressor technology. This includes, for example, the oil pump for a reliable lubrication system even under demanding conditions, including large permissible inclination angles of the compressors.

“Together with the compact dimensions, the low weight of only 116 kg, maximum, as well as standard market connection dimensions, the HGX24 CO₂ T set new standards for transcritical economic solutions for smaller performance requirements in stationary and mobile applications,” Fröschle said. “In this regard, they support the fulfillment of important energy and environmental protection requirements, such as the European F-Gas Regulation or the global Kigali Agreement, and meet strict requirements of European standards and ASERCOM guidelines.”

According to GEA, the new range is now also integrated as an additional module in the free online planning and design software BOCK VAP (compressor selection program) and BOCK CO₂ Tool (system and compressor selection program).

For special subcritical requirements in low-temperature applications with high operating and standstill pressures, GEA said, the semi-hermetic BOCK CO₂ compressor program will offer the specifically designed low temperature cooling variant HGX24 CO₂ LT (Low Temperature) with two motor versions from June 2021.