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 R290 system

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.”