Emerson announced an expansion of its CO₂ compression portfolio with the development of the company’s first transcritical CO₂ screw compressor purpose-built for the rigors of high-pressure industrial CO₂ refrigeration. The Vilter transcritical CO₂ compressor — developed in response to increasing industry demand for sustainable, safe, and reliable CO₂ refrigeration technologies — will complement the Vilter subcritical CO₂ compressor to comprise a full transcritical CO₂ compression solution. 

The new portfolio is designed to answer the industry’s call for industrial-grade CO₂ refrigeration solutions. Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants continue to be phased down by global regulatory efforts, while increasing occupational safety requirements are impeding the use of ammonia. As a result, industrial operators are exploring eco-friendly alternatives to legacy HFCs and seeking safer ammonia replacements. Although CO₂ offers an ideal combination of sustainability, high-performance, and safety, the industrial refrigeration market has lacked a suitable CO₂ compression solution. To date, CO₂ refrigeration technologies have been based on commercial-grade, multi-compressor strategies, which have been proven overly complex and less reliable under harsh industrial conditions. 

“Building on our legacy of innovation, we have engineered the industry’s first transcritical CO₂ screw compressor — built for heavy-duty industrial requirements and rated for CO₂ transcritical pressures,” said Gary Chafee, business development manager of industrial CO₂ solutions, for  Emerson’s Climate Technologies business. “The new Vilter Transcritical CO₂  compressor is based on proven single-screw compression technology and features a complete packaged solution, including on-board controller, suction valve/strainer, inverter duty motor and an oil management system. In addition, the  transcritical CO₂ compressors are built for maximum flexibility, capable of scaling from single-, dual- and tri-compressor configurations per capacity requirements, all while utilizing the same oil management system and controller.”

The new transcritical CO₂ compressor is designed for the high stage of a CO₂ transcritical system and is engineered and rated to withstand CO₂’s high pressures in transcritical mode. It will be available in seven displacements with a power range from 100 to 800 horsepower per compressor, up to 1600 HP in dual configuration and 2400 in tri-configuration. The subcritical CO₂ compressor is designed for the low side of CO₂ transcritical or cascade systems and is available in 11 displacements with a power range from 100 to 800 horsepower per compressor