When replacing a component, it is generally best practice to obtain its replacement by referencing its part number and installing a component with the same part number. Unfortunately, this is not always possible or practical. Due to the nature of the systems we service, many times we are forced to select a replacement component based on either a cross-reference or by matching its specifications to those of the original component.
R-404A is being used by OEMs in new equipment and also on retrofitted equipment. However, because of its high global-warming potential (GWP), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, has listed R-404A as an “unacceptable” refrigerant in a number of retail food refrigeration categories and in vending machines end-uses.
The case can be made that recovery and reclamation begins with keeping refrigerants in the system where they belong; refrigerant that leaks out into the atmosphere is never going to be recovered or reclaimed.
Thomas Watson, a former ASHRAE president and retired chief engineer at Daikin Applied, recently received the Institute of Refrigeration’s (IOR) J&E Hall Gold Medal Award for his ground-breaking work to improve the efficiency of chillers and industrial heat pumps.
Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is installing a cold chain facility intended to provide cargo and logistics customers with enhanced opportunities to ship perishable items. Expected to be operational this summer, the state-of-the-art transfer facility will give DFW the ability to precisely control warehousing temperatures for customers shipping pharmaceuticals, flowers, and fresh foods. The facility will be operated by AirLogistix USA.
Springtime means many different things to many different people: Love in the air; baseball, golf, and grilling; shorts and sunscreen; a rebirth; a triumph of the dogged determination of life to begin anew after winter. Or, for those in the refrigeration industry, spring of 2017 means just three more cooling seasons until the only R-22 on the market will be what’s available through reclaimers or in individual inventories (a.k.a. stockpiles).
There are times when determining the cause of a system problem can be quite difficult. Those are the times when a “master” technician will shine above the others. There are many qualities that allow technicians to be very good troubleshooters. One of these qualities is the attitude they take to the job and how they approach looking for the problem.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant is gaining increasing industry acceptance in commercial and industrial refrigeration systems in North America, according to a survey conducted by Danfoss. The survey also identified barriers to greater CO2 use in refrigeration.