Energy Recovery has released new performance data for the PX G1300 pressure exchanger showing how it can improve the efficiency of CO2 refrigeration systems.
The findings demonstrate its successful integration into several existing CO2 refrigeration systems to reduce energy consumption and increase cooling capacity and system stability.
CO2 refrigeration is a leading replacement for harmful hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) systems because it is non-toxic, non-flammable, and has a low global warming potential thousands of times better than HFCs.
While CO2 systems consume less energy than typical HFC systems, their efficiency declines in hot weather, leading to higher electricity costs in the summer.
Many current solutions leverage water to keep up system efficiency in the heat, which creates challenges of water cost, availability, and maintenance. Additionally, refrigeration systems operate within a fixed capacity (design temperature), causing strain during heat waves and potentially leading to system failure.
Results show that the PX G1300 can aid in solving all three problems by increasing energy efficiency and cooling capacity without water.
Findings showed the PX G1300 improved the leading metric of energy efficiency (coefficient of performance) by peaks of up to 30 per cent with as much as 15 per cent in projected annual energy savings.
In addition to energy efficiency, findings estimate the PX G1300 increases cooling capacity for CO2 refrigeration systems by up to 15 per cent at 95°F (35°C)2, providing operational flexibility to safeguard against heatwaves.
Energy Recovery’s vice president of CO2 Ricardo Freitas said the company’s goal is to support the global transition from harmful HFCs to sustainable, low global warming refrigerants.
“With the PX G1300, our customers experience not only year-round energy savings, they also benefit from enhanced system capacity to provide peace of mind from heat waves and a rapidly warming climate,” he said.
“The PX G1300 is an innovative application of our leading PX Pressure Exchanger for desalination that offers a simple and cost-effective energy saving solution for CO2 refrigeration, easing the transition to sustainable refrigeration.”
Energy Recovery is a global provider of energy efficiency technology.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the company has manufacturing and R&D facilities across California and Texas, with sales and on-site technical support available globally.