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"When a store manager goes to bed at night, he doesn't want to be worrying about the refrigeration system failing," Delventura says. "He wants a quality contractor who knows how to troubleshoot, maintains equipment well, and gives a heads-up when a new preventive maintenance method is available to reduce repairs. Contractors are a valuable link in the chain."

Commercial refrigeration today is anything but mundane. It's filled with promise for contractors who want to succeed and grow. Those contractors will continue to be valued links in the chain, as they continue to keep in step with new developments, rather than resist them..

Technology in Action
Emerson's Technology in Action Conference, held in spring of this year, brought supermarket managers and contractors together to review key factors influencing store operations. Emerson experts and guest speakers addressed issues such as the future of refrigerants, and system design.

Variable Frequency Drive Product Manager, Alex Harvey, said VFDs, especially when used in air handlers, reduce energy demand by more than 50% have rapid paybacks when applied to supermarket HVAC systems. They reduce maintenance costs, and are high quality, reliable, mature technology products. Harvey said a VFD will save the most energy when the existing system has only bypass control; the existing motor is operating at near nameplate amps; the motor runs 24/7/365; and reduced flow is required for a large percentage of time.

Rajan Rajendran, director of applications engineering, provided a thorough examination of refrigerants available to replace R-22.He said R-407A and R-407C are two favorites.

Appal Chintapalli, director of business development and marketing, said efficient equipment, store design, and retrofits are keys to reducing facility costs. Best pratice tools include reducing waste, optimizing performance, and driving business efficiency.

"Contractors can help supermarket customers manage costs by performing complete store assessments." Chintapalli said. Questions to ask include: what are the worst performing fixtures in the store? Are fixtures holding temperature? Is food being kept at the right temperature? What equipment should be replaced? Is the store operating at optimal cost? The answers can be derived from alarm data, temperature sensors, maintenance displays, controller setpoints, compressors, and refrigerant selection.

John Wallace, P.E., director of product management for Emerson Retail Solutions, explored the benefits of maintenance based on actual condition of the equipment. In this new approach,data is collected in real time, fault patterns are identified, and action is defined and carried out.

Perspectives on Change
Stay Cool During R-125 Shortage. There's a global shortage of all types of refrigerants that's affecting most refrigerant manufacturers. In the case of HFCs, it's being caused, in part, by a lack of raw material feedstock. This is particularly true in the case of R-125, a key component in most new blends such as R-410A, R-407C, R-404A, and R-507A. This is happening at a time when R-22 supplies have been phased down by regulatory mandate, and the industry is ramping up its use of replacements, such as R-410A in residential air conditioning, and R-404A in low-temperature refrigeration.

However, the service industry does have some alternatives. The first one is to fully use reclaim services that would allow contractors to recover, clean, and reuse valuable R-22 already in the market. This, in conjunction with a good plan to fix leaks and tighten up systems (among other things), should make existing supplies last a lot longer. A second alternative is to begin using products such as R-427A to replace R-22 in existing equipment. This will keep equipment running at a high level, and free up R-22 that can be used in other systems after it's reclaimed. Please check Arkema's website (arkema.com) for information on how and where to take advantage of our reclaim program.
— Gus Rolotti, director of technical sales and services, Arkema Inc.

Charting a Course. The route to a new energy future is marked by obstacles, risk, and obsurity, but it's not without hope for progress. So the next question for industry is, What can be done? For the private sector perhaps: acknowledge that investment, product development and sales strategy for energy efficiency technology all move forward amid deeply rototed uncertainty. Business action on energy policy wil have the best chance of success if it recognizes the sources of uncertainty and the structure of the ambiguities ahead. Each event will have consequences for itself and most other pieces of the complex puzzle. Decisions on where and how to take action should be reviewed 360 degrees on an ongoing basis.
—John Galyen, president, Danfoss Refrigeration & Air Conditioning danfoss.com

Alternative Refrigerants in Place. The key area of focus for contractors now is the R-22 phaseout and the significant reduction in R-22 supply from 2010 - 2014. Contractors need to take action now, and prepare for this phaseout by getting experience with R-22 alternatives.

DuPont commercialized a new R-22 replacement in Spring 2009, which is called DuPont™ ISCEON® MO99™. We anticipate next generation refrigerants in stationary applications to be widely available closer to a 2020 timeframe. The current HFC's are going to be viable options for many years to come. Visit refrigerants.dupont.com for updates on the development of stationary "next gen" applications and regulatory updates.
— Joyce Wallace, North America Marketing Manager, DuPont Refrigerants.