The Zero Zone ColdLoop CO2 Subcritical System is now available for food retailers who want a reliable, efficient refrigeration system to cool their food display cases, but one that won’t be harmful to the environment and the ozone layer. Retailers now have an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional refrigeration systems, which use large amounts of Freon in the process of cooling, according to North Prairie, Wis.-based Zero Zone. The new ColdLoop CO2 Subcritical System minimizes the use of HFC refrigerants in favor of CO2, a readily available refrigerant that has a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of 1, the lowest GWP available, and is considered the baseline by which all other greenhouse gases are measured, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Carl Petersen, marketing and advertising manager for Zero Zone, said, “We are pleased to introduce this advanced technology to Zero Zone customers throughout the Americas. We are also proud to announce that our very first installation of this innovative system, at a Whole Foods Market in Southern California (Castro), has received a major recognition from the EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership. That particular Whole Foods Market has been awarded Platinum Certification, GreenChill’s highest level of certification and one shared by only four other stores in the United States.”
The Zero Zone ColdLoop CO2 Subcritical System is a secondary loop system that uses Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as the refrigerant to directly cool the display cases, the walk-in coolers and the walk-in freezers. All medium temperature loads are cooled with re-circulated liquid CO2, and the low temperature loads are cooled with direct expansion CO2. The CO2 is cooled with a cascade condenser utilizing R407A, an HFC refrigerant. The R407A refrigeration system and the entire R407A refrigerant charge is contained within the mechanical room and is at a volume that is a mere fraction of what might be used in a traditional Freon-based refrigeration system. This not only reduces the HFC refrigerant charge, but also the possibility of refrigerant leakage. It is estimated that this new system has a leak rate potential of 5 percent per year, compared to an average 25 percent leak rate for traditional systems. This minimizes the global warming potential of this system and benefits everyone on the planet.
