Orangeburg, N.Y. — Daikin America has partnered with TOPS Friendly Markets LLC to complete the first refrigeration conversion of a U.S. supermarket from R-22 to Creard R-407H. At the TOPS store in Alden, N.Y., 1,200 lbs. of Creard R-407H has been used to provide more than 25 cooling tons in medium-temperature refrigerated cases and displays. It has replaced R-22.
Daikin’s new Creard R-407H refrigerant is an economical, low GWP blend designed for new refrigeration systems and as a replacement for R-22, R-404A and R-507 in existing systems. Creard R-407H has a GWP of 1,380 (Assessment Report 5), one of the lowest GWP options for refrigeration systems, providing a unique combination of outstanding performance while being economical relative to the products it is replacing.
The Daikin engineering team worked closely with TOPS to address the following key requirements:
- A GWP of 1500 to position TOPS with a sustainable solution for the useful life of the equipment in the event of any future climate related regulatory policies.
- Equivalent or better energy efficiency and refrigeration capacity across the entire operating range.
- A close match in temperature, pressure, and volumetric flow rate properties to R-22, in order to utilize the same expansion devices, distribution system, and piping.
- Traditional chemistry, with proven material compatibility with legacy R-22 equipment.
- Cost-effectiveness in long term operation.
After the conversion from R-22 to Creard R-407H, the system was monitored for 3 months (March through May 2018). Throughout the test, data was collected related to operating pressures, temperatures and the energy consumption of the system. The power consumption during the test months when compared to R-22 was 2% higher after the first fill and system shakedown, and then improved to 0.5% lower energy consumption after the controller was tuned. The cooling capacity remained the same between R-22 and R-407H.
TDH Refrigeration performed the retrofit during a single overnight shift, following traditional retrofit procedures.
“We followed the same conversion steps as with other commercially available retrofit refrigerants,” says Bob Randon, president, TDH Refrigeration. “The R-22 to R-407H refrigerant conversion was completed with only a few adjustments required at system EPR valves. Monitoring of equipment operation and product temperatures post conversion have provided good results.”
Tim Bowen, a maintenance manager with TOPS Markets, says: “Creard R-407H is and will be a great help to TOPS Markets’ bottom-line due to its energy efficiency, cost, and requiring minimal changes to our equipment. Since Creard R-407H has demonstrated to be a cost-effective, low-GWP match with R-22, this really becomes a great solution for TOPS Markets as we move forward with our conversion program this year.”
“We feel great about the choice of working with Daikin and Creard R-407H,” adds Chris Watson, director of construction and maintenance for TOPS Markets. “And as far as helping the environment, there’s no comparison at all: Creard R-407H is clearly best in class.”
Daikin America, Inc. is a leading provider of refrigerant gases, Fluoroplastic and Fluoroelastomer polymers and coating materials that are designed to support a diverse set of industries. Daikin America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd of Osaka, Japan. Daikin Industries, Ltd. is Japan’s leading manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and fluorochemical products. For more information, visit www.daikin-america.com.
SOURCE: Daikin