Baltimore — Commercial refrigeration original equipment manufacturers (OEM) will now be able to utilize Danfoss’ Application Development Center (ADC) in Tallahassee, Fla., for their product testing needs. In December 2025, Danfoss opened an additional chamber in the ADC specifically for the testing of food retail and commercial refrigeration equipment utilizing A3, A2L or non-flammable refrigerants. With refrigerant and energy efficiency regulations necessitating product redesigns over the past few years, this new Danfoss testing facility will enable OEMs to get their products to market more quickly.
Since its opening in 2017, the ADC in Tallahassee has worked with customers to develop and test new HVAC/R products and solutions, with the ability to simulate a variety of environmental and operational conditions. The addition of a testing lab geared specifically to the needs of commercial refrigeration and food retail customers allows Danfoss to address the challenges its customers are facing with the transition to low-GWP refrigerants and help them meet efficiency standards.
“Many of our OEM customers don’t have the ability to test at their own facility,” says Christopher Gangemi, key account manager at Danfoss. “Now customers can send us their equipment for testing. We can also work with them to determine if using Danfoss components with their equipment will enable them to achieve greater energy efficiency.”
Equipment tested in the new chamber includes condensing units, ice cream machines, unit coolers, freezers, racks, glass door merchandisers (GDM) and process chillers. The lab has the capability to test products with up to 5 kilograms of A3 refrigerant or 7 kilograms of A2L refrigerant per unit. Testing setups are ASHRAE-compliant, with air plenums at the top and bottom of the room to reduce air velocity. As part of the testing, an acoustic infrared leak detection system detects refrigerant leaks at LEL (lower explosive limit) standard.
Gregory Handzel is the senior manager of the ADC in Tallahassee. “This new lab will enable us to provide our commercial refrigeration and food retail customers with the support they need to implement A2L and A3 refrigerants safely and effectively,” he says. “They will be able to use our testing results to develop products to the highest standards of energy efficiency and meet their sustainability goals.”
Danfoss engineers solutions that increase machine productivity, lower energy consumption, enable electrification and reduce emissions. The company’s innovative engineering dates back to 1933. Danfoss is family-owned and employs over 39,000 people. Danfoss creates long term value for its customers in more than 100 countries with a global footprint of approximately 100 factories.
SOURCE: Danfoss Climate Solutions