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Waitrose transitions to
Opteon XP40 refrigerant and saves
By retrofitting the refrigeration systems in one of its stores in Devon ( UK ) from R404A to Opteon XP40 , Waitrose gained up to 9 % energy savings , providing the business with a significant opportunity to lower its CO 2 e emissions and helping to achieve the targets set out in its Carbon Plan . www . refripro . eu
Background
Waitrose , a British supermarket chain with over 336 shops ranging from large supermarkets to service station forecourts , was looking for a way to decrease its carbon footprint dramatically . In 2010 , Waitrose published its Carbon Plan , which clearly documented the business ’ s approach to reducing emissions . The indirect and direct emissions from the refrigeration systems in its shops are a very significant contributor , making this area a prime target for improvement .
In addition to Waitrose ’ s internal plans , on 1 January 2015 , the European F-Gas regulation ( EU 517 / 2014 ) came into force , which from 2020 will ban the use of refrigerants with a GWP of 2 500 or more ( for example R404A and R507A ) in all new equipment and for service in systems with a charge > 40T CO 2 e
(> 10.2kg of R-404A ).
The Chemours Company is supporting Waitrose Supermarkets in its transition from R404A refrigeration systems to low global warming potential ( GWP ) Opteon XP40 refrigerant . By retrofitting the refrigeration systems in one of its stores in Devon from R-404A to Opteon XP40 , Waitrose gained up to 9 % energy savings , providing the business with a
significant opportunity to lower its CO 2 e emissions and helping to achieve the targets set out in its Carbon Plan . This project is also the first major commercial roll-out in the UK of HFO based blend technology for replacement of R-404A in existing equipment .
Opteon XP40 refrigerant
In October 2014 , Chemours commercially launched the Opteon low GWP portfolio of refrigerants to help meet increasingly stringent global HFC regulations , while maintaining and even improving performance compared to incumbent products .
Opteon XP40 ( R449A ), the company ’ s flagship low GWP refrigerant , was introduced as an ideal replacement for R404A . Opteon XP40 is an HFO based blend with a GWP of just 1 282 , which is well below the GWP threshold stated in the F-Gas regulation . Major compressor manufacturers have now approved Opteon XP40 for use as a R404A replacement and XP40 can be found in their compressor selection software . The performance of Opteon XP40 is very similar to R404A with a significant reduction in power consumption under a wide range of operating conditions , making it an ideal candidate for retrofitting existing R404A systems .
Refrigeration system and conversion
The decision was taken to retrofit a typical Waitrose store in Holsworthy , Devon , from R404A to Opteon XP40 . The refrigeration system consisted of two high temperature packs and one
The performance of Opteon XP40 is very similar to R404A , with a significant reduction in power consumption under a wide range of operating conditions . static . guim . co . uk
A typical Waitrose store in Holsworthy , Devon , was retrofitted from R404A to Opteon XP40 .
low temperature pack , all of which were manufactured by Space Cooling Systems in 2004 . All packs use Copeland scroll compressors . The low temperature pack was connected to six in-store cabinets and one cold store . The high temperature packs were connected to 18 cabinets and three refrigerated counters in the store and three cold rooms for storage .
This project is also the first major commercial roll-out in the UK of HFO based blend technology for replacement of R-404A in existing equipment .
Operation and energy performance
The energy consumption of the refrigeration systems was measured for two weeks before the retrofit and then for three weeks after the retrofit had been completed . ColdService ( part of the EPTA Group ) was chosen to perform the retrofit and the first retrofit took place overnight on 12 July 2015 , while the other two packs were retrofitted on consecutive nights without causing any disruption to the trading floor during the store ’ s opening hours . The Opteon XP40 retrofit guidelines were followed and no components or oil changes were required , making the retrofit swift and straightforward .
Analysis of the energy consumption data was performed by Emerson Climate Technologies – Retail Solutions , which revealed that at equivalent ambient temperatures during the monitoring period , the high temperature systems ’ energy consumption was reduced by 8.7 %. For the low temperature system , the energy consumption was reduced by 3.0 %. For the total refrigeration system , this equates to a reduction in energy consumption of 6.6 %.
Conclusion
“ No component changes , no oil changes , and similar system operating parameters made the retrofit very straightforward and fast once the R404A had been recovered . The good cooling performance and lower energy consumption makes Opteon XP40 an ideal retrofit option for R404A systems ,” said Paul Blanch , senior manager at Emerson Climate Technologies – Retail Solutions .
The reduction in energy consumption and the 64 % reduction in the GWP of Opteon XP40 compared to R404A offer a significant opportunity for Waitrose to lower its CO 2
e emissions and help to achieve the target set out in its Carbon Plan .
Danny Ryan , refrigeration manager at Waitrose , who is leading the overall project , commented , “ Reducing our
CO 2 e emissions is a key target and so retrofitting existing R404A systems with a lower GWP refrigerant is a key part of our strategy . Opteon XP40 has helped achieve this by not only reducing the direct emissions of the refrigerant , but also by reducing the energy consumption of the systems .” CLA
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