European Supermarket Refrigeration Systems Eco-Efficiency Considerations

Fluorinated hydrocarbon refrigerants have especially in Europe been drawn into the focus of the public debate concerning the background of reducing greenhouse active substances. This debate concentrates mainly on the GWP (Global Warming Potentials) properties of the substances. To step forward from a material based discussion to a useful dialogue about substances in their respective applications a broad investigation of the relevant systems has to be carried out. This examination should consider the whole life cycle of the application and should refer to ecological as well as to economical aspects. A possible approach to attain this goal is the concept of eco-efficiency. Within this study the eco-efficiency of 6 different concepts of supermarket refrigeration has been examined and compared. The used refrigerants are R134a, R404A, R717 and R744. The data used for the survey are based on a broad knowledge of the advisory board from refrigerant-, componentand controls-manufactures, plant constructors and supermarket operators and supplemented by real facility data. The results of the investigation illustrate, that the main drivers for ecological and economical performance are the energy consumption of the refrigeration unit and the loss of refrigerants during operation. The study is able to identify the most eco-efficient refrigeration system and also shows optimisation potentials through the investigated facilities. This paper summarises the results of the project and shows different variations especially with respect to the optimization potentials.