A spiral freezer plant at a Grimsby fish processing facility is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK to be converted to operate on the new high efficiency HFC refrigerant, R407F.
The conversion, from refrigerant R22, was carried out by Coldstar Refrigeration at Young’s Seafood Grimsby facility, and supplied with the A-Gas refrigerant Genetron Performax LT by Climate Center.
From the end of this year, the use of R22 when servicing existing plant is finally being phased out, so plant running on R22 must either be replaced or retrofitted to run on an alternative.
R407F is a blend of three fluids, R32, R125 and R134a, and has an operating pressure similar to that of R22. The non-flammable gas is suitable for use in both medium and some low temperature commercial refrigeration applications.
Its makers claim it can reduce refrigeration energy use by up to 15per cent, cut CO2 emissions by up to 40per cent, and reduce overall operating costs by up to 10per cent. The gas also requires fewer plant modifications than other R22 alternatives.
The spiral freezer system at the Grimsby plant is based on a two-stage Grasso compressor with liquid injection, with a cooling capacity of around 80kW. The stand-alone system freezes fish fillets following processing, for storage or onward delivery.
Climate Center’s national sales manager for refrigeration, Robert Franklin, said: “The project is an excellent example of how R407F can extend the life of valuable plant and equipment currently dependent on R22. It offers a practical and cost-effective solution in wide range of applications.”
Following the success of the project, the contractor has been commissioned by Young’s Seafood to convert the facility’s central refrigeration plant to run on R407F. This substantial project involves the main plant at the site, which provides cooling for all the storage rooms. It will require between 700 to 1000kg of R407F.
The collaborative project is being headed up by Jay Burton of Coldstar, Zach Wynne of Climate Center, and Roger Smith of A-Gas.