The system comprising of R290 aircooled water chillers with plate heat exchanger and an aircooled condenser were built for indirect cooling and at the secondary side ethylenglycol (30%) has been used. Bundgaard Køleteknik A/S, a Danish manufacturer of air and water-cooled liquid chillers using R290 Propane, has provided the system and the Italian company Frascold delivered the compressors for the system.

Project’s requirements and system’s specifications

The total surface of the area to cool was about 4450m². The engineers had to find the most effective and sustainable way to cool all the common areas of the center as well as the 13 independent units in the rooms.

The system provided included a hydrostation, with a reservoir tank and a distribution pump supplying the 13 ceiling cassettes with 4-ways air throw, and a brazed plate heat exchanger for the ventilation unit.

The ventilation unit equipped with brazed plate heat exchangers should cool the air intake as frequently as possible without activating the supply for the ceiling cassettes. Then the chiller could operate as little as possible.

The cooling unit is controlled by a CTS system so that easy interaction with the ventilation system is possible.

Why use propane as the refrigerant?

Hydrocarbons, and specially propane, represent a very well known and tested natural refrigerant solution. Beside environmental advantages, it has particularly good results for applications working in colder climates. Furthermore, compared with other natural alternatives like carbon dioxide and ammonia, it is extremely competitive in terms of initial investment and shows a very similar refrigeration capacity.

Background: Frascold’s expertise with hydrocarbons

The Italian manufacturer produces currently more than 70.000 compressors per year.
Willing to support the use of hydrocarbons in domestic cooling and refrigeration, they have developed a line of semi-hermetic compressors whose technology is identified by the suffix AXH and dedicated to natural refrigerants. These compressors are suitable to be used with all the most commonly used hydrocarbons (propane R290, propylene R1270, isobutane R600a) and have been technically modified to comply with flammability and safety standards for hydrocarbons.

About Frascold

With more than 70 years of tradition in the industry, Frascold produces compressors for applications in refrigeration and air conditioning. Based in Italy, Frascold has extended its sales network to cover all continents.