'Propane guarantees safety during the storage phase' '

Rolf Schneider and Dennis Kratschmayer at their booth at the Fruchtwelt Bodensee

The propane cooling brine and heat pumps of Kratschmayer GmbH are special in that they are not affected by the forthcoming market regulations and successive bans on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The installationn will also be operated with the environmentally friendly and natural refrigerant propane (R290) and as a result will not be subject to future tightening of the F-gas regulation. R290 is a natural refrigerant with good thermodynamic properties within the storage temperature ranges typically required for fruit and vegetables, and is characterized in particular by its good environmental properties.

Product quality & system security
As the biggest disadvantage of the use of propane, people often refer to its composition, which demands higher investment costs because of the flammability of the R290 refrigerant. However, the difference between the building and operating costs over the entire service life of such a cooling installation plant compared to that of a direct expansion plant diminish rapidly with the rising refrigerant prices in the future. The separation of refrigeration and cooling distribution drastically reduces the required refrigerant charge. The so-called brine cooling causes smaller temperature differences on the evaporator, which is accompanied by a lower dehumidification and thus leads to better product quality. The compressor type can remain smaller and energy-intensive defrosting cycles are eliminated because the product withdraws less water from the produce. Energy-saving defrosting can cover the remaining defrosting costs. In addition to this, the excess heat can be used for a heating installation or for domestic water heating with the use of a second plate heat exchanger.

The possibility of remote maintenance for inspection, early fault detection, analysis, optimization and troubleshooting can ensure that unnecessary machine shutdowns will be prevented. If a fault occurs, the system can continue to operate in an emergency mode. The consequences are improved efficiency and reduced system downtime. The regulating process includes a freely configurable data logger and a data plotter for recording and analyzing process data. The first evaluations were very positive, particularly because of the high level of installation security, said the management when questioned at their stand in Friedrichshafen.