Energy audit, energy efficiency of refrigeration installations

Indiferent că vorbim de o instalație frigorifică sau mașina cu care facem deplasări, trebuie să urmăm programul de întreținere recomandat de producător. Din păcate, sunt instalații frigorifice care din cauza neîntreținerii corecte se degradează și, în cel mai rău caz, cresc consumurile energetice.

Energy costs represent a significant expense for companies operating industrial refrigeration systems. In new construction projects, substantial energy savings can be achieved by incorporating energy-efficient technologies into the initial design. However, proper maintenance not only ensures a longer lifespan for the refrigeration or air conditioning system but also helps reduce energy consumption.

We can demonstrate that through an audit of a refrigeration or air conditioning system, opportunities to save at least 5% on electricity can be identified. For expanded or renovated facilities, ensuring the efficiency of refrigeration systems can lead to significant energy savings without compromising productivity. Efficient refrigeration or air conditioning systems, developed through proper design, the use of premium efficiency equipment, and the installation of appropriate system controls, along with regular maintenance, ensure long service life and energy savings.

Refrigeration is of significant importance on a national scale. Most systems consume more energy than necessary due to how they are designed, maintained, and operated. Efficiency can lead to substantial cost savings for users: systems typically cost about six times more to operate over their lifetime than to purchase, yet simple measures can reduce energy consumption by approximately 20%.

Savings directly contribute to profit. An energy-efficient system is typically more reliable, leading to savings throughout its lifetime due to fewer repairs and less downtime. More end-users are now considering lifetime costs as an important part of their specifications, and this trend will continue to grow.

Designing energy-efficient systems should help you gain credibility with clients, as an energy-efficient system will reduce their lifetime costs. Adopting these principles will enhance the environmental image of your company and the industry. Efficiency is about applying current knowledge and existing technology. Energy-efficient design is not difficult to achieve; it involves applying the fundamental knowledge of the refrigeration industry.

Most food factories use refrigeration to store raw products and ingredients. Refrigeration can consume large amounts of energy. Often, cooling towers are used in the refrigeration process, which also requires significant amounts of water. Therefore, efficient use of refrigeration can lead to savings in water, energy, and costs.

Refrigerant leaks are an important health, safety, and environmental concern that can also reduce the efficiency of a refrigeration system. Leaks typically occur at flange joints, flexible hoses, and damaged pipes. A reduced refrigerant charge causes the compressor to work harder, decreasing the cooling effect. Using the correct refrigerant charge can reduce cooling costs by 5-10%. A study of 74 refrigeration systems found incorrect refrigerant charging in over 40 of them.

These activities require specialized knowledge and, as such, should always be carried out by an experienced professional. Additionally, it is important to rely on a technician with expertise in the maintenance of refrigeration equipment, as each piece of equipment may have specific features that need to be monitored, and only a technician familiar with the equipment will be aware of these details.

A maintenance plan will be specialized according to your installation, equipment, energy efficiency goals, and more. There are several checks and simple tasks that installers or production staff can perform daily to ensure the proper functioning of the equipment at its best level.

Reducing losses in the cooling equipment

Losses in the evaporator can be reduced by increasing the pressure or temperature of the evaporator. A high pressure/temperature in the evaporator indicates that the system is extracting heat from the product without consuming too much energy. A 1°C increase in the evaporator temperature can improve compressor efficiency by 2-4%.

Properly sized evaporator

A small evaporator may have a lower capital cost, but it may require a larger compressor to handle the load, resulting in higher operating costs.