Cold Link Africa January / February 2020 | Page 26

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Further step towards a swing
to natural refrigerants
By John Ackermann
he four-member team from South
Africa was another step in the action
plan of the co-operation agreement
signed in 2016 by the Western Cape
Government and the Free State of
Bavaria in Germany. The agreement has
pooled the technological resources and
experiences of various Bavarian
government agencies, GIZ Proklima,
German-based Heat consultants and the
Western Cape Government to reduce
the impact of commercial and industrial
refrigeration/air conditioning on global
warming. Study tours, a two-day
workshop in Elsenburg, Western Cape,
networking on training programmes and
energy efficiency assessment of
refrigeration systems have already been
done as part of the Bavaria – Western
Cape agreement.
The October 2019 visit was to start the
implementation of the many programme
plans formulated during the past two
years.
The South African team had Hennie
Basson (Western Cape Chairman of
SARACCA), Archie Steyn (SAIRAC, Cape
Town), Nompumelelo Masemola (ACRA
Training Centre, Johannesburg) and
Jessica de Villers (engineer, Western Cape
Government). The group was joined
by other teams from Chile, Maldives,
Granada, Costa Rica, Ghana, Malaysia
and instructors from Austria and Germany.
For the first two weeks there was
theoretical and practical training in skills
specific to refrigeration systems charged
with R290 (propane) and R744 (carbon
dioxide). Basic skills in pipe jointing, leak
testing, evacuation, charging and safe
handling of all refrigerants were included.
Theory included classification of refrigerants,
design of refrigeration systems and
components, safety standards for pressure
vessels and pre-commissioning checks.
The teams worked in pairs in doing
practical training in charging of plants
(CO 2 and propane), pipe jointing, plant
commissioning, explosion prevention,
installation and setting of components
and controls.
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The theory and practical training were all
done at the Vocational Training Centre
for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning in
Maintal, Germany.
“The training centre is fully equipped
for practical and theoretical of vocational
training, from the very basics for semi-
skilled, apprentices, artisans and Masters in
refrigeration. The centre has all the facilities
for student accommodation and catering.
Practical training was done on miniature
plants, enough to accommodate several
students at a time. A very impressive and
highly professional facility,” said Hennie
Basson. All safety training in R290 was done
on actual plants.
The college training ended with an
examination, concluding discussion, basic
design of ammonia systems by Barend
Kaltenbrunner of Eurammon and the
awarding of certificates.
The first CO 2 test unit built in the training centre.
A chiller at the Roche plant charged with
150kg of propane (R290) has a cooling
capacity of 25kwR.
T
A group of RAC experts visited Bavaria in October 2019 to gain further understanding
of the global swing towards natural refrigerants.
The study group at the Nordfrost distribution centre.
COLD LINK AFRICA •
January/February 2020