Cold Link Africa May 2025 | Page 18

FEATURE

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

WEDNESDAY, 4 JUNE 2025 – ENERGY / ENGINEERING

DAY 1 WILL COVER TOPICS AROUND ENERGY AND ENGINEERING

While refrigeration technology has brought numerous benefits, it also has environmental implications that cannot be overlooked. The production and use of refrigerants, the energy consumption of cooling systems and the disposal of refrigeration equipment all contribute to environmental challenges. Refrigerant emissions: Many traditional refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons( CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons( HCFCs), have been found to deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Although these substances are being phased out under international agreements like the Montreal Protocol, their replacements, such as hydrofluorocarbons( HFCs), still have a high global warming potential( GWP). As a result, there is ongoing research into developing more environmentally friendly refrigerants with lower GWP, such as hydrofluoroolefins( HFOs) and natural refrigerants like ammonia and carbon dioxide. Energy consumption: Refrigeration systems are energy-intensive, and their widespread use contributes significantly to global energy consumption. The energy required to power refrigeration systems often comes from fossil fuels, leading to greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbating climate change. Improving the energy efficiency of refrigeration systems is a critical focus area for reducing their environmental impact. Innovations such as variable-speed compressors, advanced insulation materials and smart thermostats are helping to make refrigeration systems more energy-efficient. Refrigeration engineering focuses on the design, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of cooling systems. It involves a combination of mechanical engineering principles, thermodynamics and heat transfer to create efficient and reliable refrigeration systems.

Time: Topic: Description: Speaker name and bio:

10h00 – 10h45

10h45 – 11h30

11h30 – 12h15

12h15 – 13h00

13h00 – 13h45

Global Warming Routes How To Enhance Efficiency In Hydronic Systems Granting Long Working Life Of this Equipment

Energy efficiency in insulated structures

Thermal fluid systems

Cooling as a Service( case studies and success stories)

Improvement of ammonia refrigeration systems

Global Warming is recognised today as one of the main issues that all governments of the world must be accountable for. To reduce CO2 emissions in our sectors means first producing units that are extremely efficient and reducing input energy for the same amount of cooling or heating energy, and second to produce units for cooling and heating with refrigerant that has low Global Warming Potential. Today the main manufacturers of HVAC units have available many options of very efficient new units but in many cases if such units are not installed in a proper system with a correct design we do not benefit from their efficiency and performances, with the risk to generate bad feeling and bad reference of these new technologies that potentially will reduce market opportunities. Today we would like to provide some fundamental guidelines on how to design a very efficient system granting long life of the HVAC machines.

The subject of this talk will focus on energy efficiency in insulated structures( i. e: cold stores, etc) and modelling the performance of the insulation with increasing ambient temperatures( Climate Change)

With the rapid increase in global energy costs and the pressure to reduce carbon emissions, designers are constantly seeking new ways to improve the energy efficiency of refrigeration systems. Traditional two-stage ammonia systems already provide excellent efficiency in low-temperature applications, but this could be improved if ambient heat sinks are utilized. The high discharge temperatures of ammonia booster compressors provide an opportunity to reject heat directly to the atmosphere. This reduces the induced load on the high-stage compressor and results in lower system power consumption. After reviewing different methods to achieve low-stage desuperheating, it was found that the use of simple evaporative condenser technology may hold the key to cost-effective improvements. This presentation deals with the potential reduction in peak power that could be achieved by introducing a low-stage de-superheating circuit into the refrigeration system design, combined with a high-pressure liquid sub-cooler. Results from a test site are included to review the performance of the evaporative condenser in a de-superheating application.

Luigi Rossettini is a member of the AICARR association and a Director of Aermec Italy. Luigi has been a member of AICARR since 1999. Although the organisation was founded in 1960, AiCARR has always dealt with issues relating to the responsible use of energy and natural resources and the innovation of energy infrastructures, both in residential and industrial buildings. Luigi is currently A director of Aermec Middle East LLC.

Robert Fox – Costing Estimator- Club Refrigeration. Robert Fox is the current President of the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Airconditioning( Since 2022). He is also a costing estimator with Club Refrigeration, He has been in this position since 1994 with the responsibility of designing Cold Stores and Refrigeration Systems, Air Handling Units.

Jannie Potgieter- Jannie currently works at Thermologika as a consulting engineer.

Dawie Kriel- General Manager of Energy Partners Refrigeration. Dawie has Postgraduate qualifications in thermodynamics, air-conditioning and refrigeration with concentrated experience over the last 30 years in industrial refrigeration, drying systems, pack house, cold room and cold chain system design. In addition to the technical responsibility for all mechanical services from plumbing to rational design, Dawie has been appointed overall professional team leader for several multidisciplinary projects in the food and beverage sector. Started and successfully ran MGC Industrial projects from 2004 until 2011 when it was sold to Energy Partners. Since joining EP, I was responsible to build the Refrigeration contracting business through acquisitions and internal growth over a period of three years. Now one of the biggest refrigeration contractors in South Africa, EP Refrigeration is a world leader in outsourced cooling( CaaS) which we have developed over the last 10 years with a growing portfolio of $ 20 million in 2023. Dawie currently leads the refrigeration business as general manager reporting to the EP group CEO.

Hannes Steyn- Senior Director Divisional Representative HRT Region WEMEA | Southern & Eastern Africa – GEA. Hannes Steyn studied Mechanical Engineering at Stellenbosch University and project management at the University of Cape Town. He registered with Engineering Council of South Africa( ECSA) as a Professional Engineer in 1999 and has more than 25 years’ experience in the industry. He is an active member of the South African Institute for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning( SAIRAC) and received the SAIRAC special meritorious service award in 2020. He is also a member of the International Institute of All Natural Refrigerants. Hannes has a keen interest in Heat Pumps as well as energy optimisation and recovery in Industrial Refrigeration Systems.