CONTRIBUTORS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
The case for R717
(ammonia)
By Dawie Kriel – head of EP Refrigeration (a division of Energy Partners)
We take a look at why South Africa’s refrigeration industry should get behind
ammonia-based refrigerants.
G
sustainable solutions. There are many Ammonia stands out as the refrigerant
are fast becoming the natural refrigerants available to the with the most potential to replace
most viable substitute to market today, but the three best- synthetics completely in the industrial
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and known options at this stage, especially hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for industrial and retail refrigeration applications in the years to come.
as the world moves towards more systems, are ammonia (R717/R723), CO 2
environmentally-friendly and
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
increasing in cost and decreasing in
availability as governments around the
these refrigerants. Ammonia has no
ozone depletion potential, a GWP rating
of zero, great thermodynamic properties
resulting in high energy efficiency, and
is the best refrigerant for larger systems.
It is also the natural refrigerant system
with the most technical support in South
Africa, since ammonia-based systems
have been utilised locally, in some form
or another since the early 1970s. The
life cycle cost (which includes capital
cost, energy cost and maintenance
cost) of ammonia systems is also up
to 20% lower than traditional synthetic
refrigerant systems.
The advantages of this for the South
African market are clear. What we need
now, is for the companies and individuals
Industrial ammonia plant’s chillers up close.
34
(R744) and Propane (R290).
CFCs and HCFCs are rapidly
world are working towards phasing out
Dawie Kriel is a professional
engineer with a masters degree
in Mechanical Engineering.
He started his career in
Refrigeration in 1989 doing
research at the University of
Stellenbosch. Since then,
he has worked in the mining
industry before joining the
consulting industry in 1993.
After 17 years as a consultant,
he joined Energy Partners to
help build their Refrigeration
division. He has been with EP
for the last nine years and is
currently a director of Energy
Partners Refrigeration with
a growing team of 220 staff
managing cooling assets
exceeding R90 million.
lobally, natural refrigerants
that already have experience in this
COLD LINK AFRICA •
OCTOBER 2019