Projects
Selected chill cabinets have acrylic doors to conserve energy.
In store pipe runs needed to be light because of confined
space and exposure to consumers.
“As part of our environment policy at Woolworths, refrigeration
plants need to be green within due financial consideration and
low on energy usage. Trans-critical CO 2 refrigeration has also
meant our plants do not consume any of that very valuable
natural resource, water. LED lighting in cabinets, double glazed
doors on all LT cabinets and acrylic doors on MT cabinets,
except those with fresh produce, have been introduced to
conserve energy usage, which is a major contributor towards
global warming,” was said by Alex Kuzma of Woolworths
during a tour of the V&A store.
Continuous improvements and added design features have
reduced energy usage of Woolworths stores to an average
The plant room has two similar CO 2 racks.
Artificial ‘hams’ are placed in each cabinet to monitor product
temperatures, which is important to Woolworths and the
consumer.
www.hvacronline.co.za
of 50% of the total store usage. A separate power meter to
monitor the total power usage of the entire refrigeration plant
is a standard feature at Woolworths supermarkets.
CO 2 leakage is a safety concern as it will cause asphyxiation
by replacing the oxygen level in confined spaces. The plant
room, cold stores and freezer stores are fitted with CO 2 alarms
and outside mounted buzzers and lights to indicate levels of
CO 2 by different coloured lights. The plant room sensor also
activates an exhaust fan in the event of a severe CO 2 leakage.
The trading area has no CO 2 sensors. In the most unlikely event
of the entire CO 2 charge of 500kg discharging into the trading
area, because of its size, the concentration will not exceed the
safety limit for human occupancy.
RACA Journal I March 2020
55