Largest Opteon™ Low-GWP
A2L Refrigeration Installationin the UK for Cold Chain
Applications
Nationwide Produce in Partnershipwith SK Refrigeration Heating andCooling, Wolseley and Chemours

Benefits of Moving to Low-GWP A2L Opteon™ XL40
72% increase in Capacity
76% reduction in TEWIIntroduction to End User
Nationwide Produce PLC is one of the largest, longest established, and most diverse produce companies
in the UK. Group turnover for the financial year 2021-22 was £144m – 61% of this was produce theybought from outside the UK. They grow it, grade it, pack it, trade it, import and their customers are in
every sector of the market – food service, catering, processing, wholesale, export, and retail – and want
to be able to buy a full range of veg, fruit, and exotics from around the World every day...whatever thecircumstances. They provide this service to over 1,000 customers throughout Europe every day of theyear.
“Whether you’re a caterer or a processor, or require potatoes or pomegranates, we’re here to serve you!“

Project Overview
SK Refrigeration Heating and Cooling recently commissioned cooling circuits to five storage chambers(17,000 m³) area using a modern, energy efficient and reliable refrigerant.
The solution was a formidable win for installations with large charge sizes, utilising c.600 kg ofOpteon™ XL40 over 11 separate systems.
To complete the refurbishment, the next phase of the project is the subject of this case study which
covers an expansion to the marshalling area (8400 m²) with an additional charge size of 225 kg
Opteon™ XL40. It incorporates three circuits, designed with c.90 kg per system, including a separate
perishable fruits storage room.
The total charge size on site is c. 825 kg Opteon™ XL40.
This case study demonstrates the practical application and solution of applying large charge sizes of
A2L refrigerants to large commercial cold storage installations, whilst, maintaining compliance withEN378 and PED / PES(R).

Project BackgroundToday it is well known that the pressure on refrigerants from F-Gas regulations and the drive to reducecarbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) will require systems to be designed with Low Global Warming
Potential (LGWP) refrigerants in mind. Failure to do so will result in quota levels severely limiting theamount of refrigerant available for new installs and maintenance, as high-GWP refrigerants will use adisproportionate amount of the quota and will consequently be very expensive.

Download ourCase Study here.

2Currently, the plan is to further reduce quota by 69% from the 2015 baseline in 2024. Add to thisthe possibility of:
1. Additional cuts to quota in 2024 as proposed by the F-Gas review.
2. The expected exponential increase in heat pump installations in the UK/EU.
3. The inclusion of metered dose inhaler requirements into the quota.
All these factors make it clear that our industry has to rapidly adapt and adopt low-GWP solutions.
Global events in 2022 added further pressure on the choice of refrigerants available both throughthe cost and supply of energy and the Actual Global Warming (GWA) impact of the energy consumed,
including the percentage of fossil fuels used to generate this power.
Consideration of direct emissions (refrigerant leakage), indirect emissions (from power supply), andincreasing energy costs is now more important than ever when deciding on equipment specification.
Lower GWP HFO based refrigerants are a recognized and important alternative to HFCs and “IndustrialGas” refrigerants when considered as a holistic solution to the pressures on our industry and society.
Opteon™ refrigerants are low-GWP energy-efficient HFO (HydroFluoroOlefin) blends that provide theneeded performance to replace legacy and interim solutions while reducing direct and indirect carbonemissions. With a GWP of just 238, Opteon™ XL40 represents a sustainable solution while following thelatest climate regulations and contributing to lowering system emissions in the long run. Furthermore,
the refrigerant characteristics allow for large installations, such as industrial cold storage, while
continuing to meet the requirements of EN-378 Safety Standard.
In order to find the right solution for the customer, a project risk assessment was carried out, looking at
criteria such as produce security and system maintenance.
The review also examined sustainability, CapEx, OpEx, system architecture, and ease of maintenanceand aligned everything with end user aspirations for carbon emission savings and green energy
strategies.
Alternative refrigerant solutions were considered as part of this review.
CO2 was rejected due to:
1. Capital cost of equipment and installation.
2. High energy costs (high cost of ownership).
3. The high value of product stored, and the loss of product or quality
proved to be too high a risk in the event of CO2 charge loss due tohigh ambient temperatures.
4. Risk if there are repeated CO2 supply shortages.

3

NH3 was rejected due to:
1. High capital cost.
2. System complexity in this market.
3. Higher operating costs.
4. B2L refrigerant, toxicity.
5. High maintenance cost.

Solution Adopted: A2L Opteon™ XL40

Reducedcapital cost.

Lower operating costs
using energy-efficient refrigerants.

Confidence inmaintaining
stored product quality.

Similar to existingarchitecture and easily
maintained.

Lower environmental impact due to low
energy consumption in a fossil fuel-richenergy supply chain.

Legacy System
GEA – Grasso RC69 reciprocating compressor (2 in total)
4x Evaporators GEA - SGBE 122 (8 in total)
1x remote condenser unit for system 1 & 2Refrigerant R134a 150 kgs per system (300 kgs in total)

Room size
56m x 23m x 6.5m H
58m x 23m x 6.5m H
Volume 8671 m³

Legacy Grass RC69 Compressor and Evaporator arrangement over loading bays..wnership)4

Conditions
Evaporator Temp:-2 °CCondensing Temp:

50 °C

Subcooling:

2K

Total Superheat:

20K
Room Temperature:+6 °C
Age >20 Years

New System
The newly installed system comprised new equipment and circuits, a marshalling area, pipe runs andcharge sizes per circuit.
There are now three systems each consisting of one condensing unit and two evaporators c. 50 kWper circuit:•••

System 1 - 90 meters pipe run - 80 kg refrigerant
System 2 - 80 meters pipe run - 75 kg refrigerant
System 3 - 70 meters pipe run - 70 kg refrigerant

The total charge size for marshalling area is 225 kg (saving 75 kg versus legacy R-134a).

Other Equipment Comprised•••

Six evaporators off KELVION CDK-633-3BE.
Three condensing units off H29-4MI2-30X A2L EXTND HOUSING + ACCESSORIES.
Controls and Accessories• One off main control panel + leak detection panel.
• Danfoss DGS group 1 sensor, Carel EEV driver d, Carel
EVD0000EOO superheat controller.
• Alarm and beacon fitted to each evaporator.

The legacy compressors have a combined displacement of 844 m³/hr compared to a totalof 234.6 m³/hr when using Emerson Stream compressors.

Evaporators
6 off KELVION CDK-633-3BECondensing Units
3 off H29-4MI2-30X A2L EXTND HOUSING + ACCESSORIESControls and Accessories
1 X main control panel leak detection panel.
Danfoss DGS GROUP 1 SENSOR, CAREL EEV DRIVER, CAREL
EVD0000EOO SUPERHEAT CONTROLLER.
Alarm and beacon fitted to each evaporator.

5Total Operational Charge Size Including “5 Chambers” 834 kg

New Condensing Unit Bay and Duel Discharge Kelvion Evaporators

Additional Perishable Fruits Storage Room
An additional volume with specific temperature setting which has been dedicated to banana storage, due
to the relevance of accurate temperature control required of this fruit.

Room size

12 meters x 5 meters x 6.5 meters

Product load

1000 kg daily

Turnaround25%

Temp range

Product Entering +5 °C
Product Leaving +2 °C

Cooling time

24 Hours

Total Load

11.013 kWCharge

9 kg Opteon™ XL40

Perishable fruits room Copland system from the ZX family
A2L compatible Condensing Unit.

Performance and Major FindingsA like-for-like assessment was not realistic as this is a cutting-edge installation with Copelandcompressor technology. A comparison has been made using the characteristics of the new condensing
units against common legacy refrigerants to show performance on a comparable basis.

6Cooling Capacity / kW

COP

11.0

3

10.0

2.5

9.0

2

8.0

1.5

7.0

1

6.0

0.5

5.00

Freon™ 134a

Opteon™ XP40

Opteon™ XL40

Freon™ 134a

Opteon™ XP40

Opteon™ XL40

kg CO2 Equivalent Emissions
4000
3500

Opteon™ XL40 compared toR134a *3000
2500
2000

72% increase in Capacity
76% reduction in TEWI
7% reduction in comparable COP

150010005000Freon™ 134aOpteon™ XP40Opteon™ XL40kg CO2 Equiv. from Leakage per year

* Intermediate refrigerant Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A) included to show
additional overall benefits of moving to LGWP A2L options.

Conclusions
When looking for a practical and efficient solution for large commercial cold storage installations, whilst,
maintaining compliance with current standards and regulations, Opteon™ XL40 (R-454A) can play adecisive role.
This unique application utilizing very large charge sizes of A2L refrigerants has demonstrated that it ispossible to attain significantly better results than legacy HFC systems. Switching to low GWP refrigerant
Opteon™ XL40, not only improved greatly the cooling capacity by 72% but also resulted in a reduction of76% in the TEWI (Total Environment Warming Impact).

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