# EPA Meeting Commercial Refrigeration Equipment

10 June 2014

## Agenda  Introductions  EPA update on proposed SNAP rules  Industry concerns – Commercial refrigeration products

– Product definitions

– Implementation date(s)

– Alternate refrigerants

– Building codes and standards

– Energy efficiency regulations 

###  Other business  Adjournment

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions

 Condensing Unit Type

– Remote Condensing
• Condensing equipment (compressor rack, condenser, etc.) is located remotely and refrigerant is piped to and from the display or storage case.



### – Self

- Contained
• Condensing unit (compressor and condenser) is integral to the case. SC cases are charged with refrigerant by the manufacturer.

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions
 Open or Closed Display/Storage Cases

– Open

• Equipment open to the environment, typically using an “air curtain” to reduce infiltration of warm air into the case



### – Closed

• Equipment using glass or solid doors*

*

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions

 Walk - In Coolers and Freezers

– Room types
• Commercial: ~3000 ft2 or less built of insulated panel walls

• Ceiling heights of 8

- 12 ft , but can be as high as 25 ft
• Used for

– Storage of frozen food and perishables

– Prep

- rooms for meat and produce

– Point of sale (with transparent doors on at least one side)



### – Application locations are varied

• Supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, schools, restaurants, small commercial warehouses, food processing plants (these blur the line between commercial and industrial refrigeration applications)
• Mostly located indoors, but can be located outdoors

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions
 Walk - In Coolers and Freezers

– Factors that affect refrigerant application and charge amount

• Room Temperatures

– Range from

- 20 ° F to 55 ° F
• Type of product being stored (maintaining proper relative humidity levels inside room)

– Affects evaporator coil configuration
• Low (air) velocity and high velocity unit cooler coils

– Low velocity for prep rooms / applications with high occupancy

– High velocity for storage rooms
• In supermarkets, 99 percent of the time, unit cooler coils are piped to a remote condensing system

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions  Application Temperatures

– Medium - Temperature
• Sometimes referred to as “refrigerators,” “refrigerated merchandisers” or “coolers”.
• Typically operate above ~32 ° F space temp to hold perishable items at safe temperatures per the FDA Food Code. Evaporator temperatures typically range from 15 ° F to 35 ° F for medium

- temp applications.

– Low - Temperature
• Sometimes referred to as “freezers”
• Operate below 32 ° F space temp, typically closer to 0 ° F, but as cold as

- 40 ° F. Meant to keep products contained within frozen . Evaporator temperatures typically range from

- 35 ° F to 0 ° F for low

- temp applications

. • Some refrigerants used at medium

- temperature do not work for low

- temperature applications (e.g., R

- 134a)

## Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Definitions  Application Temperatures

– “ Ice - Cream ” Temperature
• Operates below

- 5 ° F. space temperature
• This is a DOE designation. Ice

- cream freezers and low

- temp freezers typically use the same refrigerants and may not need to be distinguished from each other by EPA.



### – Other Application Temperatures
• Some products are kept cool at temperatures between 40

– 60 ° F, but are not “potentially hazardous foods” and do not need to be maintained below 41 ° F per the FDA Food Code

– Examples include bulk produce such as oranges, wine, and chocolate


### • These higher temperature applications would typically use the same refrigerants as a medium

- temperature case.

## Clear CRE Definitions are Important  From EPA SNAP Stakeholder meeting (Feb 4th) presentation:

– “Stand

- Alone Reach

- in Coolers” actually = A Self
- contained, closed, medium - temperature (or high
- temp) case

– “Multiplex Supermarket Systems” actually = A remote condensing, medium and/or low
- temperature system specific to supermarket applications.

9

## Implementation Date(s)
 Implementation timeline of new refrigerants must take into account:

– Commercial availability of the refrigerants

– Commercial availability of components (e.g., compressors, valves) that are compatible with new refrigerants

– R&D time for equipment manufacturers to design and test around new refrigerants and components

– Time for regulatory testing and approvals for safety and energy efficiency standards

– Updates to standards and national and local codes to address the use of A2L and A3 refrigerants

– For foam blowing agents

— time required for new equipment and testing for efficiency (R

- value), and other foam properties (e.g., adhesion, dimensional stability, compressive strength, etc.)

## Options for Alternate Refrigerants

Chart developed by Emerson based on industry data R - 410A Like Capacity

R404A & R407/22 Like

R134a Like

GWP Level 400 - 675

< 1500

~600 ~ 300

HFO 1234yf HFO 1234ze R410A

R22 R407A R407C R407F, DR34

0 500 1000 1500 2000 Pressure Or

R32/HFC/HFO Blends R32/HFO

Blends

HFC/HFO Blends R134a CO 2

R404A

DR2, N12, ARC 1 R290 NH 3 A1 – Non Flammable A2L – Mildly Flammable A3 – Flammable B2L – Toxic, Mildly Flam. Qualitative Chart – Not To Scale

R123 - Like ( V.Low Pr.) (3922) R32

R32/HFO

Blends R448A = N40 R449A = DR33 N20

R450A = N13 XP10 R444B = L20 L40, DR7 <15 0

Europe 2022:
• Comm Refrig (GWP 150)
• Multipack refr (GWP 150)

– except primary cascades (GWP 1500)
• Domestic Refrig . already at GWP 150 Europe 2020:
• Comm Refrig (GWP 2500)
• Stat Refrig (GWP 2500)
• All Service (GWP 2500)
• Moveable AC (GWP 150) US 20??:
• Smkt Large DX (GWP <404A) US 20??:
• Reach In Coolers (GWP <R134a, 1430)
• Auto AC (GWP <R134a, 1430) Europe 2025:
• Split AC <3Kg (GWP 750) HDR110,...

## Refrigerant Standards and Codes
Revisions to Support A2L and A3 Refrigerants

## Energy Efficiency Regulations  DOE Energy Conservation Standards for CRE

– Compliance dates in

• Jan. 2010 (Closed self

- contained cases)

• Jan. 2012 (Remote cases and open self

- contained cases)

• March 2017 (All remote and self

- contained cases)

• Jan. 2009 (WICF

— prescriptive design standards)

• June 2017 (WICF

— performance

- based standards)



### – New refrigerants must maintain or improve upon current energy efficiency performance in both remote condensing and self

contained systems

## Questions and Answers