Report Systems Comparison

Field Measurements, Evaluation and Comparison of
Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

Final Report

Author: Pavel Makhnatch
Project leader / supervisor: Jrgen Rogstam

January 2011
Stockholm - Sweden

ABSTRACT
Current paper summarizes partial results of the project initiated by Sveriges Energi- &
Kylcentrum in Katrineholm and co-financed by the Swedish energy agency. The project
evaluates the potential of refrigeration systems using carbon dioxide in supermarket
refrigeration.
This report includes the description and analysis of a number of supermarkets using
different cooling systems such as CO
2
transcritical chiller unit, CO
2
transcritical freezer unit,
CO
2
transcritical booster unit, R404A/CO
2
cascade unit, etc.
The collected data cover a long period (varies from supermarket to supermarket and is
more than a year of constant analysis in some cases). The data collected has been
summarized and evaluated in order to reveal the opportunities for improving the design and
regulation of different refrigeration systems.
CO
2
fluid as refrigerant for supermarkets refrigeration systems has been studied in detail
and compared to the conventional HFC-based refrigeration solutions.

CONTENTS
Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 2
Contents ............................................................................................................................... 3
List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 5
List of tables ......................................................................................................................... 9
Nomenclature ..................................................................................................................... 10
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 13
1.1 Description of the project ....................................................................................... 13
1.2 Methodology and Objectives ................................................................................. 14
2. Refrigeration solutions................................................................................................. 15
2.1 Indirect systems .................................................................................................... 15
2.2 Cascade DX systems ............................................................................................ 16
2.3 Transcritical DX systems ....................................................................................... 17
3. Measurements and Evaluation Methods ..................................................................... 18
3.1 Pressure and temperature. .................................................................................... 18
3.2 Electrical power consumption ................................................................................ 20
3.3 Mass flow .............................................................................................................. 23
3.4 COP calculation .................................................................................................... 28
4. Systems descriptions and performance analysis ........................................................ 31
4.1 Supermarket refrigeration system RS1 ................................................................. 31
4.1.1 RS1 description .............................................................................................. 31
4.1.2 RS1 analysis ................................................................................................... 33
4.2.1 RS2 description .............................................................................................. 36
4.2.2 RS2 analysis ................................................................................................... 38
4.3.1 RS3 description .............................................................................................. 42
4.3.2 RS3 analysis ................................................................................................... 43
4.4 Supermarket with transcritical system TR1 ........................................................... 44
4.4.1 TR1 description ............................................................................................... 44
4.4.2 TR1 analysis ................................................................................................... 47
4.5.1 TR2 description ............................................................................................... 50
4.5.2 TR2 analysis ................................................................................................... 52

4.6.1 TR3 description ............................................................................................... 55
4.6.2 TR3 analysis ................................................................................................... 57
4.7.1 TR4 description ............................................................................................... 61
4.7.2 TR4 analysis ................................................................................................... 66
4.8.1 TR5 description ............................................................................................... 69
4.8.2 TR5 analysis ................................................................................................... 69
4.9 Supermarket with cascade system CC1 ................................................................ 72
4.9.1 CC1 description .............................................................................................. 72
4.9.2 CC1 analysis................................................................................................... 74
4.10 Supermarket with cascade system CC2 ............................................................ 76
4.10.1 CC2 description ........................................................................................... 76
4.10.2 Overall system description .......................................................................... 76
4.10.3 CC2 analysis ............................................................................................... 79
4.11 Supermarket with cascade system CC3 ............................................................ 87
4.11.1 CC3 description ........................................................................................... 87
4.11.2 CC3 analysis ............................................................................................... 92
4.12 Pump circulation system PC1 ............................................................................ 92
4.12.1 PC1 description ........................................................................................... 92
4.12.2 PC1 analysis ............................................................................................... 95
5. Refrigeration systems comparison .............................................................................. 96
6. Parasitic energy loads in refrigiration systems and their influence on total systems
performance ..................................................................................................................... 104
7. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 108
8. Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 109

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Secondary fluid systems with phase change (Girotto, 2005). ........................... 15
Figure 2.2: Direct expansion system in cascade (Girotto, 2005). ....................................... 16
Figure 2.3: Simplified trans-critical CO
2
system with two-stage compression and inter-
cooling for the low temperature unit and single stage compression for the medium
temperature unit (left) and Ph diagramm for one stage (right). ........................................... 17
Figure 3.1: Schematic of a CO
2
Transcritical Supermarket with the pressure and
temperature measurement points. ...................................................................................... 19
Figure 3.2: ViSi+ interface for referent system ................................................................... 19
Figure 3.3: Data normalisation software user interface ...................................................... 20
Figure 3.4: Compressor electrical power measured for one day in July 2008 (01.07.08) in
TR1 Supermarket. .............................................................................................................. 21
Figure 3.5: Compressors electrical power consumption as a function of the pressure ratio
for Bitzer compressors in CC1 supermarket. ...................................................................... 22
Figure 3.6: Electrical power consumption, comparison with the two methods for a single
stage CO
2
system during the whole year 2008, KA1 unit in the TR1 Supermarket. ........... 23
Figure 3.7: Volumetric efficiency based on compressor data for three CO
2
compressors .. 24
Figure 3.8: Mass flow of CO
2
in the freezer system FA1 during one day of July 2008 in the
TR1 supermarket ................................................................................................................ 25
2
in a transcritical system for different mass flow measurement
method ............................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 3.10:COP of a CO
2
transcritical system for different mass flow measurement
method ............................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 4.1: Simplified circuit of the reference refrigeration systems ................................... 31
Figure 4.2: System RS1: main parameters for the medium temperature side during the
observation period .............................................................................................................. 33
Figure 4.3: System RS1: Main parameters for the low temperature side during the
observation period .............................................................................................................. 34
Figure 4.4: System RS1: condensing temperature for the medium and low temperature
side, outdoor temperature, and the differential of temperature between the condensing
temperature and the outdoor temperature. ......................................................................... 35
Figure 4.5: System RS1: Coefficient of performance for the chiller and the freezer ........... 35
Figure 4.6: Medium temperature stage (VKA1) of the refrigeration system RS2 ................ 36
Figure 4.7: Low temperature stage (KA1) of the refrigeration system RS2 ........................ 37
Figure 4.8: System RS2: condensing temperature of each units and outdoor temperature
during the observation period. ............................................................................................ 39
Figure 4.9: System RS2: cooling capacity and electrical consumption for low and medium
temperature units during the observation period. ............................................................... 40
Figure 4.10: System RS2: average of the subcooling for both freezers units, evaporating
temperature for the low and the medium temperature side, and the outdoor temperature
during the observation period ............................................................................................. 40
Figure 4.11: System RS2: COP for the chillers units and the freezers units during the
observation period. ............................................................................................................. 41
Figure 4.12: System RS3: cooling capacity and electrical consumption for the medium and
the low temperature units. .................................................................................................. 43

Figure 4.13: System RS3: subcooling capacity and evaporating temperature of chillers and
freezers during the observation period. .............................................................................. 44
Figure 4.14: Refrigiration unit in TR1 Supermarket ............................................................ 45
Figure 4.15: Schematic diagram of the TR1 system ........................................................... 46
Figure 4.16: Cooling capacity of one medium temperature unit (KA1) and one low
temperature unit (FA1) during the years 2008 2009 ........................................................ 47
Figure 4.17: Compressors electrical power consumption for one medium temperature unit
(KA1) and one low temperature unit (FA1) during the years 2008 - 2009 .......................... 48
Figure 4.18: COP function of coolant temperature for medium temperature units and low
temperature units, measures for TR1 supermarket during 2008. ....................................... 49
Figure 4.19: COP for each units during the whole testing period for the TR1 supermarket.
........................................................................................................................................... 49
Figure 4.20: Booster unit in TR2 Supermarket ................................................................... 50
Figure 4.21: Schematic diagram of the TR2 system ........................................................... 51
Figure 4.22: Different parameters plots for the KAFA1 unit during the whole period of study
in the TR2 supermarket ...................................................................................................... 52
Figure 4.23: Different parameters plots for the KAFA2 unit during the whole period of study
Figure 4.24: Different parameters plots for the KA3 unit during the whole period of study in
the TR2 supermarket .......................................................................................................... 54
........................................................................................................................................... 55
Figure 4.26: Schematic diagram of the TR3 system unit 1 (KA/FA1) ................................. 56
Figure 4.27: Different parameters plots for the KA/FA1 unit during the whole period of study
Figure 4.28: Different parameters plots for the KA/FA2 unit during the whole period of study
........................................................................................................................................... 59
Figure 4.30: Schematic diagram of the TR3 system heat recovery unit ............................. 60
Figure 4.31: Refrigiration system TR 3 heat recovery performance ................................... 61
Figure 4.32: Combine chiller and freezer unit for system TR4............................................ 62
Figure 4.33: Freezer unit (left) and chiller unit (right) for system TR5. ............................... 63
Figure 4.34: System schematic for TR4 and TR5 with important components and
measurement points. .......................................................................................................... 64
Figure 4.35: Simplified P-h diagram for TR4 and TR5 during trans-critical operation. ........ 66
Figure 4.36: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total power consumption and outdoor
temperature for TR4. .......................................................................................................... 67
Figure 4.37: Monthly averages of cooling capacities, ambient and condensation
Figure 4.38: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total COP, ambient- and condensation
Figure 4.39: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total power consumption, ambient- and
condensation temperature for TR5. .................................................................................... 70
Figure 4.40: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total cooling capacity, ambient- and
condensation temperature for TR5. .................................................................................... 71
Figure 4.41: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total COP, ambient- and condensation

Figure 4.42: Two CO
2
low temperature units in the CC1 supermarket ............................... 72
Figure 4.43: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket CC1 ............... 73
Figure 4.44: Cooling capacity, compressor electrical power consumption, condensation and
outside temperatures for medium temperature units VKA1 and VKA2 during the whole
testing period for the CC1 supermarket .............................................................................. 74
Figure 4.45: Cooling capacity, compressor electrical power consumption, condensation and
outside temperatures for low temperature units KS5 and KS6 during the whole testing
period for the CC1 supermarket ......................................................................................... 75
Figure 4.46: COP for each units during the whole testing period for the CC1 supermarket.
........................................................................................................................................... 76
Figure 4.47: Freezer unit KS4 in system CC2 .................................................................... 77
Figure 4.48: Full system schematic for CC2 including all components and measurement
points. ................................................................................................................................. 79
Figure 4.49: Monthly averages of outdoor temperature and compressor power consumption
for the units of CC2. ........................................................................................................... 80
Figure 4.50: Monthly averages of outdoor temperature and cooling capacity for the different
units of CC2. ....................................................................................................................... 81
Figure 4.51: Monthly averages of COP (excluding parasites) and outdoor temperature for
the units of CC2. ................................................................................................................. 82
Figure 4.52: Ratios of cooling capacity that VKA1, VKA2 and VKA3 each supply to the
medium temperature cabinets based on monthly averages. .............................................. 83
Figure 4.53: Ratios of cooling capacity used for low and medium temperature cabinets for
VKA3 and for the total system CC2 based on monthly averages. ...................................... 84
Figure 4.54: Power consumption of VKA3 for LT and MT use based on monthly averages.
........................................................................................................................................... 84
Figure 4.55: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total cooling capacities and power
consumption for CC2. ......................................................................................................... 85
Figure 4.56: LT, MT and total COP for system CC2 based on monthly averages. ............. 86
Figure 4.57: Monthly averages of brine supply- and return temperatures for MT cabinets in
CC2. ................................................................................................................................... 86
Figure 4.58: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket CC3 ............... 87
Figure 4.59: Refrigeration system CC3: IWMAC measured points at medium temperature
level unit. ............................................................................................................................ 88
Figure 4.60: Refrigeration system CC3: IWMAC measured points at low temperature level
unit. .................................................................................................................................... 89
Figure 4.61: The deviation between measured condensing temperature and predicted
using linear regression method .......................................................................................... 90
Figure 4.62: Refrigeration system CC3 dry cooler unit energy usage correlation............... 91
Figure 4.63: Bitzer compressor mass flow estimation based on polinomial generation. ..... 91
Figure 4.64: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket PC1................ 93
Figure 4.65: Refrigeration system PC3: IWMAC measured points (left) at medium (center)
and low (right) temperature level units. .............................................................................. 94
Figure 5.1: Total COP with a load ratio of 3 in function of the condensing temperature for all
the systems analysed ......................................................................................................... 97
Figure 5.2: Total COP* with a load ratio of 3 in function of the condensing temperature for
the three systems analysed ................................................................................................ 98
Figure 5.3: COP* of the medium temperature parts for all systems versus their respective
condensing temperatures ................................................................................................... 99

Figure 5.4: COP* of the low temperature parts for all systems versus their respective
condensing temperatures ................................................................................................. 100
Figure 5.5: COP* total with load ratio of 3 for all systems versus their respective ambient
temperatures .................................................................................................................... 102
Figure 5.6: Heat recovery load compared to medium and low temperature cooling loads on
TR3 system ...................................................................................................................... 103
Figure 5.7: Total COP** (including all parasites) with load ratio of 3 for all systems versus
their respective ambient temperatures ............................................................................. 103
Figure 6.1: Supermarket CC2 energy consumption breakdown (including parasites),
August 2010. .................................................................................................................... 104
Figure 6.2: Refrigeration system CC2 energy consumption breakdown (including
parasites), August 2010. .................................................................................................. 105
Figure 6.3: TR3 system energy consumption breakdown (including parasites), August
2010. ................................................................................................................................ 105
Figure 6.4: Refrigeration system TR4 and TR5 energy consumption breakdown (including
parasites), August 2010. .................................................................................................. 106
Figure 6.5: Electrical energy consumed by the parasites (pumps and dry cooler fans) for all
three RS systems ............................................................................................................. 107

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1: Project partners ................................................................................................. 13
Table 4.1: Major system details of RS1 .............................................................................. 32
Table 4.4: Major system details of CC3 .............................................................................. 88
Table 4.5: Major system details of PC1 .............................................................................. 93

NOMENCLATURE
CC Cascade refrigeration system
2
2
CO or CO
Carbone dioxide
COP Coefficient of performance [-]
DX
Direct expansion
E
Electrical power [kW]

h
Enthalpy [kJ/kg]
IHE Internal heat exchanger
HC Hydrocarbons
HFC Hydrofluorocarbons
HVAC Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning
IHE Internal heat exchanger
KA Medium temperature unit or cabinet
KAFA Booster system with low and medium temperature
LT Low temperature
LR
Load ratio
corr
LR Load ratio correction, fixed value
m
Mass flow [kg/s]
MT Medium temperature
NH
3
or NH3 Ammonia
P Pressure [bar absolute]
PR
Pressure ratio [-]
c
Q
Condensation capacity [kW]

o
Q
Cooling capacity [kW]

v
q Volumetric refrigeration effect [kJ/m
3
]
RS Reference System
SC Subcritical refrigeration system
SH
Superheat [K]
T
Temperature [C]
TR Transcritical refrigeration system

V
Volume flow [m
3
/s]
Greek

A
Difference [-]
Density [kg/m
3
]
is
q Isentropic efficiency [-]
v
q Volumetric efficiency [-]
tot
q Total efficiency [-]
v Specific volume [m
3
/kg]

Subscript

abs
Absolute
amb
Ambient
booster
Booster system
brine
Brine
cab
Cabinet medium temperature
chiller
Chiller
comp
Compressor
cond
Condenser
corr
Corrected
el
Electric
evap
Evaporation
in
Inlet
is
Isentropique
freezer
Freezer
gc
Gas cooler
losses
Heat losses

LR
Load ratio
map
Map or design conditions
new
New or running conditions
out
Outlet
cooler oil
Oil cooler losses
V
Volume
s
Swept
pumps
Pumps
sat
Saturation
state
State
tot
Total

13

1. INTRODUCTION
The work, summarized in current report, has started as an investigation of different
refrigeration systems solutions performance.
Usage of natural refrigerant has become the hot topic in recent times after the introduction
of legislations to control manufacturing and usage of manmade refrigerants. Usage of
natural refrigerants cannot become the solution to the environmental problems if the
natural refrigerant based system solutions are not energy efficient. The performance and
efficiency of the refrigeration system depends on various parameters such as demand,
control strategies, climatic conditions etc. Only by evaluation of the installed system
solutions this new technology can be facilitated.
The long-term refrigeration systems solutions performance evaluation results are
summarized in this report.
1.1 Description of the project
Sveriges Energi- & Kylcentrum (SEK) which is a subsidiary company of Installatrernas
Utbildingscentrum (IUC) in Katrineholm initialized this project work in order to analyse and
evaluate the application of CO
2
-based technologies in supermarkets with a focus on
energy efficiency and environmental issues. In many CO
2
supermarket installations in
Sweden analysis have not been carried out to study the performance of the systems.
Previously investigations have been done on CO
2
supermarket system solutions as a
cooperation project between SEK and KTH which included computer simulation modelling
and experimental work. The projects have suggested that CO
2
-based system solutions can
be an efficient alternative to conventional solutions.
The project partner organisations and respective participants are presented in
Table 1.1.

Table 1.1: Project partners

Organisation Participant/s
Sveriges Energi- & Kylcentrum Jrgen Rogstam
KTH - Energiteknik Bjrn Palm / Samer Sawalha
ICA Per-Erik Jansson
Green and Cool Micael Antonsson
Partor AB Martin Johanson
WICA Peter Rylander
Ahlsell Torbjrn Larsson
Huurre Gran Sundin
AGA Christer Hens
Tranter Ulf Vestergren
Cupori David Sharp
Oppunda Svets Ken Johansson
Energimyndigheten Conny Ryytty
14

1.2 Methodology and Objectives
The objectives of the project are to analyse, evaluate and compare the performance of a
number of supermarkets: three of which are HFC-based refrigeration system solutions, five
supermarkets which are CO
2
-based refrigeration system solutions, three supermarkets
which combine CO
2
- and HFC-based refrigeration system solutions in the form of cascade
refrigeration systems (3 supermarkets) and pump circulation system (1 supermarket).
Thus the report summarises previous analysis and evaluation results achieved by David
Frelechox (Frelechox, 2009), Loius Tamilarasan (Tamilarasan, 2009), Sarah Johansson
(Johansson, 2009) as well as provides new evaluation results made by Pavel Makhnatch,
Johan Kullheim (Kullheim, 2011) and Yohann Caby (Caby, 2010).
All these HFC and CO
2
-based supermarket refrigeration systems are different in terms of
varying load, climatic conditions, configurations and control. Although there are differences
among these refrigeration systems a fair comparison will be established.
The method used in order to achieve the results described in this report includes:
- Collecting information on the HFC- and CO
2
-based refrigeration systems installed in
the supermarkets;
- Creating data collection and calculation templates;
- Measured data collection;
- Data processing and calculation of necessary parameters, mainly COP's;
- Comparing the supermarket refrigeration systems analysed;
- Propose improvement possibilities for the supermarket refrigeration systems.

15

2. REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS
In general, two temperature levels are required in supermarkets for chilled and frozen
products. Product temperatures of around +3C and 18C are commonly maintained. In
these applications, there are mainly three design options: indirect system, cascade DX
system or transcritical DX system. It is also possible to advantage of different system and
built mixed system.
2.1 Indirect systems
The main refrigeration circuit, of the conventional type with HFC or NH
3
, conveys heat from
the main evaporator to the secondary fluid, which is pumped, obviously in liquid state, into
the evaporators positioned inside the units to be refrigerated. The secondary fluid CO
2

evaporates and removes heat from the units. The circulation ratio of the CO
2
in the
secondary circuit is generally between 1.5 and 3, and its highest operating temperature is
at -10C and lowest at -40C. The following Figure 2.1 shows a schematic of the system
and the cycle on the h-logP diagram.

a) Simplified indirect system layout b) Ph-diagram
Figure 2.1: Secondary fluid systems with phase change (Girotto, 2005).

Compared to traditional indirect systems, with propylene or ethylene glycol, the system in
question requires lower flow rates and consequently smaller pipes and less pumping power
and of course does not feature any change in temperature in the evaporators. The solution
with forced circulation of CO
2
offers major advantages in very extensive systems, with
hundreds of metres between the units to be refrigerated and the central refrigeration unit,
main advantages are (Girotto, 2005):
- non-toxic fluid in circulation
16

- no problem as regards the return of the oil regarding DX systems
- low energy consumption for pumping regarding indirect brine systems

2.2 Cascade DX systems
At low temperatures (evaporation at temperature below -30C) the cascade system is
preferable. As can be seen on the Figure 2.2, two refrigeration units, each optimised for its
own operating range, are thermally linked in series by means of an intermediate
exchanger, which for one of the units represents the evaporator and for the other, the
condenser.
For commercial refrigeration, for cost reasons, R404A or R507 are used in the high-
temperature circuit, while NH
3
is used for industrial refrigeration, this is especially suitable
for this application because each NH
3
and CO
2
operates in its optimum temperature range.
The risk related to the use of NH
3
in premises where there could be people is thus
eliminated, and this represents a big advantage.
For evaporation temperatures around -30C, in applications where well water can be used
as heat source, instead of using a cascade system with NH
3
, it could be possible to
operate in single stage with the CO
2
system, in the event of the size of the compressors
available today for a supply pressure of up to 70 bar being big enough. In cold climates, air
from outside could even be used for most of the year (Girotto, 2005).

a) Cascade DX system layout b) Ph-diagram
Figure 2.2: Direct expansion system in cascade (Girotto, 2005).
17

2.3 Transcritical DX systems
What separates trans-critical systems from other systems is the ability to reject heat at a
state above the critical point. At pressures higher than the critical point, there is no
saturated condition and temperature is independent of pressure. This means that both
temperature and pressure have a separate influence on cooling capacity and COP. In the
trans-critical region, COP is a function of the gas cooler outlet temperature and the
discharge pressure. This means, that for each gas cooler outlet temperature, there is an
optimum value of high stage discharge pressure (Likitthammanit, 2007). Since the
refrigerant is a gas when above the critical point, the heat rejection process is referred to
as gas cooling for trans-critical operation. Figure 2.3 shows a simplified schematic of a
trans-critical CO
2
system. The low and high stages are separated and both connected to a
coolant loop for the heat rejection. The medium temperature unit has single-stage
compression and the low temperature unit has two-stage compression with inter-cooling.

Figure 2.3: Simplified trans-critical CO
2
system with two-stage compression and inter-cooling for the
low temperature unit and single stage compression for the medium temperature unit (left) and Ph
diagramm for one stage (right).

The ambient conditions affect the operation of this type of system. When the ambient
temperature is high, the system mainly operates in a trans-critical mode, but for low
ambient temperatures, the cycle is sub-critical. Because of the high pressure ratio and
corresponding high compressor energy consumption that is required for trans-critical
operation, trans-critical CO
2
systems are best suited for cold climates. One of the main
advantages with using CO
2
as the only refrigerant in the cycle is that it eliminates the
temperature differences that are present in the heat exchangers of indirect and cascade
systems (Johansson, 2009).
18

3. MEASUREMENTS AND EVALUATION METHODS
The important parameters for the evaluation of cooling systems are mainly the cooling
capacities and the COPs. For these capacities, the temperatures and pressures are
needed to determine the enthalpies and then the mass flow rate is needed in order to
determine the cooling capacities and different losses. Mass flow rate is not measured
directly and it is normally evaluated from the compressor side. Then COPs are calculated
using the cooling capacity and the measured or calculated electrical consumption. This
chapter presents general approach to the measurements and the data evaluation in the
supermarkets. More detailed description could be found in the previous studies reports.

3.1 Pressure and temperature.
The input data for the calculation of the refrigerant thermodynamics states are the
measures of pressure and temperature. The temperature sensor types are generally
PT100 or PT1000 and widely used in the refrigeration regulation. Pressure sensors give an
absolute or relative pressure depending on their initial settings. The sensors used are
generally from the manufacturer Danfoss and types are AKS or HSK according to their
pressure range.
The sensors were mainly not installed especially for our study but are primarily used to
operate the systems and are essential regulation elements. On the Figure 3.1 there is an
example, which shows the measurement points distribution over the CO
2
transcritical
supermarket system. These points allow tracing the refrigeration cycle in the h-logP
diagram and calculating the cooling capacity as well as various parameters which could
influence this capacity, such as the internal and external superheat, the subcooling and the
pressure ratio.
Two different systems have been used for the data acquisition:
- IWMAC for TR1, TR2, TR3, CC2, CC3 and PC1 supermarket (Iwmac, 2009)
- RDM with an interval of 15 minutes for CC1 supermarket (RDM, 2009)
- Long Distance Service, LDS, for TR4 and TR5
- ViSi+ software for RS1, RS2 and RS3 (see Figure 3.2)

19

Figure 3.1: Schematic of a CO
2
Transcritical Supermarket with the pressure and temperature
measurement points.

Figure 3.2: ViSi+ interface for referent system
20

There is a problem connected to the way the IWMAC log the data. The system records the
data point whatever there is a change in value, thus the data output, provided by the
system, is not normalised in time. In order to process the calculations such a data should
be normalised in time.
The solution has been achieved by specially developed software usage (Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3: Data normalisation software user interface

The data logged by IWMAC system used as an input to the software. The normalisation is
done by averaging of the values within Time delta of average time starting from the very
first data entry in the input file till the user specified Date end time point. Processed in this
way 5-10 minutes average data has been used for further numerical analysis in all the
supermarket systems logged with IWMAC.
There was another challenge with the LDS system. The problem with this method of data
collection is that the on-site logging computers have a limited capacity to store data. If the
data is downloaded to another computer via a modem once every 24 hours, the data is
available with a minimum time interval of two minutes. If the download is made less
frequent, for example once a week, the logging computers will have started to delete data
in order to save space on the hard drives. The time interval of the data will not change but
there will be gaps of several hours in the data series. This has resulted in major problems
with the data collection for this study. If the automatic dialling via modem or the data
logging on the sites should fail, data is lost and in some cases, it cannot be recovered.
3.2 Electrical power consumption
Measuring electrical energy or electrical power consumptions is not necessarily
complicated, but it is usually expensive and is not needed for the regulation. It is merely
informative and important for our project, but not essential for the refrigeration system.
Therefore, it was often difficult to obtain these measurement points. In the case of
impossibility to get these measures, we adopted a method of calculating value based on
the pressure ratio. Two different methods have been used to define the electrical power
consumption:
Power consumption measurements for the TR1, TR2 and TR3 supermarkets.
Power consumption calculations for the CC1 supermarket;
Power consumption measurements and estimations for the RS1, RS2, RS3, TR4,
TR5, CC2, CC3 and PC1 supermarkets.
21

The first method is easy. A measuring device collects consumption values with the same
definition that the measures of pressure and temperature, so 5 or 15 minutes. The Figure
3.4 the electrical consumption for one day of July for the freezer (FA) unit and the chiller
(KA) unit. The collecting interval is 5 minutes for this device, thus about 300 measurement
points per parameters each days. There is, of course, a normalisation procedure utilised for
data logged by IWMAC system (as in is described in the Chapter 3.1 above).

Figure 3.4: Compressor electrical power measured for one day in July 2008 (01.07.08) in TR1
Supermarket.

The second method uses a mathematic formula to calculate the power in function of the
pressure ratio. Two formulas, used in CC1 refrigeration system, are shown on the Figure
3.5. The determination of this formula has been done with compressor manufacturer data
(Bitzer, 2010). Obviously it is different for each type of compressor. The function is slightly
different for each evaporation pressure, but this one is rather stable on our systems, so we
decided to use the function for a given evaporation pressure. This gave satisfactory results.
22

Figure 3.5: Compressors electrical power consumption as a function of the pressure ratio for Bitzer
compressors in CC1 supermarket.

To check the accuracy of the method based on a calculation, a comparison with a
refrigeration system has been run for which the electrical power measurements are
available. Figure 3.6 shows conclusive result. The difference between the measured and
the calculated value is at most 5%. The origin of this divergence may be various, such as
uncertainty in the definition of the number of compressor running, or of course the change
in operating conditions of the system because the calculation method uses manufacturer
data to create the function. However, the variations are very reasonable and the use of this
method is therefore a good alternative when we do not have any measurement points for
the electrical energy or power.

y = -0.2807x
2
+ 4.0975x + 3.3957
y = 0.65x - 0.06
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
20.00
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Pressure ratio [-]
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]
Bitzer 4H-15.2Y
P_evap = 4 bar
Bitzer 2KC-3.2K-40S
P_evap = 10 bar
23

Figure 3.6: Electrical power consumption, comparison with the two methods for a single stage CO
2

system during the whole year 2008, KA1 unit in the TR1 Supermarket.

It should be noted that in all our calculations and simulations, we use the energy
consumption of the compressors and for indirect systems we add also the energy
consumption of the brine pumps. The power of the pumps was evaluated using the nominal
power of the pumps, as no energy measurements have been available. Defrost heater,
fans, lighting of the cabinets are not included.
3.3 Mass flow
The mass flow measurement is always a difficult process and is generally a key factor to
obtain good results. None of the studied supermarkets had any mass flow measurement
point. So method based on the pressure and temperature measures at the compressor
inlet to get the specific volume was been used for the analysis. Official compressor
manufacture data has been used to obtain the swept volume (Dorin, 2009) and (Bitzer,
2010), which is given as a fixed value in m
3
/h when the compressor is running under 50 Hz
and the volumetric efficiency in function of the pressure ratio, as shown for some of the
compressors on Figure 3.7. The swept volume multiplied by the volumetric efficiency could
be seen as the volumetric flow through the compressor. In order to calculate the mass flow
with Equation 3.1, the state (pressure and temperature) of the fluid at the compressor inlet
were used to define the specific volume.

in comp
S V
CO
v
V
m
_
2

=
q
Equation 3.1
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
J
a
n
_
0
8
F
e
b
_
0
8
M
a
r
c
h
_
0
8
A
p
r
i
l
_
0
8
M
a
y
_
0
8
J
u
n
e
_
0
8
J
u
l
y
_
0
8
A
u
g
_
0
8
S
e
p
t
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
c
_
0
8
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]

-

L
o
w

p
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

[
b
a
r
]
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

r
a
t
i
o

[
-
]
Compressor Power Measured Compressor Power Calculated Low pressure Pressure ratio
24

) ; ( ] / [
] / [
] [
_ _ _
3
_
3
in comp in comp abs state in comp
S
V
T P f kg m volume specific v
data compressor on based s m volume swept V
fitted data compressor on based efficiency volumetric
= =
=
=
q

Figure 3.7: Volumetric efficiency based on compressor data for three CO
2
compressors

The following Figure 3.8 shows the variation of the CO
2
mass flow during one day in July
2009 in the freezer system of the TR1 supermarket using the method based on the
volumetric efficiency.

TCS373-D = -0.4079x2 - 6.5843x + 102.42
TCDH372= 0.0251x2 - 1.1706x + 93.424
SCS 362 SC = -0,1139x2 - 4,1854x + 95,12
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00
Pressure ratio [-]
V
o
l
u
m
e
t
r
i
c

e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y

[
%
]
TCS373-D
TCDH372 B-D
SCS 362 SC
25

2
in the freezer system FA1 during one day of July 2008 in the TR1
supermarket

As can be seen on the figure, the compressor inlet conditions are unstable mainly
depending on the cooling capacity used in the cabinets and also the control of the internal
superheat by the expansion valve, thus the compressor inlet temperature could vary quite
a lot. The volume flow is quit constant because the pressure ratio is stable and the only
things which affected are the number of compressor working. But the compressor inlet
conditions of the fluid vary and affect the stability of the mass flow. Thus when only one
compressor is working the mass flow of refrigerant could vary between 0.06 and 0.1 kg/s.
In this case one or two compressors could be working. When the mass flow is above 0.1
kg/s then the second compressor has started working.
This method based on the volumetric efficiency has been chosen after several tests
designed to apply the method that we consider the most reliable. Several researches have
been held to find comparable methods in the literature. To assess the reliability of our
method various comparisons have been made of which we present in the Figure 3.9 below.

0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
30.06.2008
19:12
01.07.2008
00:00
01.07.2008
04:48
01.07.2008
09:36
01.07.2008
14:24
01.07.2008
19:12
02.07.2008
00:00
02.07.2008
04:48
C
O
2

m
a
s
s

f
l
o
w

[
k
g
/
s
]
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

-

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

[
b
a
r
]
CO2 mass flow Compressor inlet temperature Compressor inlet pressure
26

2
in a transcritical system for different mass flow measurement method

The first comparative method is the Dabiris method based on an article proposed by Dabiri
and Rice (Dabiri & Rice, 1982). Here, it is briefly summarized, firstly through
Equation 3.2 which makes a ratio between design (map)
conditions and actual (new) conditions:

|
|
.
|
\
|
+ = 1 1
map
new
map
new
F
m
m

Equation 3.2

Where F is a chosen percentage of the theoretical mass flow rate increase (F = 0.75 is
usually used) and where the densities are evaluated based on suction port conditions.
This method is difficult to apply because of the proposed correction factor is the result of
experience with R22 and the experience is from 1982. Nonetheless, it has recently been
used in laboratory test and gave satisfaction.
The second comparative method is based on the energy balance around the compressor
according Equation 3.3. The compressor can
be seen as a black box and the method is to do a simple energy balance.

cooler oil losses comp el
Q Q h m E

+ + A =

Equation 3.3

0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45
J
a
n
_
0
8
F
e
b
_
0
8
M
a
r
_
0
8
A
p
r
_
0
8
M
a
y
_
0
8
J
u
n
_
0
8
J
u
l
_
0
8
A
u
g
_
0
8
S
e
p
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
c
_
0
8
J
a
n
_
0
9
F
e
b
_
0
9
M
a
r
_
0
9
M
a
s
s

f
l
o
w

C
O
2

[
k
g
/
s
]
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

r
a
t
i
o

[
-
]
,

E
t
a
_
t
o
t

[
-
]
mCO2 vol mCO2 Dabiri mCO2 15%Oil cooler Pressure Ratio Eta tot
27

The electrical consumption is measured and the enthalpy before or after the compressor is
given from pressures and temperatures at the compressor inlet and outlet. Based on
general experience and manufacturer information the heat losses are about 7% of
electrical input and the oil cooler losses are about 15%. This last value does not seem to
be a fix value as the oil cooler losses are affected from many parameters as the air or
water inlet temperature and the pressure ratio of the compressor.
The Figure 3.9 shows differences between the three proposed methods. The first method
based on compressor data has been finally chosen to use in the analysis because it seems
the most reliable one. It is less dependent on external parameters than the others. The
method of Dabiri is difficult to apply because of the use of a correction factor which is
unreliable, particularly when we do not know the bases of this correction. Moreover, it
seems to be very responsive to the pressure ratio and suffered large fluctuations. The
evaluation of mass flow by the energy balance around the compressor uses fixed
percentages of losses although the dissipated energy by the oil cooler fluctuates. Eta_tot is
the total efficiency of the compressors including heat losses, oil coolers losses, isentropic
losses, volumetric losses. Its value is around 0.6. The method we chose allows to calculate
the heat dissipation in the oil cooler and to improve the technical knowledge of this item.
The Figure 3.10 below gives an overview of the effects of these various methods on our
final objective, the COP calculation. Again, the method based on the volumetric efficiency,
COPvol, gives satisfactory results. It correlates very well with the COP resulting from the
use of losses of 15% through the oil cooler, as well. In contrast, the method proposed by
Dabiri and Rice seems doubtful. Indeed, it is hard to notice a real correlation with the
pressure ratio while we know its importance on the efficiency of a system. The decrease of
the pressure ratio in November 2008 does not really increase the COP which is unlikely.

Figure 3.10:COP of a CO
2
transcritical system for different mass flow measurement method

0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
J
a
n
_
0
8
F
e
b
_
0
8
M
a
r
_
0
8
A
p
r
_
0
8
M
a
y
_
0
8
J
u
n
_
0
8
J
u
l
_
0
8
A
u
g
_
0
8
S
e
p
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
c
_
0
8
J
a
n
_
0
9
F
e
b
_
0
9
M
a
r
_
0
9
C
O
P

[
-
]
,

P
R

[
-
]
COP vol COP Dabiri COP 15%oil cooler Pressure Ratio
28

3.4 COP calculation
Eventually, the value that is important for the refrigeration systems performance analysis is
the coefficient of performance of the system or COP. This value gives information about
the efficiency of each system, thus provided, comparing them at identical operating
conditions. The COP of a refrigeration system is calculated using the following
Equation 3.4:

n consumptio power Electrical
capacity Cooling
E
Q
COP
comp
o
inst
= =

.

Equation 3.4

The equation above could be further modified in order to obtain a single value for the whole
cooling system (as presented by the Equation 3.5):

) (
_ _ _
_ _
brine pump chiller comp freezer comp
chiller o freezer o
tot
E E E
Q Q
COP

+ +
+
=

Equation 3.5

A COP for the booster system must also be calculated. Since the high stage compressors
and the booster compressors are located in different places in the system it is possible to
calculate two mass flows. One mass flow is the total mass flow going through the high
stage compressors and one mass flow is the mass flow maintaining the freezers. A mass
balance can be applied to calculate the mass flow going through the medium temperature
cabinets, see Equation 3.6

freezer total chiller
m m m =

Equation 3.6

This mass flow and the pressure and temperature measurements allow calculating the
power of each part of the system. Thus, the total COP of the booster system could be
calculated in

Equation 3.7. Only the cooling capacity from the
freezer side and the capacity from the medium temperature side which goes to the medium
temperature cabinets is taken into account. The medium temperature power used for the
condensation on the freezer side is eliminated.

chiller comp freezer comp
freezer c chiller o freezer o
booster tot
E E
Q Q Q
COP
_ _
_ _ _
_

+
+
=

Equation 3.7

For a cascade system, with the mass flow and the temperatures and pressure it is possible
to calculate the cooling capacity of the R404A- and CO
2
-units (
Equation 3.8).
29

o o
h m Q A =

Equation 3.8
where h
o
is the enthalpy difference over the evaporator.

The condenser load of the CO
2
-unit can be calculated with Equation 3.9.

shaft freezer comp freezer o freezer c
E Q Q
_ _ _ _

+ =

Equation 3.9

To decide the load of the medium temperature side cabinets

Equation 3.10 are used.

freezer c chiller o cab o
Q Q Q
_ _ _

=

Equation 3.10

The electrical energy from the chiller which goes to the freezer can be calculated by
Equation 3.11.

chiller comp
chiller o
freezer c
freezer for chiller
E
Q
Q
E
_
_
_

=

Equation 3.11

The COP for the freezers can be calculated by

Equation 3.12.

freezer pumps freezer for chiller freezer comp
freezer o
freezer
E E E
Q
COP
_ _
_

+ +
=

Equation 3.12

The COP for the chillers can be calculated by

Equation 3.13.

cab pumps freezer for chiller chiller comp
cab o
chiller
E E E
Q
COP
_ _
_

+
=

Equation 3.13
Where
o pumps
Q E

= % 4
(Granryd, 2007)

To compare the concepts between each other, the load ratio has to be identical, i.e. the
ratio of the cooling capacity between the chiller and the freezer is the same for each
installation. An approximate value for European supermarket is 3, so 3 times more cooling
30

capacity for medium temperature cabinets than for low temperature cabinets. In order to
correct our COP according to a fix load ratio (LRcorr), the Equation
3.14 has been developed (Frelechox, 2009). The abbreviation of load ratio is LR, thus
COPtot_LR is the total COP of system with a defined load ratio LRcorr.

chiller comp
freezer o
chiller o
freezer comp
corr
corr
corr
chiller o
LR tot
E
Q
Q
E
LR
LR
LR
Q
COP
_
_
_
_
_
_
1
1
+
|
|
.
|
\
| +
=

Equation 3.14

Note that the COP is the instantaneous efficiency of the installation. It was calculated for
each measurement interval (5, 10 or 15 minutes depending on the system analysed). Then
averaging has been made to get a monthly value. It may slightly differ from the monthly
COP which is a ratio of energy rather than power.
31

4. SYSTEMS DESCRIPTIONS AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
This chapter summarises the work which has been done to evaluate the potential of
refrigeration systems using carbon dioxide in supermarket refrigeration and their
performance compared to traditional HFC-based systems. The results presented below
based on previous measurements, evaluation and comparison of supermarket refrigeration
systems held by Loius Tamilarasan, Sarah_Johansson, David Frelechox, Pavel
Makhnatch, Johan Kullheim and Yohann Caby (Frelechox, 2009) (Tamilarasan, 2009)
(Johansson, 2009) (Kullheim, 2011) (Caby, 2010). Thus more detailed information on
respective systems performance analysis is available in the above referred publications.

4.1 Supermarket refrigeration system RS1
4.1.1 RS1 description
Figure 4.1 shows the simplified circuit diagram of the reference systems.

Figure 4.1: Simplified circuit of the reference refrigeration systems

RS1 is open since the month of October 2008 and is located in the northern part of
Sweden. The refrigeration system in this supermarket consists of a medium temperature
32

stage (VKA1) and a low temperature stage (KA1). The secondary circuits on the
evaporator and condenser side are connected to a single propylene glycol circuit. Table 4.1
presents the main details of RS1.

Table 4.1: Major system details of RS1
Parameters Specification
System
Specification
System Indirect
Sub-cooler Yes
Heat recovery No
Refrigerant
Specification
Primary Refrigerant R404A (Chillers and Freezers)
Secondary Refrigerant Propylene
Compressor
Specification
Medium temperature
stage
Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor,
Bitzer 4J-22.2 (Tandem)
Low temperature stage Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor,
Bitzer 4VCS-6.2 (Tandem)
Heat
Exchanger
Specification
Internal heat Exchanger Plate heat exchanger
Evaporator Plate heat exchanger
Condenser Plate heat exchanger
Expansion
Valve
Specification
Medium temperature
stage
Electronic
Low temperature stage Thermostatic

Both medium and low temperature stages use R404A as the refrigerant. Both medium and
low temperature stages constitute of a sub-cooler which is located after the condenser for
the purpose of sub-cooling the liquid out of the condenser. An internal heat exchanger is
connected to the medium temperature stage and the low temperature stage of the system
to further sub-cool the liquid coming out of the sub-cooler. An electronic expansion valve is
used on the medium temperature stage while a thermostatic expansion valve is used on
the low temperature stage near their respective cabinets.
Two frequency controlled compressors operate in tandem on both medium and low
temperature stages. A part of the medium temperature brine circuit flow is used to sub cool
the liquid on the freezer side which can be seen in Figure 4.1. The expansion valve in the
medium temperature unit controls the temperature after the internal heat exchanger.
The maximum design cooling capacity of the compressors on the medium temperature
side (VKA1) is 87 kW and 18 kW for the low temperature side (KA). The maximum cooling
demand for the room's and displays is 70 kW at the medium temperature level and 18 kW
for the low temperature level. The system design provider, Partor AB, provided the
information that the power consumed by the pumps is not measured but known to run at a
33

"constant" speed consuming roughly the same amount of energy throughout the year
further the power consumed by the pump on the low temperature side is 1.5 kW and the
power consumed by the coolant pump is 1.5 kW (Johannson, 2009).
Temperatures, pressures and compressors electric motor frequencies are measured since
the time of installation for every 5 minutes interval and logged in the data base system
SAIA- ViSi+ (Sicatron, 2009). In total the system performance has been studied since
October 2008 until June 2010. However, due to measurement system failure there is no
data measured for February 2010. Further analysis charts are plotted for the period
covering last full year of observation, thus from Jun 209 till June 2010.

4.1.2 RS1 analysis
One of the most important parameters which should be considered while studying the
performance characteristics of the system is the cooling capacity. The cooling capacity for
the system RS1 is presented and analysed for a period of total 12 months: from June 2008
till January 2010 and from March 2010 till June 2010.
The Figure 4.2 shows the mains parameters of RS1 for the medium temperature unit
during the observation period. This plot shows the cooling capacity, the electrical power
consumption, the evaporating temperature, and the outdoor temperature. The cooling
capacity depends of the electrical consumption and is influence by the outdoor
temperature.

Figure 4.2: System RS1: main parameters for the medium temperature side during the observation
period

-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]

Cooling capacity_chiller Electrical consumption_chiller
Outdoor temeperature Evaporating temperature_chiller
34

The Figure 4.3 shows the cooling capacity, the electrical consumption, the evaporating
temperature, and the outdoor temperature during one year. The evaporating temperature is
almost constant during the year it means -8C for the chillers and -29C for the freezers.

Figure 4.3: System RS1: Main parameters for the low temperature side during the observation period

The cooling capacity on the medium temperature side has more fluctuation than the low
temperature side. The reason is the low temperature cabinets have a glass doors which
decrease the heat exchange with the ambient. The fluctuation of the cooling capacity for
the medium temperature side is around 25kW (let 28% of the maximum design cooling
capacity) although for the low medium side it is around 3kW (let 17% of the maximum
design cooling capacity).
A peak of electrical consumption appears during the summer period in order to provide
enough cooling power. The electrical consumption decreases during the winter. The
ambient temperature has an influence on the condensing temperature and so has an
influence on the compressor power consumption.
So the condensing temperature has en influence on the performance of the system. The
condensing temperature for the medium temperature side is around 22C while for the low
temperature side the condensing temperature is around 16C. Indeed, the Figure 4.4
shows, the differential of temperature between the condensing temperature and the
outdoor temperature is one time and half important on the chiller that on the freezers. The
condensing temperature for the chiller is a bit too high but it is a design default. The one
way valve which located on the compressor discharge is sized very small hence causing a
higher pressure drop in the compressor discharge line which in turn leads to a higher
discharge pressure than necessary.

-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]

Cooling capacity_freezer Electrical consumption_freezer
Evaporating temeperature_freezer Outdoor temperature
35

Figure 4.4: System RS1: condensing temperature for the medium and low temperature side, outdoor
temperature, and the differential of temperature between the condensing temperature and the
outdoor temperature.

The Figure 4.5 shows the COP trend during the year. It appears clearly the COP decrease
when the outdoor temperature increases, which increase the condensing temperature of
the system. The high condensing temperature is the consequence of the low COP.

Figure 4.5: System RS1: Coefficient of performance for the chiller and the freezer

-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

d
T

[
K
]

freezer dT chiller dT
Condensing temperature_chiler Condensing temperature_freezer
Outdoor temperature
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
O
P

[
-
]

COP_chiller COP_freezer Outdoor temperature
36

This supermarket was opened in the month of October 2008. In this system there are two
medium temperature and two low temperature level circuits (VKA1&2 and KA1&2). R407C
is the refrigerant used on the medium temperature stage while R404A is used on the low
temperature stage. The secondary circuits on the evaporator and condenser sides are
connected to the ethylene glycol circuit.
The liquid after the condenser is sub-cooled on both medium and low temperature levels
with the use of a sub-cooler. An internal heat exchanger is also installed on the medium
temperature and low temperature levels to further sub-cool the liquid coming out of the
sub cooler and also to superheat the suction gas into the compressor. In the case of the
low temperature stage the internal heat exchanger is placed in the cabinet and in the case
of medium temperature stage the internal heat exchanger is present after the evaporator
and before the compressor inlet similar to that of RS1.
Figure 4.6 and Figure 4.7 presents the medium temperature and low temperature stages
in the supermarket refrigeration system RS2. It is clear from both figures that two
compressors using frequency control work in tandem on the medium temperature side
while single frequency controlled compressor is operated on the low temperature stage.

Figure 4.6: Medium temperature stage (VKA1) of the refrigeration system RS2

37

Figure 4.7: Low temperature stage (KA1) of the refrigeration system RS2

Temperatures, pressures and compressor electric motor frequencies are measured at
various points of the system and logged in the data base since the time the system was
installed. System RS2 constitutes of two frequency controlled compressors working in
tandem on the medium temperature stages (VKA1&2) while a single frequency controlled
compressor is utilized on the low temperature stages (KA1&2).
From Figure 4.1 we are also able to see that a part of the compressor work on the medium
temperature side is utilized to sub-cool the low temperature side. A pump is used to pump
the refrigerant from the evaporator to the cabinet and a part of it to the sub-cooler on the
low temperature side.
Partor AB outlines that the pumps work at a constant speed consuming about the same
power throughout the period the system works (Johannson, 2009). The power consumed
by the pumps is not measured and is assumed to work constantly in the calculations. The
power consumed by the pump on the brine side is 3kW and the coolant side is 3kW.
Table 4.2 presents the major system details of the refrigeration system RS2.

38

System
Specification
System Indirect
Sub-cooler Yes
Heat recovery No
Refrigerant
Specification
Primary Refrigerant R404A (Freezers), R407C (Chillers)
Secondary Refrigerant Ethylene glycol
Compressor
Specification
Medium temperature
stage
Bitzer 4J-22.2 (Tandem)
Bitzer 4J13.2 (single)
Heat
Exchanger
Specification
Expansion
Valve
Specification
Medium temperature
stage
Electronic

4.2.2 RS2 analysis
Reference system number 2 is located in Stockholm and the analysis period extends for up
to 20 months from November 2008 to June 2010, 13 latest of which are presented here in
further analysis. RS2 use two different refrigerants: refrigerant R407C is used in the
medium temperature level while refrigerant R404A is used in the low temperature level.
The Figure 4.8 shows the monthly average of the condensing temperature for each unit
(low and medium temperature unit) with the outdoor temperature during the observation
period. It appears the condensing temperature is maintained to a same value for low and
medium temperature units. However the unit VKA1 has always the highest condensing
temperature.
39

Figure 4.8: System RS2: condensing temperature of each units and outdoor temperature during the
observation period.

The Figure 4.9 shows the cooling capacity and the electrical power consumption of RS2.
The lowest cooling capacity appears during the winter when the outdoor temperature is the
lowest. However the variation of cooling capacity is higher for the medium temperature
units than the low temperature units. The reason is the same as for RS1: the cabinets of
the low temperature units are protected by a glass door which decreases the exchange
with the ambient. On the contrary the highest cooling capacity appears during the summer
period when the outdoor temperature is the highest.
The electrical power consumption follows the same trend like the cooling capacity but with
less variation. The electrical consumption increases in summer and decrease in winter.
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
O
u
t
d
o
o
r

t
e
m
p
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r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
o
n
d
e
n
s
i
n
g

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

Condensing temperature VKA1 Condensing temperature VKA2
Condensing temperature KA1 Condensing temperature KA2
Outdoor temperature
40

Figure 4.9: System RS2: cooling capacity and electrical consumption for low and medium
temperature units during the observation period.

The Figure 4.10 shows the subcooling capacity during the year. The evaporating
temperature is maintained at a rather constant value of -8C for the medium temperature
side and -32C for the low temperature side. It can be noticed that the subcooling capacity
is the highest during the summer and the lowest during the winter. The trend of the
subcoolng capacity follows the trend of the outdoor temperature.

Figure 4.10: System RS2: average of the subcooling for both freezers units, evaporating temperature
for the low and the medium temperature side, and the outdoor temperature during the observation
period
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
T
e
m
p
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r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
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c
t
r
i
c
a
l

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]

Cooling capacity chiller Electrical consumption chiller
Cooling capacity freezer Electrical consumption freezer
Outdoor temperature
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
T
e
m
p
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a
t
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e

[
C
]

S
u
b
c
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

KA_subcooling capacity Evaporating temeprature chiller
Evaporating temperature freezer Outdoor temperature
41

The Figure 4.11 shows the evolution of the COPs during the year for RS2. The highest
COP is during the winter; it is logical because the demand is the lowest and the
condensing temperature is reduced with the low outdoor temperature. On the contrary the
COP is the lowest during the summer when the cooling demand is the higher and the
outdoor temperature doesnt permit a low condensing temperature. So the maximum COP
for the chiller is 4.7 and for the freezer is 3.

Figure 4.11: System RS2: COP for the chillers units and the freezers units during the observation
period.

-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
5
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

C
O
P

[
-
]

COP chiller COP freezer Outdoor temperature
42

This supermarket is open since March 2008. The system constitutes of two medium
temperature stages (VKA1&2) and two low temperature stages (KA1&2). There is a mix of
refrigerant usage in the medium temperature stage R404A is utilized on one of the medium
temperature stages (VKA1) and R407C is utilized on the other medium temperature stage
(VKA2). Both the temperature stages (KA1&2) utilize R404A as the refrigerant. Heat is
recovered from the system (VKA5) and an air conditioner (VKA3) is also utilized during the
summer period. Frequency controlled compressors work in tandem on both medium and
low temperature levels.
Both medium and low temperature stages constitute of a sub-cooler each, used to sub-cool
the liquid coming out of the condenser. An internal heat exchanger is present on the
medium temperature stage to further sub-cool the liquid coming out of the sub-cooler.
Compressor power on the medium temperature stage is utilized to sub-cool the freezers
similar to that of RS 1 and 2. Temperatures, pressures and electric motor frequencies are
measured and logged in the data base system (SAIA-ViSi+) (Sicatron, 2009). Measured
data's are available since May 2009. Partor AB (Johannson, 2009) outlines that the pumps
are assumed to work at a constant speed consuming the same power throughout the
period the system works further the power consumed by the pumps is not measured and
hence calculated by using the information given that the power consumed by the pump on
the cold glycol is 6 kW and the warm glycol is 6 kW.

System
Specification
System Indirect
Sub-cooler Yes
Heat recovery Heat pump
Refrigerant
Specification
Primary Refrigerant R404A (Freezers), R407C (Chillers)
R404A(Chillers)
Secondary Refrigerant Propylene glycol
Compressor
Specification
Medium temperature stage Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, Bitzer
6F-50.2 (Tandem)
Low temperature stage Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, Bitzer
4H-15.2 (Tandem)
Heat
Exchanger
Specification
Expansion
Valve
Specification
Medium temperature stage Electronic
43

4.3.2 RS3 analysis
For RS3, the refrigerant R404A is used for the low temperature side and for one of the
medium temperature unit (VKA1). The refrigerant R407C is used for the medium
temperature unit VKA2.
The Figure 4.12 shows the cooling capacity and the electrical consumption for the low and
the medium temperature units. The same observation can be applied on the cooling
capacity and the electrical consumption; it means a higher cooling capacity during the
summer period than during the winter period. The cooling capacity variation is less
important on the low temperature side because the cabinets have a glass door which
decreases the heat exchange with the ambient.

Figure 4.12: System RS3: cooling capacity and electrical consumption for the medium and the low
temperature units.

The Figure 4.13 shows the subcooling capacity of the freezers units. The evaporating
temperature is almost constant for the medium and the low temperature side. The
evaporating temperature for the medium temperature units is -7. The evaporating
temperature for the low temperature unit is -31C.
The subcooling capacity decreases for the winter period when the outdoor temperature is
low and so when the condensing temperature decreases too.
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
01-08-2009 01-09-2009 01-10-2009 01-11-2009 01-12-2009
T
e
m
p
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r
a
t
u
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[
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
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c
t
r
i
c
a
l

c
o
n
s
u
m
p
t
i
o
n

[
k
W
]

Cooling capacity chiller Electrical consumption chiller
Cooling capacity freezer Electrical consumption freezer
Outdoor temperature
44

Figure 4.13: System RS3: subcooling capacity and evaporating temperature of chillers and freezers
during the observation period.

4.4 Supermarket with transcritical system TR1
4.4.1 TR1 description
The TR1 supermarket has been open since autumn 2007. The maximal cabinet design
cooling load is 230 kW for cold products and 60 kW for frozen products. There are four
separated transcritical units, two for the medium temperature cabinets and two for the low
temperature, with an indirect water-glycol system for the heat rejection. The nearest
weather station to the supermarket is Storn.
Figure 4.14 represents a refrigeration unit installed in the TR1 supermarket; three
compressors are visible at the bottom of this unit. They produce the cooling capacity for the
medium temperature. The 4th compressor is barely visible behind the electrical panel. On
each compressor the oil cooler can be distinguished, oil heat is transferred to the coolant.

-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
01-08-2009 01-09-2009 01-10-2009 01-11-2009 01-12-2009
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
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[
C
]

S
u
b
c
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

Subcooling capacity Evaporating temperature chiller
Evaporating temperature freezer Outdoor temperature
45

Figure 4.14: Refrigiration unit in TR1 Supermarket

Figure 4.15 shows:
Two Coolers
o Transcritical CO
2
, single-stage / Compressor four Dorin TCS 373-D
o Oil cooler
o Heat recovery
o Coolant
Two Freezers
o Transcritical CO
2
, two-stages with intercooler / Compressor:
two Dorin TCDH 372 B-D
o Oil cooler
o Heat recovery
o Coolant

46

Figure 4.15: Schematic diagram of the TR1 system

The system is a parallel solution where there are two separate carbon dioxide circuits, one
for the medium temperature side (KA1/KA2) and one for the cold temperature side
(FA1/FA2). A benefit from using a parallel solution is that if one of the cycles fail, the other
cycle can unaffectedly continue to work (Sawalha, 2008).
The cold temperature side, seen to the right in Figure 4.15, has a two-stage compression
with an intercooler in between. This is arranged to achieve cold temperatures but still keep
low pressure ratios in the compressors. This will lower the inlet temperature to the second
compressor, decrease the discharge pressure after the second stage and decrease the
losses, thereby increase the efficiency of the system. The carbon dioxide is condensed in
the condenser and expanded in the expansion valve before entering the evaporator
(freezers). The expansion valves are placed out in the supermarkets close to the
evaporators. The reason is to minimize the losses in the system by transporting the
refrigerant with high pressure. After the freezer the refrigerant return to the machinery room
and enters a liquid separator before the compressors. This is done to make sure that no
liquid is going in to the compressors. There are two units for the cold temperature side
(FA1 and FA2). Each unit has two two-stage compressors.
The medium temperature side has a one-stage compressor since it doesnt need to
operate with as high pressure ratio as the cold temperature side to maintain the chillers.
After the condenser the refrigerant is expanded in the expansion valve where the pressure
is reduced, before entering the evaporator (chillers). For the same reasons as in the FA-
units, the expansion valves are placed in the Supermarket area close to the cabinets.
There are two units for the medium temperature side (KA1 and KA2). There are four one-
stage compressors in every unit.
The refrigerant in both cycles is gas cooled by brine circulating between the main
condenser and the two CO
2
-cycles. The cold brine is used for the oil coolers and the
condensers/gas coolers in both circuits and for the intercooler in the cold temperature side
47

see Figure 4.15. The brine condenser is placed on the roof and is using the outside air
temperature to cool down the brine. There is an additional heat exchanger in the brine
circuit, placed before the condenser, for maintaining a heat pump that is supplying the
supermarket with air conditioning and heating (Johannson, 2009).

4.4.2 TR1 analysis
The Figure 4.20 shows the cooling capacity for the medium and low temperature units KA1
and FA1. A peak of consumption appears during the summer. This increase is particularly
visible on the medium temperature unit as freezers, most of which are fitted with glass
doors, are less responsive to ambient conditions.

Figure 4.16: Cooling capacity of one medium temperature unit (KA1) and one low temperature unit
(FA1) during the years 2008 2009

The plot on Figure 4.16 is divided in curves for 2008 and 2009 because the system seems
to have different control schemes during these periods. Since the end of 2008 the limit of
the floating condensation was lowered. The elevated consumption during January and
February 2008 on KA1 is linked to the commissioning of the cooling system. The
installation was still in a settings stage. From 2008 to 2009 the load falls, while external
conditions are almost identical and that the layout of the store has not changed. To our
knowledge, no changes have been made on cabinets, the load should not vary. However,
several external parameters may explain this decrease as decrease in a customers
numbers or an adjustment of the regulation on the HVAC system.
Some improvements on the system after the summer 2008 can also play a role in this
development. The setting on the condensers coolant temperature was lowered which led
to a COP improvement and thus reduced the compressors power consumption. This trend
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
C
o
o
l
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n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]
-20.00
-15.00
-10.00
-5.00
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]
KA1 cooling capacity 2008 KA1 cooling capacity 2009 FA1 cooling capacity 2008
FA1 cooling capacity 2009 Outdoor temperature 2008 Outdoor temperature 2009
48

is clearly visible on Figure 4.21 below. The evaporation temperature has been rather
constant all the way around -10C for the medium temperature units and -35C for the low
temperature units.

Figure 4.17: Compressors electrical power consumption for one medium temperature unit (KA1) and
one low temperature unit (FA1) during the years 2008 - 2009

The modification of the coolant temperature is particularly important. Its effect is clear on
the consumption curve of FA1. Just after the change during August 2008, the power
consumption decreases. To highlight the impact of coolant temperature on the COP, we
present the Figure 4.42.
The data based on the field measurements show a clear correlation between the coolant
temperature at the entrance of the condenser / gas cooler and the performance of the
system. The impact on the COP of decreasing the coolant temperature is more important
on medium temperature unit. This is evidently because of its lower pressure ratio.
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
E
l
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c
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i
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a
l

p
o
w
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[
k
W
]
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]
KA1 comp electrical consumption 2008 KA1 comp electrical consumption 2009
FA1 comp electrical consumption 2008 FA1 comp electrical consumption 2009
Coolant temperature 2008 Coolant temperature 2009
49

Figure 4.18: COP function of coolant temperature for medium temperature units and low temperature
units, measures for TR1 supermarket during 2008.

Finally the Figure 4.43 shows the COP of each unit for the whole test period. The low
temperature units FA 1 and 2 show small changes in function of the ambient conditions
and also following the modification of the coolant temperature. In contrast, the medium
temperature COP of the KA 1 and 2 units can vary from 2.8 to 4.5. This is the result of the
use of the floating condensation which considerably increases the COP during the winter.
From winter 2008 to winter 2009, the COP was improved of about 25 % following the
lowering of the coolant temperature which was reduced from 12 to 7 K.

y = 0.0058x
2
- 0.2932x + 6.3315
y = 0.0024x
2
- 0.0957x + 2.2924
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00 18.00 20.00
Coolant temperature [C]
C
O
P
COP_chiller_KA1 COP_chiller_KA2
COP_freezer_FA1 COP_freezer_FA2
Polynomial (COP_chiller_KA1) Polynomial (COP_freezer_FA2)
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
J
a
n
_
0
8
F
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b
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8
M
a
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8
A
p
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a
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J
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8
J
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8
A
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8
S
e
p
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8
O
c
t
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8
N
o
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8
D
e
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_
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8
J
a
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_
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9
F
e
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9
M
a
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9
A
p
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9
M
a
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_
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9
J
u
n
_
0
9
C
O
P
COP KA1 COP KA2 COP FA1 COP FA2
50

The supermarket TR2 has been open since august 2008. The maximal cabinet design
cooling load is 200 kW for cold products and 50 kW for frozen products. There are three
separated transcritical units, two booster types for the medium temperature cabinets and
the low temperature cabinets with a load ratio of about 2, and one standard-type for the
rest of the medium temperature cabinets, with a direct system for the heat rejection. The
nearest weather station to the supermarket is Gothenburg.
Figure 4.20 represents a booster unit installed in the TR2 supermarket. Three compressors
are visible at the bottom of this unit. They produce the cooling capacity for the medium
temperature. The two compressors for the low temperature are behind the electrical panel.
On each compressor an air cooled oil coolers can be distinguished. On top of the large
tanks, there are three valves to avoid overpressure in the system. The 3 tanks are used as
receiver and oil separator.

Figure 4.20: Booster unit in TR2 Supermarket

Figure 4.21 shows:
Two Boosters
o Transcritical CO2, two-stage intercooling booster
o Compressor: two Dorin SCS 362 (low temperature level), three Dorin TCS
373 (high temperature level)
o Oil cooler
51

o Heat recovery
o Subcooling from ground heat sink
o Gas cooler on the roof
Single Standard
o Transcritical CO
2
, single-stage / four Dorin TCS 373
o Oil cooler
o Heat recovery
o Subcooling from ground heat sink
o Gas cooler on the roof

Figure 4.21: Schematic diagram of the TR2 system

In this supermarket there are one circuit for the medium temperature side (KA3) and one
circuit for a combined medium and cold temperature side (KAFA1/KAFA2). There are two
units for the combined side (KAFA1 and KAFA2) and one unit for only medium temperature
cabinets (KA3).
The KA3 cycle can be seen to the right in Figure 4.21 and is similar to the KA-unit in trans-
critical system 1. After the evaporator (chillers) the refrigerant enters the one-stage
compressor. An extra heat exchanger is placed after the compressor to recover heat to
floor and space heating of the supermarket. The refrigerant is after that gas
cooled/condensed in the gas cooler. The gas cooler is placed on the roof and uses the
outside air temperature to cool down the refrigerant. Before the refrigerant reaches the
expansion valve an extra heat exchanger is placed to further cool down the refrigerant and
52

gain some additional heat recovery. This heat exchanger uses a ground heat source for
heat exchange with the carbon dioxide.
The combined circuit (KAFA1/KAFA2) side can be seen to the left in Figure 4.21 and it
serves both medium temperature cabinets and freezers. The gas cooler is placed on the
roof and uses the outside air to cool down the refrigerant. After the gas cooler/condenser
the CO
2
runs through an additional heat exchanger for heat recovery, which also uses the
same ground heat source as in KA3. The ground heat source is used for heating the
supermarket. The mass flow of the refrigerant is separated before it reaches the expansion
valves and cabinets/freezers. After the freezers two compressors called booster
compressors are located. They increase the pressure of CO
2
to the same pressure as the
CO
2
has during the evaporation in the medium temperature cabinets. The mass flows from
the medium temperature cabinets and from the freezers are mixed in the liquid separator
before the high stage compressors. The high stage compressors raise the pressure of the
CO
2
to condensing pressure. The refrigerant runs through an additional heat exchanger,
for floor and space heating as in the case of KA3-unit, before it is gas cooled/condensed in
the gas cooler (Johansson, 2009).

4.5.2 TR2 analysis
A figure per unit has been achieved, KAFA 1 and 2 are booster units and KA3 is a medium
temperature unit. These figures show the evolution of the cooling power and the related
power consumption, the curves of condensing and outdoor temperature, as well as the
effect of subcooling produced by the borehole. This effect is expressed by its T in Kelvin.
Note that the borehole is connected to the heat pump as well and used as heat source to
heat the building during the winter.

Figure 4.22: Different parameters plots for the KAFA1 unit during the whole period of study in the TR2
supermarket
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
S
e
p
t
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
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_
0
8
J
a
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_
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9
F
e
b
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9
M
a
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c
h
_
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9
A
p
r
i
l
_
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9
M
a
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_
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9
J
u
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_
0
9
C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
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[
k
W
]

-

E
l
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c
t
r
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c
a
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p
o
w
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r

[
k
W
]
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

-

d
T

[
K
]
Cooling capacity Compressor electrical consumption
Condensation temperature dT subcooling borehole
Outside temperature
Tevap = -10C / -35C
53

Figure 4.22 shows, as expected a cooling capacity drop during the winter. In contrast the
power consumption does not follow the same trend, although logically it should take
advantage of low winter temperatures. The cause is simply forcing the condensing
temperature at about 25C in order to increase the capacity for the heat recovery system.
The refrigeration system and heat pump are connected via the borehole but also on the
"warm" side through a plate heat exchanger disposed on the high pressure circuit at the
compressor exit.
To compensate this rise of the condensation temperature and in order to maintain the COP
at a high level, the borehole is used to subcool the fluid. Note that the higher the
condensing temperature is kept, the greater is the T subcooling. The fact that the heat
pump for heating the store is also connected to the borehole can justify this principle of
operation as the rejected heat by the subcooling can then be used by the heat pump.
Similar parameters plots as in the previous figure have been developed for KAFA2 in
Figure 4.23 and for KA3 in Figure 4.24.

Figure 4.23: Different parameters plots for the KAFA2 unit during the whole period of study in the TR2
supermarket

The observations on KAFA2 are similar to that for the unit KAFA1. The cooling capacity
produced is lower, although the units are identical. After the starting period (Sept - Oct) and
also through the significant use of the subcooling, the electricity consumption could be
reduced.

0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
S
e
p
t
_
0
8
O
c
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_
0
8
N
o
v
_
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8
D
e
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_
0
8
J
a
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9
F
e
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_
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9
M
a
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c
h
_
0
9
A
p
r
i
l
_
0
9
M
a
y
_
0
9
J
u
n
e
_
0
9
C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

[
k
W
]
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

-

d
T

[
K
]
Outside temperature
Tevap = -10C / -35C
54

Figure 4.24: Different parameters plots for the KA3 unit during the whole period of study in the TR2
supermarket

The study of the KA3 unit confirms our previous observations. The Figure 4.25 shows the
trend of the COPs and their slight decrease during the winter period related to the high
condensing temperature. The use of subcooling does not seem to compensate completely
for these losses. The differences on the 2 booster units are linked to the missing of
separate energy measurement for the medium temperature and low temperature
compressors on the unit KAFA2. Some assumptions have been made for KAFA-units to be
able to perform these calculations. Before January there was only data available of the
total energy that goes o the KAFA-unit and no separate measurement of the energy that
goes to the booster compressors was done. From January the measurement of the energy
to the high stage and booster compressors are separated for KAFA1. Based on that
information an average of the energy that goes to the booster compressors of the total
power consumption of the compressors was estimated. This was used to perform
calculations of COP and cooling capacity for the months prior to the separate energy
measurements on KAFA1 and for all the month for KAFA2.

0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
S
e
p
t
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
c
_
0
8
J
a
n
_
0
9
F
e
b
_
0
9
M
a
r
c
h
_
0
9
A
p
r
i
l
_
0
9
M
a
y
_
0
9
J
u
n
e
_
0
9
C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

[
k
W
]
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]

-

d
T

[
K
]
Outside temperature
Tevap = -10C
55


As can be seen on the figure, the COP of the booster systems are around 2.5 and the COP
of a medium temperature unit is around 4.

The supermarket TR3 has been open since february 2010. There are two separated
transcritical units: two booster types for the medium temperature cabinets and the low
temperature cabinets.
Figure 4.26 shows the first booster unit of the TR3 system:
o Transcritical CO
2
, two-stage booster
o Compressor: one Dorin SCS340 D and one capacity regulated Dorin SCS
362 D (LS), five Dorin TCS373-D (MS) of which one is capacity regulated.
o Oil cooler
o Heat recovery
o Gas cooler/condensor on the roof

0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
S
e
p
t
_
0
8
O
c
t
_
0
8
N
o
v
_
0
8
D
e
c
_
0
8
J
a
n
_
0
9
F
e
b
_
0
9
M
a
r
c
h
_
0
9
A
p
r
i
l
_
0
9
M
a
y
_
0
9
J
u
n
e
_
0
9
C
O
P

COP KAFA1 COP KAFA2 COP KA3
56

Figure 4.26: Schematic diagram of the TR3 system unit 1 (KA/FA1)

The second booster unit has similar layout to first one, presented at the figure above, but
differs in a number and type of compressors used: two Dorin SCS340 D an low
temperature side, four Dorin TCS373-D at medium temperature side. One compressor at
each temperature level is capacity regulated by frequency control.
In this supermarket there are two units for the combined side (KA/FA1 and KA/FA2) having
one circuit for a combined medium and cold temperature side in each of them.
The combined circuit (KA/FA1&KA/FA2) side can be seen to the left in Figure 4.26 and it
serves both medium temperature cabinets and freezers. The gas cooler is placed on the
roof and uses the outside air to cool down the refrigerant. After the gas cooler the
refrigerant expands in the expansion valve and process through liquid vessel LV. The mass
flow of the refrigerant is separated before it reaches the cabinets/freezers. After the
freezers two compressors called booster compressors are located. They increase the
pressure of CO
2
to the same pressure as the CO
2
has during the evaporation in the
medium temperature cabinets. The mass flows from the medium temperature cabinets and
from the freezers are mixed in the liquid separator before the high stage compressors. The
high stage compressors raise the pressure of the CO
2
to condensing pressure. The
57

refrigerant runs through an additional heat exchanger connected to heat recovery system
before it is gas cooled/condensed in the gas cooler.
4.6.2 TR3 analysis
The Figure 4.27 shows the cooling capacity for the medium and low temperature unit
KA/FA1. These figure show the evolution of the cooling, the curves of condensing and
evaporation temperatures. A peak of cooling load appears during the summer. This
increase is particularly visible on the medium temperature unit as freezers, most of which
are fitted with glass doors, are less responsive to ambient conditions.

Figure 4.27: Different parameters plots for the KA/FA1 unit during the whole period of study in the
TR3 supermarket

The respective values for KAFA2 unit obeys similar pattern as those presented for KAFA1
unit due to similar units design and operation conditions.
Figure 4.27 shows expected cooling capacity drop during the winter. However, it could be
seen that during March-April period the medium temperature units cooling capacity
decreases in spite of the ambient temperature increase. The cause is simply forcing the
condensing temperature to elevate in order to increase the capacity for the heat recovery
system, which is in operation majority of time in this system. Additionally it should be noted
that the TR3 system measurements have started simultaneously with the system start, thus
-40,00
-30,00
-20,00
-10,00
0,00
10,00
20,00
30,00
0,00
10,00
20,00
30,00
40,00
50,00
60,00
70,00
mar-10 apr-10 maj-10 jun-10 jul-10 aug-10 sep-10 okt-10
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
o
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

[
k
W
]

Q_evap_MT Q_evap_LT E_comp_KAFA (kW)
E_comp_FA Outdoor temperature T_evap_LT
T_evap_MT
58

the observed parameters in the beginning of the operation time could be affected by the
unsteady conditions in the supermarket.
Similar parameters plots as in the previous figure have been developed for KA/FA2 in
Figure 4.28.

Figure 4.28: Different parameters plots for the KA/FA2 unit during the whole period of study in the
TR3 supermarket

The respective values for KAFA2 unit obeys similar pattern as those presented for KAFA1
unit due to similar units design and operation conditions. The cooling capacity produced is
lower as the units designed capacity is lower than that of unit KAFA1.
The Figure 4.29 shows the trend of the COPs with reference to the ambient temperature.
There are two differently measured COP values presented on the figure: directly obtained
from the IWMAC software (referred as COP*) and calculated COP values, based on the
method described in Chapter 3.4 of this report (referred as COP). It could be clearly seen
from the graph that the measured COP values are on average as much as 17% and 37%
lower than COP* values for medium temperature and low temperature side respectively.
The reason for this as the method IWMAC utilises to calculate the COP* which doesnt
include any losses on the compressor side (i.e. oil cooler losses and compressors heat
losses). Thus the COP values (instead of COP*) values are used as a reference values for
system analysis and comparison.
-40,00
-30,00
-20,00
-10,00
0,00
10,00
20,00
30,00
0,00
5,00
10,00
15,00
20,00
25,00
30,00
35,00
40,00
45,00
mar-10 apr-10 maj-10 jun-10 jul-10 aug-10 sep-10 okt-10
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
o
C
]

C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

[
k
W
]

Q_evap_KA Q_evap_FA E_comp_KAFA (kW)
E_comp_FA Outdoor temperature T_evap_KA
T_evap_FA
59

The difference between two units is not significant most of the time and linked to the
difference in the units designed capacities and ability of the first unit capacity controlled
compressors to adjust to the varying load.


As can be seen on the figure, the COP of the booster systems are around 1.2 and the COP
of a medium temperature unit is around 4.5. The COP values are obviously low during the
summer time and are lowered in colder periods due to increase in heat recovery demand
used for ventilation air preheat (Figure 4.30).

-10,00
-5,00
0,00
5,00
10,00
15,00
20,00
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
7,00
8,00
jan-10 mar-10 maj-10 jun-10 aug-10 sep-10 nov-10
C
O
P

COP KA1
COP KA2
COP FA1
COP FA2
COP* KA1
COP* KA2
COP* FA1
COP* FA2
Tamb
60

Figure 4.30: Schematic diagram of the TR3 system heat recovery unit

The heat recovery performance could be easily visualised by presenting the share of heat
recovered in heat recovery heat exchanger to medium temperature side compressors
power consumption. This curve coupled with ambient temperature and gas cooler capacity
curves is presented on the Figure 4.31.
61

Figure 4.31: Refrigiration system TR 3 heat recovery performance

The heat recovery performance chart above clearly describes the systems COP observed
behaviour. It is seen that the Heat recovery unit is constantly in operation peaking up to
82% of heat recovery share from the MT compressors during colder ambient conditions.

The systems TR4 and TR5 are very similar in construction and only differ by size. For this
reason, they can be described in the same chapter. The two systems TR4 and TR5 are
located in the southern part of Sweden, on the southwest- and southeast coast
respectively. TR4 is the smallest of the three systems in the investigation with only eight
island freezers and five chillers. The size of TR5 is comparable to that of the cascade
system CC2 but TR5 has a few cabinets less. Both TR4 and TR5 are very new installations
and have only been in operation since the beginning of May 2010.
TR4 and TR5 are trans-critical CO
2
refrigeration systems with direct expansion in both low
and medium temperature stage. Figure 4.42 shows the combined low- and medium
temperature unit of TR4. For the low temperature stage, two subcritical compressors of the
model; Bitzer 2MHC-05KB-40S, are placed in parallel. The trans-critical operation is then
achieved by two Bitzer compressors of the model; 4MTH-10KI-40S, also mounted in
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
-10,00
-5,00
0,00
5,00
10,00
15,00
20,00
mar-10 apr-10 maj-10 jun-10 jul-10 aug-10 sep-10 okt-10 nov-10
[
%
]

T
,

o
C

T_amb Q_hr/Q_mt GK_cap,%
62

parallel. The MT compressors are used for compressing the entire refrigerant flow of the
system. The section of the store area that is used for chilled or frozen products is
comparatively small for TR4 with only 5 cooling cabinets and 8 island freezers. Therefore,
the design capacity for this system is only about 5.8 kW for the freezers and 24.5 kW for
the chillers. Both the chillers and freezers of TR4 have no glass doors or glass lids which
increases the influence of the ambient temperature on cooling capacity and energy
consumption during the summer period, mainly due to increased humidity in the outdoor
and indoor air.

Figure 4.32: Combine chiller and freezer unit for system TR4.

Figure 4.33 shows the separate freezer and chiller units for TR5. The setup is identical to
that of TR4 but in TR5, there are four parallel Bitzer compressors of the model; 2HHC-2K
in the freezer unit. The unit that supports the chillers have five parallel Bitzer 4HTC-20KI
compressors that are used for circulating the entire refrigerant flow of the system. TR5 has
glass doors on almost all chillers and glass lids on all freezers which reduces the influence
of the ambient.

63

Figure 4.33: Freezer unit (left) and chiller unit (right) for system TR5.

A simplified schematic of the refrigeration system is displayed in Figure 4.34 where the
important components and measurement points are visible. The two systems both have a
two stage compression using parallel Bitzer compressors. In the first stage, subcritical
compression increases the pressure from about 12 to 30 bars. In the second stage
compression, trans-critical compressors are used in parallel to raise the pressure to the
heat rejection level at about 50-75 bar. The pressure levels are very similar for both TR4
and TR5. The refrigerant enters the heat recovery system which acts as a de-super heater
before the condenser. On the liquid side, there is a small amount of sub cooling for each
system in the condensers, about 3 Kelvin for TR4 and four Kelvin for TR5, before the
refrigerant flows through an expansion valve and is collected in a receiver vessel.

Figure 4.34 includes:
- Low temperature stage:
- Two parallel Bitzer 2MHC-05 compressors for TR4
- Four parallel Bitzer 2HHC-2K compressors for TR5
- Low temperature cabinets (freezers)
- Direct expansion

- Medium temperature stage:
- Two parallel Bitzer 4MTC-7K compressors for TR4
- Five parallel Bitzer 4HTC-20KI compressors for TR5
- Medium temperature cabinets (chillers)
64

- Direct expansion
- Heat recovery (de-super heater)
- Gas cooler
- Receiver
- Gas bypass to MT compressor inlet

Figure 4.34: System schematic for TR4 and TR5 with important components and measurement points.

The receiver vessel has two outlets, one at the bottom for the liquid that is to be introduced
to the cabinets and evaporated, and one at the top for vapour extraction to a gas bypass
circuit. This vapour is first expanded in two parallel expansion valves to reduce its pressure
and temperature. Second, the resulting vapour-liquid mixture in this line and the saturated
liquid from the bottom of the receiver tank enter a counter flow heat exchanger where the
liquid is sub-cooled and the vapour-liquid mixture is heated and returned to the suction side
of the high stage compressors.
65

There are two main reasons for using a heat exchanger in this manner. First, when
expanding the saturated vapour from the receiver to the suction side of the high stage
compressors, the result will be a liquid-vapour mixture and there is a risk of liquid droplets
entering the compressor causing harmful cavitations. Since this mixture will be mixed with
the relatively hot discharge gas from the low pressure compressors, the risk of this
happening is probably small but the use of the heat exchanger reduces it further. Due to
the slope of the saturated vapour line in the p-h diagram, the lower the receiver pressure is,
the higher the vapour quality in the gas bypass will be, which reduces the risk of liquid
entering the compressors and increases the COP (Danfoss, 2008). Second, sub-cooling of
the liquid from the receiver reduces the vapour quality at the inlet of the evaporators. This
means that a larger region of the evaporators will be filled with liquid which improves the
heat transfer. The liquid sub cooling in the heat exchanger turned out to be very small, on
average about one degree C or less for the time period of this study.
After the heat exchanger, the liquid refrigerant flow is divided in two parts, one leading to
the medium temperature cabinets and one to the freezers. There, evaporation takes place
after the refrigerant has passed through expansion valves. The refrigerant from the
freezers is returned to the low stage compressors and mixes with the flow from the chillers
at the compressor discharge. It also mixes with the flow from the receiver before being
compressed to a heat sink level. A p-h diagram for the entire cycle is shown in Figure 4.35
including explanations.
Some features have been left out of the simplified sketch in Figure 4.34. For example, for
TR4, there is a pipe leading from the receiver to the roof of the building, acting as a safety
valve. Similar pipes are connected to the suction sides for the flows coming from the
cooling cabinets and the freezers. There is also a pipe connecting the high stage
compressor discharge with the receiver tank vapour outlet. This pipe has a relatively small
diameter compared to the other parts of the system which indicates a smaller mass flow.
However, this connection is not always in operation. Its purpose is rather to serve as a
pressure regulator as hot gas can be introduced to the tank from the compressor
discharge, thus increasing the temperature and pressure if necessary.
If instead, the high stage compressor discharge temperature is too high, there is a sensor
located after the compressors that is connected to a valve controlling a pipe used for liquid
injection. This pipe is situated between the liquid side outlet from the heat exchanger and
the vapour side inlet. Due to the difference in pressure, liquid will be injected into the
vapour-liquid mixture line if the valve is opened, thereby reducing the temperature at the
second stage compressor inlet and outlet. Another part that has been excluded from the
simplified system schematic is a bypass from the heat exchanger outlet on the liquid side
to the pipe that leads to the cabinets but this bypass is only used for maintenance and
does not affect the system in normal operation.
Figure 4.35 shows a simplified pressure-enthalpy diagram with explanations that also
relates to measurement points in Figure 4.34. The distance between some of the
parameters and the vapour-liquid saturation lines has been exaggerated to clarify how the
systems operate. The figure includes:

1) Cooling of the refrigerant in the condenser [e-f]
2) Expansion of the refrigerant [f-g]
66

3) The refrigerant entering the receiver where liquid and vapour separation takes place
[g-h] and [g-l] respectively.
4) Expansion of the vapour in two parallel expansion valves [l-m].
5) The vapour-liquid mixture and the liquid from the receiver entering the heat
exchanger. The vapour-liquid mixture is heated up and the liquid is sub-cooled [m-n]
and [h-i] respectively.
6) Expansion of the refrigerant before the cooling cabinets [i-j].
7) Evaporation of the refrigerant in the medium temperature cabinets [j-(m)]
8) Expansion of the refrigerant before the freezers [j-k].
9) Evaporation of the refrigerant in the freezers [k-a] including external super heat.
10) Subcritical compression of the refrigerant [a-b]
11) The refrigerant from the 1:st stage compressor discharge being mixed with the flow
from the medium temperature cabinets and the vapour from the heat exchanger
[b+n+MT=c].
12) The refrigerant being compressed before entering the heat recovery system [c-d].
13) The refrigerant rejecting heat to the ventilation air in the heat recovery system via a
heat exchanger with a water-glycol loop on the heat sink side [d-e].

Figure 4.35: Simplified P-h diagram for TR4 and TR5 during trans-critical operation.

4.7.2 TR4 analysis
Figure 4.36 shows monthly averages of power consumption used for LT and MT
applications and for the total system as well as the ambient temperature and condensing
temperature. The equivalent plot for cooling capacities is shown in Figure 4.37. The power
67

consumption for the LT stage is equal to the calculated compressor power for the LT-
compressors but for the MT-stage, it is the measured value of power consumption that is
shown. The power consumption of the only parasites in the system, the gas cooler fans, is
included in this value.

Figure 4.36: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total power consumption and outdoor temperature for
TR4.

The LT compressor power and cooling capacity are not very affected by the change in
ambient temperature. The LT power consumption is about 1.8 kW and the cooling capacity
for the LT cabinets is about 6 kW. The cooling capacity used for MT-purposes amounts to
about 22 kW and is clearly more dependent on the ambient temperature. So is the MT
compressor power with about 7-11 kW, reaching its peak in July. The total cooling capacity
for TR4 is about 26-29 kW and the total power consumption 9-12 kW. The difference
between condensing temperature and ambient temperature is about 10 degrees C.
68

Figure 4.37: Monthly averages of cooling capacities, ambient and condensation temperature for TR4.

The COP: s for the low and medium temperature stage displayed in Figure 4.38.The LT
COP is around 1.5-1.8 and the MT COP is between 2.9 and 3.8. This results in a total COP
for TR4 between 2.4-2.9.

69

Figure 4.38: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total COP, ambient- and condensation temperature for
TR4.

The system TR5 is to a large extent similar to system TR4 and thus described in detail in
the Chapter 4.7.1 above.
4.8.2 TR5 analysis
This section contains the results for system TR5. The main parameters shown here include
cooling capacity, power consumption and coefficient of performance. Values of these
parameters are shown for the low and medium temperature stages and for the total
system. All values are based on monthly averages.
The power consumption for LT and MT use and for the total system is shown in Figure
4.39. The LT power consumption is about 6 kW compared to about 20-27 kW for the MT
stage. The values for the MT stage are based on measured data and include gas cooler
fans while the LT-data is calculated. The total power consumption for TR5 is between 25
and 34 kW.
70

Figure 4.39: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total power consumption, ambient- and condensation
temperature for TR5.

The cooling capacities for the LT and MT stage and for the total system are shown in
Figure 4.50. The LT cooling capacity is about 21 kW and the MT cooling capacity
somewhere between 51 and 61kW. This yields a total cooling capacity of about 72-82 kW
for TR5. Both cooling capacity and power consumption depends on the ambient
temperature for the MT-stage, showing the highest values in July when the temperature is
at its peak. For LT results, the values dont vary a lot with the ambient conditions. The
temperature difference between condensing temperature and ambient temperature is
about 8 degrees C for TR5.
The coefficient of performance for the LT and MT stage and for the total system is plotted
in Figure 4.41. For LT, the COP is close to 1.8 - 1.9 and rather constant. For MT, it
changes between 3.2 and 4.1 depending on the ambient. The total COP for TR5 is around
2.5 3, very similar to the values for TR4.

71

Figure 4.40: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total cooling capacity, ambient- and condensation
temperature for TR5.

Figure 4.41: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total COP, ambient- and condensation temperature for
TR5.
72

4.9 Supermarket with cascade system CC1
4.9.1 CC1 description
The supermarket CC1 has been open since 2006, but the measured data are only
available since December 2008. The cooling load is 220 kW for cold products and 60 kW
for frozen products. It is a cascade R404A / CO
2
system, R404A for the first stage, brine for
the medium temperature cabinets and CO
2
DX for the low temperature cabinets, with an
indirect water-glycol system for the heat rejection. The nearest weather station to the
supermarket is Floda.
Figure 4.42 presents two CO
2
low temperature units in the CC1 supermarket. Both units
are composed of four compressors. The condensation capacity is transmitted to the brine
circuit through plate heat exchangers. If the installation should be stopped, a small
refrigeration unit (on top of each unit) maintains the CO
2
at proper temperature and
pressure so safety valves are not activated.

Figure 4.42: Two CO
2
low temperature units in the CC1 supermarket

Figure 4.43 shows:
Two R404A DX units (stage 1)
o Three compressor: Bitzer 4H-15.2Y-40P
73

o Internal heat exchanger
o Heat recovery
o Coolant
Single Brine loop (intermediate stage)
o Brine 34% glycol
o Pumped
Two CO
2
DX units (stage 2)
o Four Compressor Bitzer 2KC-3.2K-40S
o CO
2
subcritical
o Internal heat exchanger

Figure 4.43: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket CC1

The system solution is a cascade solution with R404A in the high stage and CO
2
in the low
stage. There is direct expansion with CO
2
for the freezers and indirect for the chillers.
Figure 4.43 shows a schematic picture of the system. There are two units of the low stage
(KS5 and KS6) and two units for the high stage (VKA1 and VKA2). There is only one brine
circuit.
R404A in the high stage are condensed by a coolant that is heat exchanging with the
outside air. Before the condenser a desuperheater are located for reuse some of the heat
74

after the compressor. A subcooler, using the coolant, is placed after the condenser for
subcooling the fluid. There is an internal heat exchanger (IHE) in the system where the
refrigerant is further subcooled by transfer heat to the refrigerant after the evaporator. After
the evaporator and IHE the refrigerant enters the compressors before returning to the
desuper heater. There are two units of the high stage R404A and three compressors in
every unit.
The brine evaporating the R404A is cooling the medium temperature cabinets and is
circulated by pumps. The brine is condensing the CO
2
, used as a refrigerant, in the low
stage. After the condenser the CO
2
is heat exchanging in an IHE to be subcooled before
the expansion valve and the freezers. After the freezers the refrigerant enters the IHE
before it enters the compressors and then back to the condenser. There are two units of
the low stage CO
2
and four compressors in every unit (Johansson, 2009).
4.9.2 CC1 analysis
Figures of the main parameters of the two VKA medium temperature units with R404A and
the two KS low temperature units with CO
2
were developed, Figure 4.44 and Figure 4.45
respectively. The figures show the evolution of the cooling capacity and the related power
consumption and also the curves of condensation and outside temperature.

Figure 4.44: Cooling capacity, compressor electrical power consumption, condensation and outside
temperatures for medium temperature units VKA1 and VKA2 during the whole testing period for the
CC1 supermarket

Globally the Figure 4.44 and Figure 4.45 demonstrate an essential fact of CC1 system, the
stability of its operating parameters. The condensing temperature is permanently kept at a
high level. The lower limit of floating condensing is set at 30C so the monthly average
temperature does not fall below this value. Even the increase of the outside temperature
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
120.00
Dec_08 Jan_09 Feb_09 Mar_09 Apr_09 May_09 Jun_09
C
o
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c
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[
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]

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p
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e
r

[
k
W
]
-10.00
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]
Compressor electrical power VKA1 Compressor electrical power VKA2
Cooling capacity VKA1 Cooling capacity VKA2
Condensation temperature VKA1 Condensation temperature VKA2
Outside temperature
Tevap = -11C
75

does not really affect the condensation level. The cooling capacity was slightly lowered
during the winter months like January and February.
The analysis of this supermarket does not raise any significant changes or developments.
The only question mark is the justification for maintaining the condensing temperature as
high, even if the coolant circuit is connected to HVAC system and allows heat recovery in
winter.

Figure 4.45: Cooling capacity, compressor electrical power consumption, condensation and outside
temperatures for low temperature units KS5 and KS6 during the whole testing period for the CC1
supermarket

The comparison of units COP on Figure 4.46 does not really give much of variations. The
medium temperature units COP is slightly decreased approaching the summer period. The
COPs of the low temperature units are constant due to the rather constant condensing and
evaporating temperatures.
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
C
o
o
l
i
n
g

c
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

[
k
W
]

-

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
a
l

p
o
w
e
r

[
k
W
]
-10.00
-5.00
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

[
C
]
Cooling capacity KS5 Cooling capacity KS6
Compressor electrical power KS5 Compressor electrical power KS6
Condensation temperature KS5 Condensation temperature KS6
Outside temperature
Tevap = -36C
76

Figure 4.46: COP for each units during the whole testing period for the CC1 supermarket.

The refrigeration system CC2 has been in operation since the end of Mars 2009. With
more than 50 medium temperature cabinets and 30 low temperature cabinets, it is one the
largest system analysed. It has a design capacity of about 240 kW for the chillers and
about 50 kW for the freezers. It is also the system located furthest to the north and unlike
the trans-critical CO2 systems, it is situated inland and not on the coast.
4.10.2 Overall system description
CC2 is a cascade system that has three R404A-circuits in the high temperature stage and
one DX CO
2
- circuit in the low temperature stage. The CO
2
-circuit supports the low
temperature cabinets while the medium temperature cabinets are connected to a
propylene-glycol brine circuit in the intermediate stage. An indirect system with an
ethylene-glycol coolant loop is used for heat rejection and heat recovery. Figure 4.47
shows the CO
2
unit KS4 that supports the freezers.

0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
C
O
P
COP VKA1 COP VKA2 COP KS5 COP KS6
77

Figure 4.47: Freezer unit KS4 in system CC2

This unit has five LG rotary compressors with number GP290PA that are on-off controlled.
These are originally designed for R410A but used for CO2 in this case. The number of
compressors in operation is available as a percentage and this is used as input data to the
calculations of system performance.
Figure 4.48 shows the full system schematic for CC2 including the different components
and the measurement points. In the figure, two of the R404A circuits are placed in parallel
(VKA1 and VKA2) and produces cooling capacity for the medium temperature cabinets via
the brine circuit. This parallel solution enables VKA2 to work as a backup-system in case
VKA1 should fail. VKA3 is a separate unit that is connected to the low temperature CO
2

unit KS4 via the brine loop. The cooling capacity produced in this unit is thus used for both
low and medium temperature applications. The VKA3 cooling capacity for LT use is equal
to the heat rejected in the condenser of KS4. The heat from the VKA units is rejected to the
coolant loop in the condensers and in the sub coolers located after the condensers. After
the sub coolers, the VKA-units are all equipped with liquid suction heat exchangers
(IHE 1-3) which further increases the amount of sub-cooling and heats the refrigerant
before the compressors. Each of the VKA-units has two compressors mounted in parallel.
The compressors are Copeland ZB220CE-TWM hermetic scroll compressors (Elektronika
S.A, 2010) and they are all frequency controlled. This makes the system more adaptable to
changes in the cooling load.
The brine circuit is equipped with three pumps that circulate the brine from the machine
room to the medium temperature cabinets in the store area and back. Pump 2A and 2B are
placed in parallel and pump the brine from the KS4 condenser out to the MT cabinets. P1
is the main pump that circulates the brine with a volumetric flow of about 52 m
3
per hour.
This is the flow that goes through the evaporators of VKA1 and VKA2 which have the same
evaporation temperature. One part of the flow is pumped back to store area and one part is
78

circulated through the evaporator of VKA3 before entering the KS4 condenser and
reaching the pumps 2A and 2B. The two flows from pump 1 and 2 mix before the brine is
supplied to the medium temperature cabinets.
The ethylene-glycol in the coolant loop is circulated with six pumps, P3-P8. The coolant
loop is constructed as a two way flow circuit, having pumps located before the dry coolers
and before the heat recovery system (P3 and P4 respectively). Depending on how these
pumps are regulated, the heat from the VKA-units can be utilized either in the heat
recovery system or be released to the ambient. The heat that reaches the heat recovery
system is used for floor and space heating applications. In this report, the heat recovery
system in supermarket CC2 has not been thoroughly investigated due to a lack of
measurement points at the site. The pumps P5, P6 and P7 supply the coolant to the
condensers of VKA1, VKA2 and VKA3 respectively. Pump P8 supplies the coolant to the
sub-coolers in all three VKA-units. VKA3 is the unit closest to the dry cooler.
Unit VKA3 is highly interesting because of its dual function; producing both LT and MT
cooling capacity. It also the unit closest to the dry cooler and its operation and
characteristics will be investigated in chapter 6.5.

Figure 4.48 includes:
- Three R404A DX units for the first stage (VKA 1-3):
- Two parallel compressors per VKA-unit: Copeland ZB220KCE-TWM,
- Three internal heat exchangers (IHE 1-3)
- Three sub coolers
- Three evaporators an three condensers
- Brine loop:
- Brine - Propylene glycol
- Pumps P1 & P2-A&B
- Chillers
- One CO2 DX unit for the second stage (KS4)
- Five parallel compressors: LG GP290PA
- Receiver
- Condenser
- Freezers
- Coolant loop:
- Coolant Ethylene glycol
- Pumps P3-8
- Dry cooler

79

Figure 4.48: Full system schematic for CC2 including all components and measurement points.

4.10.3 CC2 analysis
The cascade system, having the most complex structure of the three systems, will require
a more thorough analysis of its different parts before evaluating the entire system. The heat
recovery of this system has not been included in this investigation due to the lack of
measurement points at the system location.

Individual units
Figure 4.49 shows monthly averages of compressor power consumption for the three
R404a-units and the CO
2
-unit in supermarket CC2 and the outdoor temperature. As
expected, the power consumption peaks during July since it is the month with the highest
average outdoor temperature, and drops during August and September due to the
decrease in temperature.
80

Figure 4.49: Monthly averages of outdoor temperature and compressor power consumption for the
units of CC2.

It is apparent that the ambient conditions have a much larger impact on the power
consumption of the VKA medium temperature units than that of the low temperature CO
2
-
unit KS4 which remains rather constant over the time period. Unit VKA2 has very low
values of compressor power consumption compared to the other medium temperature
units since it is rarely in operation. The values for VKA3 are about twice as large as the
values for VKA1 as it also supplies the low temperature unit. The shape of the graphs for
VKA1 and VKA3 are similar but the very low values in June and the high values in July can
be questioned. This is even more obvious when looking at the cooling capacities in Figure
4.50. For VKA1, the cooling capacity increases from 35 kW in June to 55 kW in July. Such
a large increase does not seem reasonable when comparing with the temperature
difference. The monthly average of the outdoor temperature is about the same for June
and September, but the cooling capacities have completely different values. This also
affects the calculations on the basis of the total system.
In the Figure 4.50, VKA3 has the highest cooling capacity of about 60 kW followed by
VKA1 at between 35-55 kW. VKA2 contribute with about 11 kW in July and 7 kW in August
but almost nothing in June and September. The low temperature unit KS4 is very stable at
about 23 kW cooling capacity and does not change much with the ambient temperature. All
the VKA-units show the highest values in July when the ambient temperature is at its
highest. The increase in cooling capacity and compressor power consumption in July is
mainly due to the increase in relative humidity of the indoor and outdoor air when the
ambient temperature increases. The reason why the low temperature unit is not affected
81

the same way is mainly due to the glass doors covering the freezers and the fact that
horizontal cabinets contain the cold better than vertical cabinets.

Figure 4.50: Monthly averages of outdoor temperature and cooling capacity for the different units of
CC2.

In Figure 4.51, the coefficient of performance is shown for the different units of CC2
together with outdoor temperature based on monthly averages. It is the compressor COP
that is shown, calculated by using compressor power consumption and excluding parasites
such as dry cooler fans and pumps.
82

Figure 4.51: Monthly averages of COP (excluding parasites) and outdoor temperature for the units of
CC2.

As expected, the CO
2
unit KS4 has the highest value of COP which is rather constant,
about 4. Unit VKA1 has a COP of about 3.5 while VKA3 has much lower values of about
2.2. The high values for VKA2 in June and September are a result of the fact that VKA2 is
almost never in operation during these two months. Looking at July and August, when
VKA2 is running more frequently, it is clear that it reaches similar values of COP as VKA1.
All systems, including KS4, show an increase in COP with falling ambient temperature.

Analysis of VKA3
The plots on Figure 4.49 and Figure 4.50 depict how the different units of CC2 operate and
it is clear that VKA3 is the main unit that drives the system. The large contribution of
cooling capacity merits a closer look at unit VKA3. Figure 4.52 shows the ratios between
the MT cooling capacities that each unit produces to the total cooling capacity used for
medium temperature applications. From this diagram, it is clear that the average
contribution from VKA3 is between 35 and 45 percent of the total MT cooling capacity. The
rest is supplied mainly by VKA1 but VKA2 also contributes with about 11 and 7 percent
during the two warmest months, July and August respectively. This shows that the VKA2
unit is not only used as a backup-unit in case VKA1 fails, but that it actually is in operation
when the outdoor temperature reaches a certain point and the cooling load increases.
While producing a large portion of the cooling capacity for the medium temperature
cabinets, VKA3 also drives the low temperature CO
2
-cycle by being connected to its
condenser. Figure 4.53 shows the ratio between the VKA3 cooling capacity used for low
83

temperature applications and the total cooling capacity produced by VKA3. Evidently,
about 50 percent of the total VKA3 cooling capacity is used to supply the low temperature
unit KS4. During the warmest month, July, this value drops in favor of the MT cooling
capacity as the medium temperature cooling cabinets are more sensitive to an increase in
ambient temperature.

Figure 4.52: Ratios of cooling capacity that VKA1, VKA2 and VKA3 each supply to the medium
temperature cabinets based on monthly averages.

Figure 4.53 also shows the relation between LT and MT use of cooling capacity when
considering the total production of system CC2. About 72-82 percent is used for MT-
applications. This makes sense because of the very large number of medium temperature
cabinets that are used in the store-area of supermarket CC2. The highest percentage of
cooling capacity for MT use is found in July when the cooling load is at its highest.

84

Figure 4.53: Ratios of cooling capacity used for low and medium temperature cabinets for VKA3 and
for the total system CC2 based on monthly averages.
The power consumption of VKA3 including parasites is shown in Figure 4.54. The power
used for supporting the KS4 unit is about 13.5-14.5 kW. The power used for MT
applications is about the same, around 13 kW but increases to 17 kW in July.

Figure 4.54: Power consumption of VKA3 for LT and MT use based on monthly averages.

Overall system performance CC2
The results of the analysis for the individual units of CC2 have been shown above. These
results do not include parasites like pumps or the dry coolers but are only based on
compressor power consumption. In order to make a valid comparison of the systems, the
total power consumption must be taken into account. Figure 4.55 shows the power
consumption and cooling capacity for LT and MT applications and for the total system. The
LT cooling capacity for the freezers is supplied by the CO2 unit KS4 and is about 22 kW.
The power consumption for LT use is the sum of the compressor power for KS4 and the
part of the power consumption for VKA3 that is used for LT applications. In Figure 4.49, the
LT compressor power was about 6 kW and in Figure 4.54, the LT-power consumption for
VKA3 is about 13.5-14.5 kW and together, the total power consumption for the LT-stage of
the system is about 20 kW. The power consumption of the brine pump P2 is included in
this number.
For the MT-stage, the cooling capacity is the sum of the cooling capacities for VKA1 and
VKA2 and the MT-cooling capacity from VKA3. This amounts to about 80 kW but the value
reaches 100 kW for July. The power consumption is about 30-50 kW for the MT-stage. This
includes compressor power consumption for VKA1 and VKA2 and the MT-power
consumption for VKA3. The power consumption of pump P1, P3, P5, P6, P7 and the dry
cooler fans are also included in this value. The total cooling capacity for the entire system
is the sum of LT and MT cooling capacities and is between 90 and 125 kW. The total
power consumption for CC2 is between 50 and 70 kW. The cooling capacity and power
85

consumption for the freezers remains very constant for time period but for the chillers, and
thereby also the total system, the values are more affected by the ambient conditions.
Figure 4.56 shows the COP for the LT and MT stages and the total COP for the system.

Figure 4.55: Monthly averages of LT, MT and total cooling capacities and power consumption for
CC2.

The COP for the low temperature stage is about 1.2 compared to 2.1 for the medium
temperature stage. This results in a total COP of about 1.8. It is a comparatively low value
of COP and it is mainly because the VKA3 unit has to supply the KS4 unit with about 50
percent of the total cooling capacity it produces as shown in Figure 4.53.
86

Figure 4.56: LT, MT and total COP for system CC2 based on monthly averages.

Cabinets
The brine that flows to the medium temperature cabinets in the store and back to the
compressor room must have a sufficiently low temperature in order to absorb heat from the
cabinets. The monthly averages for brine inlet and outlet temperatures to the medium
temperature cabinets are shown in Figure 4.57. The inlet temperature has values between
-2.4 and -3.4 degrees C which are very high for a system of this size. The return
temperature is between 0.4 and -0.4 degrees C and this means that the temperature
difference over all MT cabinets is only about 3 degrees C.

Figure 4.57: Monthly averages of brine supply- and return temperatures for MT cabinets in CC2.

87

Because of the fairly high inlet brine temperature to the MT-cabinets and the long distance
the refrigerant has to be transported through the store area, there has been some concern
that the temperatures inside the cabinets will be too high.

The system CC3 constitutes of three medium temperature stages (VKA1:1, VKA1:2 and
VKA 1:3) and three low temperature stages (KKA1,2&3) combined as it shown on the
Figure 4.58. The R404A refrigerant is used in the medium temperature stages and CO
2
is
utilized on the low temperature stages. Heat is recovered from the system at medium
temperature condensers stages. Two compressors at each unit serves the medium
temperature level needs and three per stage low temperature level.

Figure 4.58: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket CC3

Each of the medium temperature stages constitute of a sub-cooler, used to sub-cool the
liquid coming out of the condenser. The low temperature stages, in contrast, has no sub
cooler installed.
88

Table 4.4: Major system details of CC3
System
Specification
System Cascade
Sub-cooler Yes
Heat recovery Yes
Refrigerant
Specification
Primary Refrigerant CO2 (Freezers), R404A(Chillers)
Secondary Refrigerant Propylene 40%
Compressor
Specification
Medium temperature stage Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, Bitzer
6G-30.2Y
Low temperature stage Semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, 2JC-
3,2K(40S)

Temperatures, pressures and electric motor frequencies are measured and logged by
IWMAC system (Iwmac, 2009). However, the system is equipped in the way that only few
important process points are measured, what makes proper performance analysis
impossible.
Figure 4.59 and Figure 4.60 give an idea on how insufficient the CC3 system is equipped
for the performance analysis.

Figure 4.59: Refrigeration system CC3: IWMAC measured points at medium temperature level unit.

89

Figure 4.60: Refrigeration system CC3: IWMAC measured points at low temperature level unit.

As it can be clearly seen from the pictures above the data obtained from the points
measured by IWMAC is not sufficient to give us any valuable information for system
performance analysis. Therefore, the system was additionally equipped with a number of
instrument transducers. This re-equipment has been done for one per each temperature
stage: VKA1:1 at medium temperature stage and KKA2 at low temperature stage.
In order to obtain full system performance data the missing parameters were evaluated by
means of different extrapolation techniques. The measured data for VKA1:1 and KKA2
units have been used as a statistical data to correlate known parameters to those unknown
at VKA1:2, VKA1:3, KKA3 and KKA4 units. It has been done by utilising different
extrapolation techniques. The linear regression method has been used as one of it and
gave sufficient extrapolation quality, which could be quantified in terms of multiple
regression coefficient R=0.85. The deviations between measured values and predicted in
this way condensing temperature values are visualised on Figure 4.61.
90

Figure 4.61: The deviation between measured condensing temperature and predicted using linear
regression method

The same or/and similar to above described methods have been used for a number of
correlations needed to accomplish the systems performance analysis.
A number of metering has been made in order to develop the correlation between IWMAC
measured parameters and unknown energy consumption of different elements. For
instance, the dry cooler energy consumption has been successfully correlated to funs
motor frequency measurement data, which is direct to current through the units (Figure
4.62).

20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
40,0
45,0
50,0
1 1001 2001 3001 4001 5001 6001 7001
C
o
n
d
e
n
s
i
n
g

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

[
g
r
a
d
_
C
]

Time interval, [5 min]
Measured Predicted
91

a) frequency/current correlation b) on-site data measurement
Figure 4.62: Refrigeration system CC3 dry cooler unit energy usage correlation.

Similar approach to that explained above was used for pumps energy consumption
determination, compressors operation status detection.
The mass flow through the compressors was estimated based on the data polynomial data
provided by manufacturer (Figure 4.63). The Bitzer software has been used to generate the
polynome based on condenser and evaporator temperatures as variable parameters
(BITZER, 2010). The polynomial formula coefficients are based on the stored manufacture
data and dependent on some other important input parameters such as liquid sub cooling
and suction gas superheat temperatures, power supply mode and others.

Figure 4.63: Bitzer compressor mass flow estimation based on polinomial generation.
92

In total, although the system is measured by IWMAC since the June 2009, the additional
measurement transducers have been installed in the beginning of August 2010, resulting in
sufficient data available since that time only. The measurements have ben ended at the
beginning of September, thus only one month of representative data available.

4.11.2 CC3 analysis
The measured sufficient system performance data is available for period of one month. It
has been additionally extended to total 10 months by means of linear regression analysis
formula results with high level of confidence. The attempt has been also done to prolong
the evaluation period backwards. However, the data quality results decrease has been
observed due to uncertainty grows in time, hence additional validation methods should be
used in order to be able to make reliable quantitative analysis for long period of time.
The qualitative system analysis reveals that the refrigeration system CC3 is characterised
with poorer control compared to that used in transcritical systems analysed. Compared to
the reference systems the parasites installed in the system CC3 are larger while still having
the same refrigerant. These factors make no reason for the system CC3 to be more
efficient than reference or transcritical systems studied.

4.12 Pump circulation system PC1
4.12.1 PC1 description
The system constitutes of three medium temperature stages (VKA1:1, VKA1:2 and
VKA1:3) and three low temperature stages (VFA1:1, VFA1:2 and VFA1:3) combined as it
shown on the Figure 4.64. The R404A refrigerant is used both in medium and low
temperature stages. Heat recovery system is designed in the way to recover heat from
both medium and low temperature stage condenser units. Medium temperature level is
served by three compressors per each unit; low temperature level has one compressor per
unit. There is no capacity regulation used at any stage of the system.

93

Figure 4.64: Schematic diagram of the cooling system in the supermarket PC1

Each of the unit constitute of a sub-cooler, used to sub-cool the liquid coming out of the
condenser.

Table 4.5: Major system details of PC1
System
Specification
System Pump circulation
Sub-cooler Yes
Heat recovery Yes
Refrigerant
Specification
Primary Refrigerant R404A (Freezers), R404A (Chillers)
Secondary Refrigerant CO
2
(Freezers), Propylen 40% (Chillers)
Compressor
Specification
Medium temperature
stage
Bitzer 8FC-70.2Y
Bitzer 4G-20.2Y

94

Temperatures, pressures and electric motor frequencies are measured and logged by
IWMAC system (Iwmac, 2009). However, the system is equipped in the similar way to
system PC1, where: only few important process points are measured, not allowing tracing
the refrigeration cycle in the h-logP diagram and calculating the cooling capacity as well as
various parameters which could influence this capacity.
. Only evaporation temperature and suction gas superheat temperatures are measured and
logged by the system, as it is indicated on Figure 4.65. There is also a lack of energy
consumption measurements in the supermarket.

Figure 4.65: Refrigeration system PC3: IWMAC measured points (left) at medium (center) and low
(right) temperature level units.

In order to perform proper analysis the system has been additionally equipped with
additional measurement transducers for complete refrigeration cycle state logging. This
procedure has been performed for each first unit at both medium and low temperature
stage since the middle of August 2010. Energy measurements have been started since
October 21, 2010.
The measured in this way data cant provide us with high quality performance analysis of
whole system. In order to obtain sufficient analysis results a number of different
extrapolation techniques have been utilised to extrapolate known measured data both to
other medium and low temperature units and back in time (energy consumption
measurements). Some of the methods are presented in the refrigeration system CC3
description part (see Chapter 4.11.1 of this report).
In sum, although the system is measured by IWMAC since the beginning of 2008, the
supplementary equipment of the system has been started on August 12, 2010, resulting in
sufficient data available since the October 21, 2010 with energy measurements start. The
measurements have been ended by the end of November 2010, thus only one month of
representative data available with possibility of extension up to 4 month with proper data
extrapolation validation.

95

4.12.2 PC1 analysis
The measured system performance data is fully available for period of one month. It has
been additionally extended to total 4 months by means of linear regression analysis
formula results with high level of confidence. The data quality results are uncertain due to a
number of approximations used, which cause obvious data quality decrease.
The system is utilises the same R404A refrigerant as reference systems RS1,2 and 3, but
has large parasitic losses than other systems and poorer control compared to the
transcritical solutions presented in the report. Thus the efficiency level of this system is
lower compared to more advanced TR and RS solutions.

96

5. REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS COMPARISON
Current chapter compares and summarises all the supermarkets performance data studied
previously. The analysis below includes, but not limited to, the data already described in
the report; it additionally includes the most reliable data from all the reports presented
within the context of the project.
In order to achieve a fair comparison, the evolution of such parameters as condensing and
ambient temperature during the period of analysis, the load ratio is shown. The load ratio is
defined as the ratio of cooling capacity between the medium temperature and the low
temperature cabinets. This is different for each supermarket and may also change during
the year. The medium temperature cabinets are generally more sensitive to the outside
temperature and humidity conditions during the summer. That is the explanation why the
load ratio increases during this period.
The previous analysis done by David and Louis has studied the evolution of the load ratio
for different supermarket (Frelechox, 2009) (Tamilarasan, 2009). It was observed that the
value of the load ratio of each supermarket moves relatively close to the value of 3, which
is what would be expected in a Swedish supermarket.
The condensing temperature is also an essential factor to take into consideration for the
analysis of the different COPs. A number of supermarkets are equipped with heat
recovering systems, which elevate the condensing temperatures at the moments when
high heat demand is observed (normally during winter time). The objective of recovering a
maximum of heat during the winter in transcritical systems is rather negative for their COP.
However the total performance of the system normally is higher due to heat recovery.
For the sake of clear comparison the COP values will be compared at different condensing
temperatures in this project report.
The use of Equation 3-14 allows correcting the COP in function of the load ratio and thus to
obtain the COP equivalent to a load ratio of 3 for each system. This correction has been
made on the total COP for each supermarket including medium and low temperature. The
Figure 5.1 shows the total COP as function of the condensing temperature for each system
with the load ratio correction. Here and further, unless it is noted, the COP values are
calculated not including any parasites at the warm side (cooling medium pumps and
gascooler\drycooler funs), but including brine pumps, if any. Such a COP values denoted
as COP*.
Figure 5.1 shows COP values for three reference refrigeration systems RS1, RS2 and RS
3 and five transcritical refrigeration systems TR1, TR2, TR3, TR4 and TR5.
97

Figure 5.1: Total COP with a load ratio of 3 in function of the condensing temperature for all the
systems analysed

As it can be observed on Figure 5.1 the Reference HFC based systems obeys similar trend
in COP variations depending on condensing temperatures and thus for the sake of
simplicity it is advantageous to substitute all three reference systems with one virtual
RS123 system, which is the sum of different observed COP=f(Tc) values for all three RS1,
RS2 and RS3 systems.
The Figure 5.2 represents total COP values (considering load ratio 3) for all the CO
2
based
transcritical systems and RS123 system as a function of the condensing temperature
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
10 15 20 25 30 35
C
O
P

[
-
]

Tcond [
o
C]
TR3
RS1
TR1
TR2
TR4
TR5
RS2
RS3
Linear (TR3)
Linear (RS1)
Linear (TR1)
Linear (TR2)
Linear (TR4)
Linear (TR5)
Linear (RS3)
98

Figure 5.2: Total COP* with a load ratio of 3 in function of the condensing temperature for the three
systems analysed

It could be observed from the plot that system TR1 works under lower condensing
temperatures than other transcritical systems; systems TR4 and TR4 work under higher
condensing temperatures. There are two main influencing factors which can be noted to
explain this observation: firstly the systems are geographically located in different parts of
Sweden, secondly some systems actively utilises heat recovery, what evaluates the
systems condensing temperature during periods with high heat loads.
The plot, similar to the plot on Figure 5.2 is made for medium temperature side (presented
on Figure 5.3) and for low temperature side (presented on Figure 5.4)

0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
5
-15,00 -10,00 -5,00 0,00 5,00 10,00 15,00 20,00 25,00 30,00
C
O
P
*

[
-
]

T_amb [
o
C]
TR3 RS123 TR1 TR2
TR4 TR5 Linear (TR3) Linear (RS123)
Linear (TR1) Linear (TR2) Linear (TR4) Linear (TR5)
99

Figure 5.3: COP* of the medium temperature parts for all systems versus their respective condensing
temperatures

0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
10 15 20 25 30 35
C
O
P

[
-
]

T cond [
o
C]
TR3_COP2*_MT TR1_COP2*_MT TR4_COP2*_MT
TR5_COP2*_MT RS1_COP2*_MT Linear (TR3_COP2*_MT)
Linear (TR1_COP2*_MT) Linear (TR4_COP2*_MT) Linear (TR5_COP2*_MT)
Linear (RS1_COP2*_MT)
100

Figure 5.4: COP* of the low temperature parts for all systems versus their respective condensing
temperatures

The information on Figure 5.3 indicates that the medium temperature systems of the
transcritical CO
2
systems perform better than the reference systems (RS1 in this specific
example). TR1 system shows slighter COP increase than other transcritical systems,
compared to RS1 system.
The TR4 and TR5 systems are showing the same pattern as TR1 system but the COP
values are on average 30% higher than TR1 system COP values and 90% higher if
compared to RS1 system.
The TR3 system shows the same range of COP values in diapason of condensing
temperatures up to 24
o
C, but further there is a trend to higher COP values at high
condensing temperatures.
0,00
0,50
1,00
1,50
2,00
2,50
3,00
10 15 20 25 30 35
C
O
P
*

[
-
]

T cond [
o
C]
TR3_COP2*_LT TR1_COP2*_LT TR4_COP2*_LT
TR5_COP2*_LT RS1_COP2*_LT Linear (TR3_COP2*_LT)
Linear (TR1_COP2*_LT) Linear (TR4_COP2*_LT) Linear (TR5_COP2*_LT)
Linear (RS1_COP2*_LT)
101

Unlike the plot in Figure 5.3 where the CO
2
based systems show their advantage
compared to reference system, Figure 5.4 indicates that the low temperature systems of
the reference systems perform better than the CO2 based systems.
It can be noticed that the reference systems have higher COP compared to the CO
2
based
systems. The presence of sub-cooler (sub-cooling the low temperature units using the
medium temperature units) in the reference systems is one of the main parameters which
creates this difference. Another important parameter which has to be taken into
consideration is the evaporation temperature difference between the systems. The slight
higher COP of RS1 is also because of the higher evaporation temperature when compared
to that of the other reference systems.
The evaporation temperature in the reference systems (an average of -29,-30 and -32 C)
are higher than that of the CO2 based systems where an average of -35 and -36C is
maintained. It can also be noticed that the magnitude of deviations with changing
condensing temperatures in all systems for the medium temperature part is not as high as
noticed in the case of the low temperature state. There is a difference of 15 to 25 % in the
case of the low temperature side compared to the medium temperature side.
The following Figure 5.5 shows the relation between the total COP and the ambient
temperatures.

0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
5
-15,00 -10,00 -5,00 0,00 5,00 10,00 15,00 20,00 25,00 30,00
C
O
P
*

[
-
]

T_amb [
o
C]
TR3
RS123
TR1
TR2
TR4
TR5
Linear (TR3)
Linear (RS123)
Linear (TR1)
Linear (TR2)
Linear (TR4)
Linear (TR5)
102

Figure 5.5: COP* total with load ratio of 3 for all systems versus their respective ambient
temperatures

The influence heat recovery has during winter on the performance level can be easily
observed from the curves for TR2 and TR3. All the systems perform in a trend where COP
increases with decreasing ambient temperature while TR2 and TR3 shows COP decrease
at average ambient temperatures below 10
o
C. One of the main observations from this plot
is that on a comparative scale between the reference and CO2 based systems, the
reference systems show higher COP of about 25% compared to TR1, TR2 and TR3
systems. This is mainly the result of higher evaporation temperature and the presence of
sub-cooling in the reference systems. Additionally the effect of heat recovery system, which
is affected COP values, describes the increase in COP difference with ambient
temperatures decrease (thus increase in heat load).
Nevertheless, TR4 and TR5 systems shows COP of about 15% higher compared to
reference systems.
Figure 5.6 visualises the effect heat recovery has on transcritical systems. It can be seen
that heat recovery is constantly in operation, what is beneficial for system but affects our
comparison as decreases observed cooling COP.

0
20
40
60
80
100
120
mar-10 apr-10 maj-10 jun-10 jul-10 aug-10 sep-10 okt-10 nov-10
Q
,

k
W

Q_HR Q_MT Q_LT
103

Figure 5.6: Heat recovery load compared to medium and low temperature cooling loads on TR3
system

In order to give fair comparison of total system performance the systems a further
compared by COP** values, where COP** denotes COP calculated including all energy
parasites in refrigeration system. The plot, presenting the different systems COP**
variation in varying outdoor temperatures is presented on Figure 5.7 below.

Figure 5.7: Total COP** (including all parasites) with load ratio of 3 for all systems versus their
respective ambient temperatures

The data from the figure Figure 5.7 indicates that systems TR4 and TR5 perform better
than reference systems. There is also a trend showing that system TR2 could provide good
performance in high ambient conditions. In contrast, systems TR1 and TR3 show weaker
performance than RS systems due to a number of reasons. For instance, a main reason
why the COP obtained with the TR2 system could be higher than TR1 is due to the use of
the borehole to subcool the refrigerant. The TR3 systems COP** is small due to high heat
recovery loads throughout annual operation.

0,00
0,50
1,00
1,50
2,00
2,50
3,00
3,50
4,00
4,50
5,00
-15,00 -10,00 -5,00 0,00 5,00 10,00 15,00 20,00 25,00 30,00
C
O
P

[
-
]

T_amb [
o
C]
TR3
RS123
TR1
TR2
TR4
TR5
Linear (TR3)
Linear (RS123)
Linear (TR1)
Linear (TR2)
Linear (TR4)
Linear (TR5)
104

6. PARASITIC ENERGY LOADS IN REFRIGIRATION SYSTEMS AND
THEIR INFLUENCE ON TOTAL SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE
Refrigeration system energy demand basically includes the refrigeration compressors
energy consumption coupled with remaining "parasitic" energy use, which basically
includes supply fans, condenser fans, cooling towers, chilled water pumps, condenser
water pumps, and others.
The Figure 6.1 shows the energy consumption for CC2 supermarket energy consumption.
The chart indicates energy consumption share of medium temperature and low
temperature compressors, as well as parasites energy consumption. Thus, it could be seen
that for specific months of August 2010 the disks energy consumption has accounted to
45% of total systems energy consumption. Gas cooler fans have accounted to additional
5% of total value and pumps represented by 6% share.

Figure 6.1: Supermarket CC2 energy consumption breakdown (including parasites), August 2010.

The plot similar to that on Figure 6.1 but with focus on supermarkets refrigeration system
energy consumption is shown on the Figure 6.2. In the case of refrigiration sytems energy
consumption the gascooler fans accont for as much as 9% of total energy consumption
value; pumps for additional 10%. Thus 19% energy is consumed by parasites in the
system.

105

Figure 6.2: Refrigeration system CC2 energy consumption breakdown (including parasites), August
2010.

The similar analysis has been made for refrigiration systems TR3 (Figure 6.3), TR4 and
TR5 (Figure 6.4).

a) supermarkets total b) refrigiration system
Figure 6.3: TR3 system energy consumption breakdown (including parasites), August 2010.

106

a) TR4 system b) TR5 system
Figure 6.4: Refrigeration system TR4 and TR5 energy consumption breakdown (including parasites),
August 2010.

The Figure 6.5 reflects the RS systems respective electrical energy consumption share. It
can be seen that Rs systems parasites normally consume on quarter of total electrical
energy consumption, peaking to as much as 34 % during winter time, where the cooling
load is lower and contribution of parasitic loads to total consumption is thus greater.

107

Figure 6.5: Electrical energy consumed by the parasites (pumps and dry cooler fans) for all three RS
systems

As it is clearly seen from the charts indicated in current chapter, the trans-critical systems
are characterised by much lower parasitic energy consumers compared to other systems.
The parasitic energy consumption in trans-critical systems comes from gascooler fans
operation and accounts to a 1%-11% share in total refrigeration system energy
consumption, whereas this share for cascade and reference systems is much higher.

108

7. CONCLUSION
A total of eleven refrigeration systems used in supermarkets located at different parts of
Sweden have been analysed during the project and summarised in this report. The
scattered location of the supermarkets reiterates the fact that the results produced in this
report can be applied for a wide variety of systems with different locations in Sweden.
A method for evaluating and comparing refrigeration systems operating in different
conditions have been developed in this project. Although it is proven that comparing
refrigeration systems in field installations is very challenging the reported approach has
yield good results.
This study reveals some important points and provides opportunities to continuously
improve the efficiency of refrigeration systems. The focus was set on the natural fluid CO
2
usage in refrigeration systems
.
The use of CO
2
as a refrigerant can be very beneficial
because of its good thermodynamic properties and low environmental impact.
Comparisons done between the refrigeration systems have shown that on average the CO
2

systems were found to be less efficient than the state of the art HFC systems. However,
the performance of the most recently developed trans-critical CO2 systems TR4 and TR5
are found to me better compared to reference HFC-systems.
The difference in COP between the CO
2
and the HFC systems found in this study are
mainly due to the fact that the HFC refrigeration systems have been developed over many
years. Improvements and optimisation of the components and system design together with
advanced control strategies being the main reason. Since CO
2
systems are relatively new
in this application, it can still take some time before the refrigeration industry find the most
optimised solutions, of course there cannot be one optimised solution for all systems. But
with more CO
2
systems in operation, the refrigeration industry can learn more about the
system behaviour which would lead to better optimisation of future systems.
It was additionally found that the cascade systems have much lower values of COP than
the trans-critical systems. This is mainly because of the structure of the systems; the great
number of parasites used in the system also reduces the COP.
The use of a heat recovery system reduces the COP of the refrigeration system while
increasing the COP of the heating system. This is very obvious for trans-critical CO
2

systems where the condensation temperature/pressure must be raised to a level that is
appropriate for heat recovery and this increases the power consumption of the
compressors, reducing the refrigeration COP.
The experimental and theoretical studies reported here prove that CO
2
based system
solutions investigated can be efficient solutions for supermarket refrigeration; however
additional development is needed.

109

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY

BITZER. (2010). BITZER-Software. Retrieved Dec 10, 2010, from BITZER Software
version 5.3.0.2: http://www.bitzer.de
Caby, Y. (2010). Field measurements and simulations of CO2 refrigerant system for
supermarket . Stockholm, Sweden: The Royal Institute of Technology.
Dabiri, A. E., & Rice, C. K. (1982). A compressor simulation model with corrections for the
level of suction gas superheat. ASHRAE Transactions , 87, 771-782.
Danfoss. (2008, Dec). Transcritical CO2 system in a small supermarket.
Dorin. (2009). The widest CO2 compressor range, carbon dioxide for all your. Retrieved
from www.dorin.com/documents/Download/19/CO2_-0809a.pdf
Elektronika S.A. (2010). Data for hermetic scroll compressor ZB220-KCE-TWM. Retrieved
12 15, 2010, from Copeland compressor performance data: www.elektronicka-sa.com
Frelechox, D. (2009). Field measurements and simulations of supermarkets with CO2
refrigeration systems. Stockholm: KTH School of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Girotto, S. (2005). Commercial and industrial refrigeration, Application of carbon dioxide as
a secondary fluid with phase change, in the low temperature cycle of cascade systems and
direct expansion systems with transfer of heat into the environment. XI European
conference on technological innovations in air conditioning and refrigeration. Milano:
Politecnico of Milano.
Granryd, E. (2007). Optimum flow rates in indirect systems. International Congress of
Refrigeration. Beijing.
Iwmac. (2009). Centralised operation and surveillance, by use of WEB technology.
Retrieved from http://www.iwmac.no/english/
Johannson, M. (2009, Aug 24). E-mail.
Johansson, S. (2009). Evaluation of CO2 supermarket refrigeration systems. Stockholm:
KTH.
Kullheim, J. (2011). Field Measurements and Evaluation of CO2 Refrigeration Systems for
Supermarkets. Stockholm, Sweden: The Royal Institute of Technology.
Likitthammanit, M. (2007). Experimental Investigations of NH3/CO2 Cascade and
Transcritical CO2 Refrigeration Systems in Supermarkets. Master of Science Thesis
Project in Energy Technology. Stockholm: KTH.
RDM. (2009). Centralised operation and surveillance, access through modem line.
Retrieved from http://www.resourcedm.com/
Sicatron. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.sicatron.de/en
Tamilarasan, L. (2009). Field Measurements, Evaluation and Comparison of Supermarket
Refrigeration Systems. Stockholm: KTH School of Industrial Engineering and Management.

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Field Measurements, Evaluation and Comparison of

Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

Electrical power [kW]

Condensation capacity [kW]

Cooling capacity [kW]

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