Condenser, a device for reducing a gas or vapour to a liquid. Condensers are employed in power plants to condense exhaust steam from turbines and in refrigeration plants to condense refrigerant vapours, such as ammonia and fluorinated hydrocarbons. The petroleum and chemical industries employ condensers for the condensation of hydrocarbons and other chemical vapours. In distilling operations, the device in which the vapour is transformed to a liquid state is called a condenser. All condensers operate by removing heat from the gas or vapour; once sufficient heat is eliminated, liquefaction occurs. For some applications, all that is necessary is to pass the gas through a long tube (usually arranged in a coil or other compact shape) to permit heat to escape into the surrounding air. A heat-conductive metal, such as copper, is commonly used to transport the vapour. A condenser’s efficiency is often enhanced by attaching fins (i.e., flat she […]

Today, there are around 2 billion household refrigerators and over 40 million square meters of cold-storage facilities operating worldwide. In the U.S. alone, over 8 million refrigerators are sold each year. Beyond our homes, restaurants, and supermarkets, refrigeration has global applications with a positive impact upon the economy, technology, social dynamics, health, and the environment. Global Economic Applications The refrigeration industry employs more than 2 million people worldwide, especially in the service sectors. Refrigeration is necessary for the implementation of many current or future energy sources (hydrogen liquefying for alternative fuels in the automotive industry and thermonuclear fusion production for the alternative energy industries). The petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries also need refrigeration, as it is used to control and moderate many types of reactions. Heat pumps, operating based on refrigeration p […]

There is growing demand for frozen and chilled products, expansion of cold chain capacity, technological advancements. The U.S. commercial refrigeration systems market is projected to expand at a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2 percent in terms of value through 2025, according to a report from Future Market Insights. Commercial refrigeration systems are mainly used in hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, warehouses and distribution centers, the foodservice industry, and food and beverage production units. These systems include products such as ice machines, vending machines, beverage refrigeration equipment, refrigerated display cases, trailers, trucks, containers, and walk-in and reach-in refrigerators. Growing demand for frozen and chilled products, expansion of cold chain capacity, technological advancements in commercial refrigeration systems, and rebates for energy-efficient products and practices are s […]

Refrigeration, the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or from a substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature. In the industrialized nations and affluent regions in the developing world, refrigeration is chiefly used to store foodstuffs at low temperatures, thus inhibiting the destructive action of bacteria, yeast, and mold. Many perishable products can be frozen, permitting them to be kept for months and even years with little loss in nutrition or flavor or change in appearance. Air-conditioning, the use of refrigeration for comfort cooling, has also become widespread in more developed nations. Before mechanical refrigeration systems were introduced, ancient peoples, including the Greeks and Romans, cooled their food with ice transported from the mountains. Wealthy families made use of snow cellars, pits that were dug into the ground and insulated with wood and straw, to store the ice. In this manner, packed snow a […]

Fishermen in Somalia which is located on the in the east of Africa, have no electricity. But for the past year they have been able to store their fish on cold rooms: Four cold storage rooms, powered by nothing but the scorching sun, with a capacity of storing 30 ton of fish per day. There’s a global scramble to drive down emissions of carbon dioxide: the electricity to power just refrigerators in the U.S. contributes 102 million tons annually. Solar refrigeration can also be inexpensive and it would give the electric grid much-needed relief. Electricity demand peaks on hot summer days—150 gigawatts more in summer than winter in the U.S. (A gigawatt equals one billion watts.) That’s almost 1.5 times the generating capacity of all the coal-fired power plants west of the Mississippi River. Further, solar is plentiful. The solar energy hitting 54 square feet (five square meters) of land each year is the equivalent of all the ele […]

BITZER US, Inc. is a subsidiary of Germany-based BITZER SE, the world’s largest independent manufacturer of AC and refrigeration compressors with sales companies and production sites for reciprocating, screw and scroll compressors, as well as pressure vessels all over the globe. Headquartered outside Atlanta and with three manufacturing plants in the U.S., BITZER US is well positioned in 2016 to continue its extraordinary growth in an industry that demands quiet, high-efficiency products and “green” solutions. Peter Narreau, president of BITZER US, Inc, states, “BITZER has met the challenge of providing the market both high-efficiency compressors in addition to those that use natural refrigerants.” BITZER’s OEM customer base in the U.S. includes manufacturers of liquid and air-cooled AC chillers, modular and process chillers, commercial rooftop units, supermarket mechanical rooms (racks), condensing units, ultra-low temp units, commerci […]

Refrigeration is important for maintaining a proper, unbroken cold chain. Using dairy as an example, after the cows are milked, their milk is pasteurized and rapidly chilled. Once the milk has been chilled, it must be maintained at that low temperature from the farm to the grocery store, including during bottling and shipping. If the cold chain is broken, bacteria or fungus can grow, making the food unsafe for human consumption. The United States Department of Agriculture requires that business-owned refrigeration systems have an internal temperature of 40°F or below for refrigerated food and 0°F for frozen food1. Businesses operating refrigerators or freezers above these temperatures face fines and other penalties, so maintaining a reliable temperature is imperative. One of the most popular types of business-owned refrigeration systems is the cold room. Cold rooms are staples of restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and any other place th […]

Ice Machines For Your Restaurant Commercial ice makers are used predominantly in hospitals, food service industries, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs to produce ice for consumption and preservation. They consist mainly of a refrigeration system, a water supply, and a collection bin. Commercial ice maker basics In general, there are two main types of ice makers you can choose from: •Cubers – These are the most common ice makers for commercial use – 80% of all ice machines in the US create ice in cube form. Cuber ice makers are popular in restaurants, bars, hotels, convenience stores, and fast food franchises. •Flakers – This type of ice is easy to pack and mold to any shape. Flakers are the ice makers of choice for hospitals, health care facilities, and research laboratories. They are also used frequently in grocery shops for packing produce, seafood, and meat displays, restaurants to keep salad bar items fresh, and on fishing boats. A […]

Preventive Maintenance (PM) is the key to maximum running efficiency, less downtime, and longer life out of an ice machine. The primary items for an ice machine PM check are as follows: Clean and sanitize the water system. Clean air filters on air-cooled models. Check external filter system and change cartridges as needed. Check inlet water valve screens. Conduct bearing and auger inspection on extruded ice makers. Conduct a visual inspection of components, controls, and wiring for oil spots, loose wires, loose fasteners, corrosion, etc. Clean the bin interior and unit exterior. Clean and Sanitize As ice forms on an ice machine evaporator plate, a separation occurs. Minerals separate from the water and form scale which sticks to the surfaces of the water system components. This scale will be more visible when the surfaces are dry. The color of the scale will vary due to the type of minerals in the local water supply. As an example, lime […]

Pumps Versus Compressors Some people say that compressors are simply pumps that pump gas. This may be true to some extent, but significant differences exist between them. First, let’s explore the similarities. They both have positive displacement and dynamic designs capable of satisfying a broad range of flow and head requirements. Reciprocating pumps and compressors are both used for low-flow, high-head applications; centrifugal pumps and compressors are used for high flow, low-head applications and screw pumps and compressors are used for mid-flow, mid-head applications. As with pumps, multistaging can be used with any of these compressor designs whenever higher heads are required.  Both pumps and compressors use seals, bearings, lubrications systems and some type of driver. This is where the similarities end. The T-Word (Thermodynamics) The key difference between pumps and compressors is related to the thermodynamic nature of g […]