Industrial Refrigeration in Service
Past
Ammonia has been in service as an established, pre-eminent industrial refrigerant for over 125 years. Ammonia is used in industrial refrigeration applications such as food production. CFCs, such as Freon, became popular in the 1930s due to their low toxicity. The chlorine in the refrigerant was found to have caused a hole in the ozone layer. Therefore, they have now been phased out. Non-chlorine, low toxicity, HFCs were developed to replace the CFCs
Present
HFC refrigerants have a high global warming potential, so they are being phased down to 21% by 2030
HFO refrigerants, such as, R1234ze when they leak, go through the weather system and end up in the sea. They have been reported to be harmful to marine life. These refrigerants are used for chilled water and process applications
Ammonia is in service as the best choice of refrigerant for industrial applications
Future
Between now and 2030 ammonia will become increasingly popular in non-industrial applications, such as, the cooling of data centres and the cooling of buildings. New ammonia chillers are simpler in design, therefore competitive in price to HFC chillers. The higher initial cost is paid back in electricity savings within 2 years- then they become cheaper. They use less electricity because ammonia has a latent heat bubble 5 times bigger than other refrigerants. That means 5 times more refrigeration effect, per kilo of refrigerant, than HFC refrigerants
Industrial Refrigeration Repair
Ammonia Alarm
In the event of a leak, the ammonia alarm is triggered and the chilling plant shuts down. The machine brings a fan on which disperses the ammonia into air. The ammonia refrigerant then absorbs into the moisture in the air
Leak Repair
For large leaks: breathing apparatus and chemical suits are required to isolate the leak and allow time for ammonia dispersal. For small leaks: an escape hood is required in the work location. Our engineers, trained in industrial refrigeration will repair the leak then start the machine back up
0161 3272 838
service@maximuschillers.com
Industrial Refrigeration Maintenance of Pipework
Ammonia corrodes various metals and alloys. Steel, however, works well with ammonia. The use of steel makes industrial refrigeration maintenance different as opposed to HFC chillers
HFC
These chillers are prone to leaks on the copper pipework. On the condenser, the copper expands and contracts- eventually rubbing through against the steel frame. Vibration related leaks are also common
Ammonia
On an ammonia system, steel that is freezing then thawing on defrost or off cycles creates rapid rust formation and can lead to catastrophic failure of the pipework. Steel that is permanently frozen creates slower rust formation as the ice slows the oxidisation process. On a maintenance visit, our engineers carry out metallurgic testing to gauge the integrity of the steel
0161 327 2838
service@maximuschillers.com
Industrial Refrigeration Company
UK Quality Overseas
Maximus Chillers is a sought after fridge company around the world because the world knows that the United Kingdom means quality in engineering. The UK has a long history in industrial refrigeration. The knowledge of which is invested in our industrial refrigeration companies
State of the Art Equipment
No expense is spared at Maximus Chillers on equipment. A fully equipped engineer will attend site with his test equipment. We have high capacity ammonia refrigerant recovery units with liquid pumps Read More
Same Day Parts
Engineers driving round the suppliers? Not at Maximus Chillers! We are an industrial refrigeration company that offers- same day delivery of parts. Our engineer is better use to you working on site until the parts arrive
0161 327 2838
service@maximuschillers.com
Countdown for R404a Service Ban Above 10kg of Refrigerant
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