As energy efficiency improvements bring CO<sub>2</sub> refrigeration to warmer climates, Advansor is spreading its wings to Australia. Lucas Refrigeration will install the Danish company’s first CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical rack in the country, in a United Food Express warehouse.
“Advansor, the world leaders in CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical technology, have arrived in Australia,” said Ian Tuena, managing director of the Natural Refrigerants Company Pty Ltd – which represents Advansor in Australia – in an exclusive interview with R744.com.
United Food Express is a Victoria-based seafood importer and wholesaler that distributes to the Australian food service industry. The CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical system will provide the chilling and freezing for the complex, located in the Melbourne suburb of Keysborough.
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<strong>Bringing CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical solutions to Australia</strong>
After talking with United Foods Express, Lucas Refrigeration Managing Director Graeme Lucas opted for a CO<sub>2</sub>transcritical solution. The Natural Refrigerants Company is coordinating and providing back-up services for the Lucas Refrigeration installation.
“We're really excited about this, and we’re looking forward to a bright future,” Tuena said.
“With the recent signing of the Kigali Agreement, synthetic refrigerants were no longer an option. This led to the decision for a cost-effective and future-proof solution – a transcritical CO<sub>2</sub> system,” Tuena said.
“We’re fortunate that we were one of the first ones involved in CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical in this country,” he added.
The Natural Refrigerants Company was also behind Australia’s longest running CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical system. Lucas was impressed with Advansor after working with the company’s service manager, Kristian Sørensen, on elements of that project. That system was installed six years ago at a manufacturing plant of Exquisine Pty Ltd, a Thornbury, Victoria-based dessert company.
<strong>Closing the training gap
</strong>Despite his excitement about the commissioning of the Advansor system, Tuena warns that there is still progress to be made in triggering wider rollout of CO<sub>2</sub> transcritical systems in Australia – particularly in terms of training local HVAC&R professionals to maintain natural refrigerant-based systems.
“We have a lot of heavy lifting and a lot of educational work to do. We need help and support from the government – not financially, but in terms of directives and decision-making. We need to get a national licensing scheme up and running in this country,” he said.
In Australia, HVAC&R consultants often work with manufacturers to design systems on behalf of their end-user clients. If natural refrigerant uptake is to increase, it is crucial to improve understanding and awareness among consultants, Tuena observed.
Australia becomes the 33<sup>rd</sup> country in which Advansor operates. The company has installed almost 2,800 transcritical CO<sub>2</sub> systems in 32 countries worldwide.
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