Japanese OEM Daikin’s new propane (R290)-based LMSEY monoblock for walk-in cold rooms – which uses an FMF inverter compressor manufactured by Embraco – has been found to significantly reduce energy consumption compared to fixed-speed HFC units.
The Daikin system cut energy use by 20% compared to an R134a-based on-off unit of similar capacity in medium-temperature (MT) conditions, and by 41% compared to an R452A-based on-off unit of similar capacity in low-temperature (LT) conditions, according a study conducted by the manufacturers.
The study found that R290 was more energy efficient than HFCs and that performance was further improved with the use of inverter, also known as variable-speed, compressor technology.
Results of the study were presented by Erik Venturi, Daikin’s Section Manager NPD Commercial Refrigeration, and Marino Bassi, Key Account Senior Advisor at Embraco (a brand of Nidec Global Appliance) during a refrigeration session at the ATMOsphere (ATMO) Europe Summit on natural refrigerants. The conference took place November 15–16 in Brussels and was organized by ATMOsphere, publisher of Hydrocarbons21.com.
