Italian component manufacturer Carel showcased two new controllers at Chillventa 2024, the HeosPro for propane (R290) cabinets and µRack CO2 (R744) for condensing units, with both providing mobile app monitoring with NFC (near field communication) and Bluetooth compatibility.
Chillventa, held October 8‒10 in Nuremberg, Germany, is one of the world’s largest HVAC&R trade shows.
“App oversight provides commissioning and maintenance advantages, with the ability to check every parameter in the circuit,” Sebastiano Di Lena, Group Marketing Manager for Food Retail at Carel, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. Carel’s Food Retail division caters to manufacturers producing refrigeration systems and cabinets for convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets.
A3-ready controller
Carel launched the HeosPro controller three months ago. The unit is the second generation of the company’s Heos range and works with up to 6.5kW (1.8TR)-capacity compressors.
“The A3 compliant controller also facilitates cabinet makers using up to 500g of propane in one circuit for a less complex, more efficient refrigeration unit,” Di Lena said. “Although it was designed for use with semi-plug-in cabinets with a water loop, it also works with air-cooled plug-in units.”
European regulators increased the single-circuit charge limit for propane self-contained commercial cabinets to 500g in July 2023. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency followed suit and updated its regulations this past May to allow open-door cases to contain a propane charge of up to 500g, with closed-door units able to contain a propane charge of up to 300g.
“The A3 compliant controller also facilitates cabinet makers using up to 500g of propane in one circuit for a less complex, more efficient refrigeration unit.”
Sebastiano Di Lena, Group Marketing Manager for Food Retail at Carel
New CO2 controller
According to Di Lena, Carel developed the µRack CO2 controller for small condensing units based on client requests at Chillventa 2022.
“The unit can either control the condensing unit with the valves operating through an external driver or the valves themselves, which includes the high-pressure valve and the flash gas valve,” Di Lena explained.
“When controlling a condensing unit, the µRack CO2 controller can manage up to four compressors, with up to two suction lines and single-stage heat reclaim,” Di Lena said.
According to Carel, the new CO2 controller reduces energy consumption by optimizing the compressor load.
Market insights
Di Lena also shared insights into the U.S. refrigeration market that Carel has gleaned from conversations with its customers.
“Our customers see a bright future for propane cabinets: not only in Europe, where we have already started selling the HeosPro controller, but also in the U.S.,” Di Lena said. “In the coming years, the rough estimate is that sales for semi-plug-in and plug-in propane cabinets will increase by 30%.”
“We developed the µRack controller for small CO2 condensing units based on the growing demand in Europe and the U.S.,” he added.
Di Lena said that, overall, Carel’s CO2 products still command a greater demand than its propane products, with roughly 70% of demand directed at R744. However, parity could be around the corner.
“It is trending toward a 50-50 split between CO2 and propane,” said Di Lena. “More than one of my customers has said this is where the balance is moving.”
“In the coming years, the rough estimate is that sales for semi-plug-in and plug-in propane cabinets will increase by 30%.”
Sebastiano Di Lena, Group Marketing Manager for Food Retail at Carel
