Italian process-cooling and air-conditioning manufacturer MTA has released a series of small-capacity air-cooled industrial chillers using propane (R290) refrigerant in what it calls an “ecological and natural turning point” for the company.
Called the TAE N Mini series, the chillers come in four models, with cooling capacities from 1.7kW (0.48TR) to 4.4kW (1.3TR) and water outlet temperatures ranging from 0°C (32°F) to 30°C (86°F).
“TAE N Mini emphasizes MTA’s commitment towards a greener future, combining the reliability and robustness of MTA process chillers with enhanced efficiencies (up to 6%) and the application of environmentally friendly natural refrigerant R290,” said MTA in a statement.
The chillers can serve a wide array of process cooling applications, including food and beverage, wineries, plastics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, laser, and machine tools.
Using “an extremely low refrigerant charge,” the chillers can be installed indoors, said MTA.
All models use hermetic rotary compressor technology and are equipped with MTA’s “evaporator-in-tank” configuration and a non-ferrous hydraulic circuit. They also feature a microchannel condenser with protection coating and a removable metal mesh filter.
The chillers meet Ecodesign standards for industrial process applications and have Eurovent certification, said MTA.
Much larger capacity R290 chillers are also being used in Europe. For example, last year a French dairy, chose three R290 chillers from Italian OEM Euroklimat for a cheese production site. The of the units have a combined cooling capacity of 330kW (93.8TR), while the third has a cooling capacity of 158kW (44.9TR).
