Italian manufacturer Arneg offers propane (R290) chillers with an integrated glycol pump as part of its portfolio of natural refrigerant solutions for small-format stores, according to Enrico Zambotto, the company’s Technical Engineering Director of Refrigeration Systems.
The glycol chiller platform is a recent development for the company, Zambotto told NaturalRefrigerants.com. Arneg offers two R290 chiller lines: the HP Chiller, with cooling capacities from 5‒20kW (1.4‒5.7TR), and the Tower Chiller, with capacities from 18‒41kW (5.1‒11.7TR).
“At Arneg we believe there is no single refrigeration technology that is optimal for every store format,” Zambotto said. “CO2 [R744] is an excellent solution for medium- and large-format supermarkets. However, small-format stores have different priorities. For these applications, we developed our R290 glycol chillers as an alternative system architecture rather than simply another condensing unit.”
The products: Both lines support cooling medium-temperature (MT) display cases via a closed glycol loop, with glycol temperatures as low as −10°C (14°F). Installed outdoors, the units include a refrigeration circuit comprising compressors, a condenser and EC fans, while a variable-speed pump circulates chilled glycol to the refrigerated display cabinets.
- The HP Chiller is equipped with two scroll compressors, and the Tower Chiller uses a reciprocating compressor configuration.
- The Tower Chiller is supplied in a 1,400 × 1,200 × 2,170mm (55 × 47 x 85in) enclosure designed for installation in space-constrained areas.
- The factory-assembled and tested units offer several advantages, according to Zambotto, including a “very small R290 refrigerant charge,” simplified installation and commissioning, reduced maintenance and the use of a natural refrigerant without the complexity of a centralized CO₂ system.
The target: Arneg designed the R290 glycol chillers primarily for the European market in response to the region’s evolving environmental regulations, Zambotto explained.
- However, he said the system maintains “high performance” at temperatures of up to 45°C (113°F), making it suitable for high-ambient applications.
- “The system architecture is not limited to a specific region, and it also represents an attractive solution for markets such as Latin America, depending on local regulations and customer requirements,” Zambotto said, adding that Arneg sees the greatest interest in the units from convenience stores, neighborhood supermarkets and discount stores.
CO2 news: Arneg also recently launched PRISMA, a new series of transcritical CO2 condensing units with a cooling capacity of 2–40kW (0.5–11.3TR).
- The line includes units for both MT and low-temperature applications, as well as a model dedicated solely to MT applications.
- Designed to operate in ambient conditions up to 45°C, the line features an integrated gas cooler with either axial or radial fans, allowing outdoor installation.
- It also incorporates heat recovery, allowing waste heat from the refrigeration process to be used for heating applications.
Quotable: “The future of commercial refrigeration is not about one refrigerant replacing another,” Zambotto said. “It is about selecting the right natural refrigerant and the right system architecture for each application.”
“We developed our R290 glycol chillers as an alternative system architecture rather than simply another condensing unit.”
Enrico Zambotto, Technical Engineering Director of Refrigeration Systems at Arneg
