As part of its HCFC Phase-out Management Program (HPMP), Brazil has opened what the government is calling its first natural refrigerant training laboratory, with a simulated mini-supermarket CO2 (R744)/propane (R290) cascade system installed at the FARPO-ETP technical school in Curitiba, Paraná.
The Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA/NOU) coordinated the project, with implementation provided by the GIZ (the German Society for International Cooperation). Eletrofrio, a Brazilian manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment, provided the cascade system for the lab.
“The initiative marks an important step in the country’s transition towards sustainable refrigeration in the commercial sector,” said the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI), a program operated by the GIZ. “The modern lab will offer a new free-of-charge course: ‘Training for the Safe and Efficient Use of CO2 and R-290 in Commercial Refrigeration Systems.’”
Gearing up: Eight instructors from FARPO-ETP participated in a train-the-trainer workshop held June 10‒14.
- Sessions, led by Gutenberg da Silva Pereira, a GIZ Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Specialist, highlighted international safety standards and practices and included hands-on training and a supermarket visit.
- Industry partners presenting at the workshop included representatives from Eletrofrio and OEMs Bitzer and Carel.
The training program: The course, taught by trained FARPO-ETP instructors, includes spending 70% of the 40-hour training in the new laboratory. The first class starts in July.
- “Registration is open and free-of-charge for technicians and engineers working in the commercial refrigeration sector, particularly in supermarkets and similar establishments,” the GCI said. “The goal is to train at least 150 professionals by December.”
Extending access: Under HPMP, the ministry will open another natural refrigerant mini-supermarket lab at SENAI-RJ, an industrial vocational school in Rio de Janeiro, later this year.
- Another two labs are planned to open elsewhere in Brazil in the coming years.
Natural refrigerants in Brazil: CO2 refrigeration systems and hydrocarbon equipment already have footholds in the country, according to the “Natural Refrigerants: State of the Industry 2024” report from ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.
- As of December 2024, an estimated 863 supermarkets use cascade R134a/CO2 refrigeration systems.
- R290 chillers provided cooling in 81 supermarkets either in an indirect glycol loop or in conjunction with a subcritical CO2 system.
- Several manufacturers either support or build self-contained hydrocarbon cases in Brazil, including Eletrofrio, Arneg, Embraco and Copeland.
“Registration is open and free-of-charge for technicians and engineers working in the commercial refrigeration sector.”
The Green Cooling Initative
