Canadian-based Evapco Systems LMP is seeing a “big trend” in the use of CO2 (R774) refrigeration in industrial applications across North America, according to Frédéric Houle, Sales Director at Evapco LMP.
The OEM, headquartered in Laval, Quebec, manufactures CO2 refrigeration systems for commercial and industrial applications with capacities ranging from 30‒225TR (106‒791kW). The company also offers CO2 refrigeration units with capacities from 15‒150TR (53‒528kW) for CO2-based ice rinks.
“The industrial demand keeps pushing us to build bigger CO2 systems, with a 1,200HP combined compressor rack currently on our build floor for a warehouse project,” Houle told Marc Chasserot, ATMOsphere’s CEO and Founder, during a recent factory tour. ATMOsphere is the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.
According to Houle, the company has more than 430 transcritical CO2 systems installed and operating across North America and has even installed a system in Costa Rica.
Evapco LMP employs 140 people. According to Houle, the 40,000ft2 (3,716m2) production floor operates full-time, with three set shifts for manufacturing personnel.
“Places like Quebec and California are going to CO2 for its low global warming potential,” Houle told Chasserot, noting that the company also sees other provinces and states making the switch, especially given the changing regulatory landscape.
In a final “Technology Transitions” rule signed in October 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency closely aligned U.S. federal HFC restrictions in new equipment with those in California, setting GWP limits of 150 for many refrigeration uses with compliance dates ranging from 2025‒2028.
Cold storage flexibility
One sector rapidly adopting CO2 solutions in the U.S., according to Houle, is cold storage. As part of the factory tour, he showed Chasserot a CO2 system being built for a warehouse in Crown Point, Indiana.
“The warehouse contains three sections for rent, with each space capable of switching from cooler to freezer based on the customer’s needs,” Houle said.
Smaller CO2 systems for retail applications also occupy Evapco LMP’s production floor, with Houle remarking that most U.S. retailers want roof-mounted refrigeration racks.
“We can manufacture large and small equipment,” he said. “Our smallest goes down to 15HP and our largest up to 1,500HP.”
Maximizing ice rink efficiency
Houle showed Chasserot a transcritical CO2 system in production for a U.S. ice rink that uses outdoor air to condense the refrigerant. The shell and tube evaporator on the system provides CO2/glycol exchange, which can pass 2,000 gallons per minute (7,570 liters per minute).
The rack supplies chilled glycol to up to two ice sheets and contains different-sized compressors totaling 600HP. “With five circuits on the system, we can efficiently match the fluctuating load requirements of the facility regardless if there are two, one or no ice sheets running,” Houle said.
The system also contains two plate heat exchangers to reclaim 1,500MBH of thermal waste heat. “There are so many uses for heat reclaim in ice rinks,” Houle explained, including dehumidification, floor heating and snow melt.
Evapco Systems LMP was formed in 2022 with the acquisition of the Canadian company Systèmes LMP by U.S.-based Evapco, a low-charge ammonia (R717) refrigeration systems manufacturer.
“The industrial demand keeps pushing us to build bigger CO2 systems, with a 1,200HP combined compressor rack currently on our build floor for a warehouse project.”
Frédéric Houle, Sales Director at Evapco LMP
