Australian Scantec Refrigeration Technologies has supplied a 1.13MW (321TR) low-charge DX ammonia (R717) system for a new Melbourne cold storage facility, featuring Grasso V1800 10-cylinder reciprocating compressors manufactured by GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies.
The system supplies cooling for a 2°C (36°F) temperature staging area and four dual-duty rooms, each capable of operating as either a chiller at 0°C (32°F) or a freezer at −25°C (−13°F), Stefan Jensen, Scantec’s Managing Director, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. When all four dual-duty rooms operate as freezers, the total refrigeration load is 742 kW (211TR) for the chambers, with the staging area supplying an additional 384 kW (109TR) of cooling capacity.
“Using ammonia in a centralized, low–charge refrigerating plant is an environmental contribution second to none, delivering PFAS–free, zero ODP, and zero GWP refrigeration performance with a predicted SEC of only 8‒9kWh per cubic meter per year,” said Greg Clements, GEA’s Sales Manager for Australia and the APAC region.
Additional details: Scantec designed, installed and commissioned the ammonia system in the cold warehouse located roughly 10km (8mi) from Melbourne’s city center.
- Together the facility’s 200m (656ft)–long staging area and four dual-duty rooms, with a total area of 22,141m2 (238,323 ft2), deliver 230,000m3 (8,122,400ft3) of cold-storage capacity.
- The design includes heat recovery for underfloor heating, Scantec said.
- The site can experience ambient temperatures that swing over 40°C (104°F) between seasons, according to GEA.
Optimized design: “Built on 20 years of experience in DX systems, we are confident that this system will be our most energy-efficient yet,” Scantec said, noting that it contains no unnecessary pumps, excessive liquid or receivers.
- “The V1800 delivers excellent part-load performance and a wide variable frequency drive (VFD) range for outstanding energy efficiency with minimal oil carry over, ensuring premium evaporator performance,” Clements said.
- The design cuts annual energy use by over 50% compared with a conventional cold warehouse with an average SEC of 20‒40kWh per cubic meter per year, according to GEA.
New product: In December 2025 GEA launched a high-pressure screw compressor, Grasso L XHP, optimized for ammonia heat pumps, featuring a design pressure of up to 70bar (1,016psi).
- The new series, available in three models, offers heating capacities from 2 to 11MW (569 to 3,128TR) with a maximum discharge temperature of 140°C (284°F).
- The compressor was installed in early 2024 in a 24MW (6,824TR)-capacity district heating facility at an Estonian combined heat and power plant, according to Kenneth Hoffman, Product Manager at GEA.
- In 2,500 hours of operation, the heat pumps delivered hot water at 47–85°C (116–185°F) to the district heating network with a COP greater than 4, Hoffman reported in a presentation at the ATMOsphere (ATMO) Europe Summit 2024. The event was organized by ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, and held in Prague, Czech Republic, from November 25–26.
Quotable: “Capital and operational costs have been reduced thanks to optimized infrastructure and extended service intervals, based on real–time compressor monitoring,” Clements said. “With the compressor system responsible for up to 80% of the total plant power consumption, these improvements contribute to a lower total cost of ownership whilst maintaining high levels of efficiency and reliability.”
“The V1800 delivers excellent part-load performance and a wide variable frequency drive (VFD) range for outstanding energy efficiency with minimal oil carry over.”
Greg Clements, GEA’s Sales Manager for Australia and APAC
