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R290 vs CO₂: What is a Better Choice for Your Cooling Needs? Insights from COOP Managed Stores

FREOR, in collaboration with its partner NordDisk, has recently equipped two stores in Norway, both managed by COOP Norge. Although the stores share the same management, they operate under different formats – COOP PRIX, a smaller-format discount store, and OBS, a larger-format hypermarket – both owned by local cooperatives and members of COOP Norge. Due to their differing formats, each store required tailored refrigeration solutions and was fitted with different cooling systems. This raises an important question: how does the performance of CO₂ and R290 refrigeration systems differ between small-format and large-format stores, and which system is better suited for each?

client
location
Norway
Refrigeration System
Hydroloop Glycol WPIRemote

Refrigeration System for Smaller Stores Needs

COOP PRIX, a smaller-format discount store, located in Dal town, focuses on providing everyday essentials for quick and convenient shopping. With a limited sales area where every inch matters, the store chose FREOR’s Hydroloop Glycol WPI cooling system as the most practical and efficient solution.

This innovative system connects plug-in refrigeration units that are equipped with compressors and all refrigeration cycle components to a glycol-cooled system featuring a compact plate condenser and a small circulatory water pump. Each refrigeration unit includes its own integrated circulatory water pump, allowing glycol to facilitate in a closed-cycle liquid system without the need for a main pump station.

Operating on natural R290 refrigerant, the Hydroloop Glycol WPI system not only supports flexible and easy installation but also ensures easy maintenance, delivers high energy efficiency and sustainability, and frees up the valuable space in the store, making it an ideal choice for modern, compact retail environments like COOP PRIX.

Refrigeration System for Bigger Supermarket Needs

In contrast, the larger-format OBS hypermarket in Fredrikstad city, designed to handle a high volume of different products and extensive customer traffic, required an efficient and scalable refrigeration solution. Given its extensive sales area and significant refrigeration demands, the store opted for a traditional centralized CO₂ (R744) refrigeration system.

This centralized refrigeration system, featuring compact pipelines and all system components mounted in one room, is well-suited for large retail environments, giving refrigeration equipment more storage space. CO₂ system features a low refrigerant cost and offers excellent refrigeration properties, making it highly efficient across large display areas for both medium and low-temperature product showcase needs. In colder climate countries like Norway, a centralized remote cooling system can improve energy efficiency by up to 10% compared with the HFC system.

For a large hypermarket like OBS, the centralized CO₂ system delivers more storage for products in the refrigeration units, reliability, performance, and sustainability needed to support long-term operations.

R290 vs CO₂: Which Cooling Solution Wins?

To sum up, both systems offer distinct advantages. By carefully evaluating factors such as store format, sales area size, required cooling capacity, and operational needs, retailers can select the most suitable system, maximizing efficiency and long-term performance.

Versatile Refrigeration Equipment Easily Adapted to Any Size Format

COOP PRIX and OBS stores were implemented with the same refrigeration equipment units, tailored to meet each store’s specific requirements and operating in different cooling systems.

The stores now feature multidecks JUPITER and JUPITER ROLL-IN, both equipped with glass doors to ensure better energy efficiency and wide dual-compartment freezer islands HELLA. The COOP PRIX store, operating on a Hydroloop Glycol WPI cooling system, was implemented with the HELLA RV freezer models, specifically designed to operate with R290 refrigerant.

Additionally, the OBS hypermarket was equipped with semi vertical PLUTON SPACE ISLANDS, which were the perfect solution to fully utilize the sales floor space without disrupting the view of the store because of their medium height.

This sets a perfect example of FREOR’s commercial refrigeration equipment and systems adaptability to different retail formats, retailers’ requirements, and distinct product assortments showcase needs while ensuring excellent energy efficiency and sustainability.