Apr 09, 2024
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Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Commercial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd., through the overseas sales company of Panasonic Hong Kong's Taiwan Branch*1, has made the first delivery to Taiwan of a CO2 refrigerant*2 CFC-free freezer*3, a product progressively being adopted in Japan. The delivery went to the Linkou Wenyi store of Taiwan FamilyMart Co., Ltd., an overseas franchisee of Japan's major convenience store operator FamilyMart Co., Ltd.
The running of stores like supermarkets and convenience stores requires the use of freezers to cool the food, which raises the question of reducing the power consumption and also of the effect of refrigerants on the global environment. CO2 is a natural refrigerant which, compared to the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) used in most other stores, has an ozone depletion potential of zero, and the extremely small global warming potential of 1/1,430 to 1/3,920, making it the center of much focus as a next-generation refrigerant.
Panasonic was the first company in the industry to begin verification testing of CO2 refrigerant devices in 2009, and from September 2010 up to the present day has released four models, including the Pressure adjust control type, and delivered a total of 3,000 units*4.
In recent years, the convenience store industry is urgently seeking to develop globally-oriented, environmentally friendly stores. This delivery to Taiwan FamilyMart was due to Panasonic's track record of delivering CO2 refrigerant CFC-free freezers to FamilyMart in Japan, and with an eye to the introduction of CFC regulations in Taiwan. The delivery was made to the Linkou Wenyi store, the first environmentally friendly store built as part of the Taiwanese company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Panasonic supports the store operations of its customers through this product, and is taking the lead in promoting natural refrigerants and contributions to the environment in the food distribution industry globally.
This product will be displayed at the 50th Supermarket Trade Show 2016 to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from Wednesday, February 10 to Friday, February 12, 2016.
1. Product Details
The product installed is the Pressure adjust control type that first went on sale in Japan in fall 2015. The Pressure adjust control type is equipped with technology in the freezing cycle*5 conveyor pressure controls*6 to naturally regulate the conveyor pressure of the freezer while judging from the outside air temperature and other sources to ensure the pressure before the display case's expansion valve stays constant throughout the year. Compared to Panasonic's previous CFC-free freezers, this model is both more compact and lightweight, and is easier to install at a lower installation cost. This product also helps to maintain the stability of the expansion valve controls of the display case.
[Specifications]
| Product name | CO2 Refrigerant CFC-free Freezer (Pressure adjust control type) |
|---|---|
| Product number | OCU-CR1001VF |
| Nominal horse power | 10 horsepower (hp) |
| Waste heat emissions / applications | Top flow*7 / freezing and refrigeration |
| Conveyor pressure | 4 to 6 MPa (pressure units: megapascals) |
| Exterior dimensions Width x depth x height (mm) |
890 x 890 x 1,934 |
| Weight (kg) | Approx. 300 |
| Number of units (units) | 1 |
2. Overview of Taiwan FamilyMart
| Company name | Taiwan FamilyMart |
|---|---|
| Representative director | Ye Rongyan |
| Percentage of capital owned by FamilyMart (Japan) | 47.44% |
| 1st store opened (year) | 1988 |
| Number of stores | 2,986 (as of December 2015) |
| Delivery store / location | Linkou Wenyi store / Xinyi Road 289, Linkou District, New Taipei City |
| Store opening date | December 28, 2015 |
3. Reference Materials
[Primary refrigerants listed by characteristics]
| Refrigerant name | Ozone depletion potential (ODP) | Global warming potential (GWP) | Inflammability | Poisonous | Principal application | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural refrigerant | CO2 (R744) | 0 | 1 | Nonflammable | No | Hot water heaters, fridge-freezers | |
| Isobutane | 0 | 3+ | High flammability | No | Home refrigerators | ||
| Ammonia | 0 | 0 | Low flammability | Yes | Industrial freezers | ||
| Alter- native CFC |
HFC refrigerant | R134a | 0 | 1,430 | Nonflammable | No | Car air conditioners |
| R407C | 1,770 | Industrial air conditioning equipment | |||||
| R410A | 2,090 | Air conditioners, industrial air conditioning equipment | |||||
| R404A | 3,920 | Display cases | |||||
| Chloro- fluoro- carbon (CFC) |
HCFC refrigerant | R22 | 0.055 | 1,810 | Nonflammable | No | Industrial air conditioning equipment, display cases |
| CFC refrigerant | R12 | 1 | 10,900 | Turbo chiller unit, industrial dehumidifiers | |||
Notes:
| *1. | Panasonic Hong Kong Taiwan Branch |
Panasonic Hong Kong Co., Ltd. Taiwan Branch |
| *2. | Refrigerants | These are thermal catalysts (fluids) that exert pressure in freezers and other devices to absorb heat continually from low temperature areas and convey it, then discharge the heat to high temperature areas. They are used for cooling in air conditioners and display cases. There are various types of refrigerants made by manufacturers of such. Currently the most popular refrigerants used in freezers are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs (R410A, R404A, etc.)), an alternative to CFCs that have high energy-saving properties and zero ODP. However, their high GWP has led to a shift to natural refrigerants in recent years. |
| *3. | Freezer | Heat source equipment for display cases. Like the outdoor unit of an air conditioner, these are often placed outdoors, and connected to the in-store display case or other device by a pipe. The pipes carry the refrigerants. |
| *4. | Number of units delivered | As of December 2015 |
| *5. | Freezing cycle | Principle of the freezer. The principle relies on usage of the heat energy generated at the phase change between the gas and fluid forms of refrigerants as they cycle through four devices - the compressor, the condenser (fluid), the expander and the evaporator (gas). |
| *6. | Conveyor pressure | The pressure from the outlet that the freezer conveys the refrigerant from to the display case's expansion valve. |
| *7. | Top flow | Types that expel the waste heat from the top are called top flow types, those that expel the waste heat from the side are called side flow types. |
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, enterprise solutions and device industries. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates 468 subsidiaries and 94 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.715 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2015. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global.
