CO₂ refrigeration | Energy-saving systems for supermarkets

Discover the opportunities of CO₂ refrigeration

CO₂ is fast becoming the preferred refrigerant in Food Retail applications and Danfoss is leading the way towards the adoption of CO₂. With the implementation of refrigerant regulations like the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol (Global) and F-gas regulative (Europe), the quest for alternative solutions is accelerating even further and CO₂ is now recognized as the most viable and efficient solution among natural refrigerants in food retail applications.

Danfoss has pioneered CO₂ technologies for both transcritical and subcritical systems for more than ten years and has gained valuable experience from thousands of installations all over the world. The many installations have proved that CO₂ can be applied in supermarkets enabling both environmentally friendly and energy saving systems in all types of stores. Meanwhile, alongside the traditional large applications, CO2 is increasingly being used in a broader range of settings than ever, including very small systems.

Why choose CO₂ as refrigerant?

Today, CO₂ has proved itself as a highly reliable and cost effective refrigerant in all climates. Take a look at the CO₂ infographic to learn more about all the benefits.

Take a look at the infographic

Features and benefits

One solution across all climates

Lowest possible Global Warming Potential (GWP)

Smart solutions for high system efficiency

Proven with more than 10,000 trans-critical CO₂ systems worldwide

Industry leading application support and guidance to choose the best solution

Discover the opportunities of CO₂ refrigeration

Danfoss leads the development of solutions and components for CO₂ refrigeration and offers a wide range of products specifically designed for CO₂ transcritical systems.

Download brochure

Highlighted products

AK-PC 782A capacity controller

AK-PC 782A is complete regulating units for capacity control of compressors and condensers in a transcritical CO2 booster system with parallel compressor.
System managers

The system manager is the key component of the intelligent Danfoss ADAP-KOOL® refrigeration system for food retail.
Refrigeration pressure transmitters

Refrigeration pressure transmitters are used for commercial air-conditioning and for commercial and industrial refrigeration applications. They are made in stainless steel to be compatible with fluorinated and natural refrigerants and laser welding with no soft seals ensure hermetic tightness for decades.
CTR electric expansion valves, transcritical CO₂

CTR 3-way heat reclaim valve is designed to allow full proportional control of the surplus heat from compressor pack into the heat exchanger of transcritical heat reclaim solutions, securing availability of heat and hot water. The CTR valve prevents pressure peaks eliminating costly system down-time and the risk of insufficient heat supply for store heating and hot water, regardless of installation size.
CCMT electric regulating valves, transcritical CO₂

The CCMT is an electric operated valve designed specifically for operation in CO₂ systems. The valve is capable of functioning either as an expansion valve, as a pressure regulator for the gas cooler or as a gas bypass valve with back-pressure regulation in trans-critical or subcritical applications.

Related applications

Smart store

The Smart Store solution enhances food safety and brings down the energy bill by integrated and smart control of refrigeration, HVAC, lighting and other applications.
Smart energy

Energy cost is one of the biggest expenses in the daily operation of your supermarkets. Therefore, retailers increasingly look to enhance the energy efficiency within the stores.
Case controls

Your refrigeration system is the natural place to look for energy efficiency gains. To unlock that potential, you need a controller, expansion valve, and high accuracy sensors that are smart enough to make the technology work together—and a system manager that can help you see and control the bigger picture.
HVAC integration in supermarkets

Align your heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, to save money, safeguard stock, and reduce your environmental impact. Integrated solutions unlock the full potential of each application and increases the efficiency of the entire system.
Monitoring and management

Connecting your refrigeration system to the cloud offers a world of possibilities to save money and improve food safety. Remote monitoring and management make it easy to check and triage system alarm.

Learning

Mobile CO₂ training unit

The Mobile CO₂ Training Unit makes both the technology and understanding of CO₂ refrigeration immediately available to industry professionals.

CO₂ Phase changes video

Watch the phase-shifts of CO₂ recorded at the Danfoss Refrigeration R&D Laboratory, and follow the fascinating transition between solid, liquid and vapor phases in the pressure chamber and the behavior in the super-critical region.

Articles

Managing operational efficiency in food retail – 5 global trends and how to respond

If you work in facilities or energy management for a food retailer, change is something you handle every day. When the way we live, work, or shop changes, new food retail technology is close behind.
Why are so many supermarkets now choosing CO₂ refrigeration?

Around the world, there is little doubt that CO₂ is fast becoming food retailers’ refrigerant of choice. At Danfoss alone, we’re currently seeing supermarkets switching to CO₂ refrigeration systems at a rate of around 10,000 a year—and that number is growing fast.
Adapting to a changing world for over 30 years: ADAP-KOOL® refrigeration control system

ADAP-KOOL®automatically adapts to changes in the operating environment, delivering optimized refrigeration performance and energy efficiency. They provide advanced algorithms, supervisory control and monitoring.

Case studies

A new shade of green for grocery stores

The supermarket aktiv & irma in Oldenburg, Germany, has pressed the start-button to a solution enabling it to store and generate electricity. The grocery store’s manager calls it a leap forward in energy supply. Danfoss and SMA have helped make it happen. Learn how.
“A real win-win situation!” Danish organic food company reduces climate footprint with CO₂ cooling solution

A stronger environmental profile and energy savings of approx. 30% from a cooling solution that can be expanded as needed. These are the results so far for Danish organic food company Aarstiderne. Since Q1 2018, the company’s facilities at Barritskov, Denmark, have relied on a CO₂ cooling system with Danfoss components delivered by refrigeration installer company JF Køleteknik A/S.
Just add know-how: Danfoss training addresses climate change

How can refrigeration professionals comply with the EU F-gas regulation? What technologies can be used to make the transition to compliant refrigerants? And how can professionals specify, install, service, and use these solutions? Innovation and new approaches require know-how, and Danfoss is offering extensive, user-centric content that builds know-how through training, education, and the sharing of knowledge with the company’s partners, customers, and other stakeholders such as policymakers on several platforms.
Selecting the right evaporator injection algorithm makes a world of difference

Danfoss has pioneered two control algorithms that help you achieve this balance. The Minimum Stable Superheat (MSS) algorithm has been an important part of the Danfoss ADAP-KOOL^® offering for years and is still the ideal choice for adaptive evaporator control for dry expansion. Now Danfoss introduces the next generation: Adaptive Liquid Control (ALC).
Intelligent and adaptive control in transcritical CO₂ refrigeration

Intelligent control solutions are important for achieving reliable, optimized operation and realizing financial savings and environmental benefits in your transcritical CO₂ refrigeration solution.
Russia’s first transcritical CO₂ hypermarket

In Voskresensk, Russian retailer Magnit has opened the first hypermarket in Russia using a transcritical booster refrigeration system with carbon dioxide (CO₂) — an eco-friendly and natural refrigerant.

News

Three Danfoss technologies named winners of 2020 AHR Expo Innovation Awards

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The annual awards competition honors the most inventive and original products, systems, and technologies showcased at the AHR Expo. This year, Danfoss will receive awards in the program's Cooling, Green Building, and Refrigeration categories.
The new AKVP series of Electric Expansion Valves creates possibility through simplicity

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

The new AKVP series of electric expansion valves reduces complexity by merging the well-known AKV10 & AKVH10 portfolio into one product, 50% increased capacity in the same housing and boosting the performance.
Achieving the green ideal with Aarstiderne organic food company

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Aarstiderne sets ambitious goals when it comes to sustainability and their impact on the environment. So, they needed a unique solution when it came to upgrading their refrigeration equipment during a recent expansion. Danfoss CO2 refrigeration solutions proved to be the perfect fit.