Japanese manufacturer Panasonic will be exhibiting a new 4HP outdoor CO2 condensing unit at the Virtual Trade Show on September 1-2.
The online event, which aims to connect suppliers of natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R systems and components with the global cooling marketplace, is being hosted by clean cooling accelerator shecco (publisher of this website). To attend the free event, register here.
The 4HP unit will join 10HP and 2HP outdoor CO2 condensing units that have been marketed in Europe since 2017. With these units, Panasonic has targeted small-format stores, gas stations, fast food chains and restaurants, said Gaku Shimada, Overseas Sales Manager for Panasonic’s Refrigeration System Sales Department, during a presentation at ATMOsphere Europe, in Warsaw on October 16.
The 4HP CO2 condensing unit (OCU-CR400VF8) is a 7.5kW (2.1TR) medium-temperature system (evaporating temperatures -20°C/-4°F to -5°C/23°F) with a heat-recovery port. It operates at ambient temperatures between -15°C (5°F) and 43°C (109°F).
As of last October, Panasonic had sold 600 CO2 condensing units in the European market. In its home market in Japan, the company had sold 10,000 CO2 condensing units through 2019.
Panasonic recently published a video outlining a case study of 14 CO2 condensing units with a total capacity of 110kW (31.3TR) that are installed at a mushroom storage facility in France.
The CO2 systems have been very successful due to several factors including ease of installation and reliability in high temperatures, said Shimada. “The most popular thing I hear from our installers is ‘Gaku, this product is very, very easy to install,’” said Shimada last October.
In addition, Shimada said that the CO2 units ran without issue during last summer’s heat wave, which exceeded the system’s rated ambient operating temperature maximum of 43°C (109°F). “Actually, this summer in France, we experienced 48°C (118°F), and the unit ran without any issue,” Shimada said.
The most popular thing I hear from our installers is ‘Gaku, this product is very, very easy to install.’”
Gaku Shimada, Panasonic
