UK: WR Refrigeration has established what it claims is the world's first HFO, HC and CO2 refrigeration training facility.
Based near Birmingham, the company's European Refrigeration Training Academy, now includes a state-of-the-art working HFO water chiller linked to an integral HC refrigerated cabinet alongside its existing CO2 systems, enabling engineers to be trained in the new generation of low global warming refrigerants and hydrocarbons.

The 64kW Hidros chiller, which operates on HFO R1234ze, is installed alongside an integral refrigerated display cabinet running on hydrocarbon refrigerant R1270 and the centre's existing carbon dioxide plant.

CO2 and HC systems are linked in a cascade arrangement with the HFO chiller, which provides chilled water as a condensing medium for the transcritical carbon dioxide plant and hydrocarbon integral display cabinet.

The HFO chiller incorporates a free cooling option, delivering additional energy savings when ambient conditions allow. It is also equipped with centrifugal fans to demonstrate how rejected heat can be ducted away, allowing the chiller to be located internally, as well as using waste heat.

WR Refrigeration will offer the City & Guilds hydrocarbon refrigeration qualification and is developing a new training course for chilled water cooling with HFOs. It will include commissioning, service and maintenance and chiller controls.

Designed to meet specific customer requirements, it will follow a similar approach to the recently agreed short course on CO2 refrigeration, produced under the auspices of the British Refrigeration Association, which WR Refrigeration also offers.

Patrick Mullins, WR Refrigeration's business development and marketing director, said: 'We believe the creation of a combined HFO, HC and CO2 training academy is unique and represents a genuine first. The bringing together of several alternative technologies is important because many end users are not looking at single refrigerant solutions but opting for a mix of technologies.

'The facility enables end users and engineers to get first hand, practical experience of how the different systems work together and interact.'