Middle East’s first CO2 supermarket opens in Jordan
R744.com, March 5, 2018
The first transcritical CO2 supermarket in the Middle East was inaugurated today at the Al-Salam supermarket in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The CO2 transcritical system installed in Amman, a pioneer in the Middle East, is designed to cope with temperatures reaching up to 32°C between June and September, thanks to the use of parallel compression and multi-ejector technology. With a total surface of 2000m2, this supermarket represents a test for CO2 in challenging weather conditions. If successful, it could open door to the expansion of CO2 across the region.
The supermarket, which previously used a chemical refrigerant that is known to deplete the ozone layer and have a high global warming potential, was retrofitted to CO2 with support from the Jordan Ministry of Environment. The demonstration project was funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
“The project implements the first transcritical CO2 refrigeration system in the entire region in a supermarket and is truly state-of-the-art technology,” said Sulafa Mdanat, UNIDO’s country representative in Jordan. “The technology is spreading very fast in the world as it is considered one of the most energy efficient and climate-friendly refrigeration technologies for the retail sector.”
Jordan Environment Minister Nayef Al Fayez hopes to share the results with others in the region soon.
“We are proud to confirm that Jordan is a global pioneer in […] refrigeration technologies and we commend the efforts from the local companies in moving ahead towards more efficient refrigeration technologies,” said Dina Kisbi, director of Climate Change Directorate, Ministry of Environment, Jordan.
The CO2 booster system is from Italian manufacturer Enex S.r.l., using Dorin compressors and Danfoss’s multi-ejectors. Local firm Abdin Industrial designed, manufactured and installed the display cabinets. This Jordanian company will also be responsible for the future service of this technology.
“The fruitful cooperation of Abdin and Enex shows that local manufacturers and suppliers of commercial refrigeration equipment are able to leapfrog towards the latest CO2 refrigeration technology,” said Dr. Armin Hafner of SINTEF (Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim, Norway) and technical adviser on this project.
The system also features non-superheated evaporator technology for both chilled and frozen food cabinets and storage rooms. The waste heat from the system is recovered for hot sanitary water supply, which increases the energy efficiency of this system further.
“The new refrigeration system in the supermarket in Amman, Jordan, is able to maintain chilled food at the set-point temperatures with an evaporation temperature of -2°C, while the frozen foodstuff is cooled by evaporating carbon dioxide at -25°C,” Hafner added.
Alfa Laval, LU-VE and Temprite also supplied some of the components for this project.