Engineering news
A US firm is in discussions to bring a refrigeration technology to Europe that it says reduces energy consumption in the cold chain by up to 35%.
US company Viking Cold Solutions will roll out its smart thermal energy storage system in Europe, and is negotiating with several supermarket chains.
The company’s technology combines phase-change thermal storage cells first developed for Nasa, with smart controls and solar photovoltaics (PV).
Colin Coker, vice-president of sales and marketing at Viking, said: “Smart building control systems for refrigeration can be limited, as you have a tight tolerance on temperatures and they control only the mechanical equipment. We can remove the heat from the freezer on our own terms.”
The salt-based phase-change materials absorb heat so that food products remain at their target temperature, allowing chillers to run less frequently. Combined with intelligent controls and software, the phase-change cells can be made with varying formulas so the cells will start to thaw out at specific temperatures, depending on freezer requirements.
The second-generation system is combined with solar PV and allows cold-storage facilities in supermarkets to store and deploy refrigeration. This process can help balance electricity networks by shifting load during times of peak electricity demand.
Viking’s standard cold thermal energy storage system is already installed across the US in several food chain facilities, and has achieved up to 35% reduction in
energy consumption for customers, says the company.
James Bell, chief executive at Viking, said: “Our vision is that there will be applications of phase-change material for temperature and product security all the way along the cold chain.”
Coker added: “Our system is low-cost and designed to last around 20 years. This improves on energy storage batteries that have a short lifespan and are not environmentally friendly.”