Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a natural substance and thus part of our everyday life. We exhale CO₂ as soon as we are born. And many of us ingest it regularly in the form of carbonic acid, such as that found in mineral water.

The obvious benefits of CO₂ as a refrigerant were known already far back in the 19th century, when it was first used for this purpose. In the 20th century, CO₂ was replaced by synthetic refrigerants. It wasn‘t until the 21st century – when the fatal effects of synthetic refrigerants on the environment became known – that carbon dioxide experienced a sudden renaissance as a refrigerant that can be obtained naturally at any time. Modern CO₂ refrigeration systems are defined by their energy-efficiency and extreme eco-friendliness in operation. The ever- increasing demand for these systems is proof of their widespread acceptance.

And still, is CO₂ dammed to be today’s biggest climate polluter? Critical regarding climate change is not simple CO₂ as a gas, because neither is it combustible nor is it toxic, but crucial is the amount, we emit. Every refrigeration installation or heat pump has its own closed refrigeration cycle, running with a fluid: the refrigerant. This circulation stays always the same, be it for the fridge in your kitchen, the air condition in your car or the heat pump in your home. So far, synthetic refrigerants were used for this purpose. Compared to CO₂, these refrigerants are a 1000 times more harmful to the environment. Replacing them paradoxically with CO₂ makes the installation environmental-friendly.

Two birds at a stroke: using CO₂ as refrigerant increases the efficiency and, at the same time, reduces CO₂ emissions. Also, CO₂ used in refrigeration installations and heat pumps is a waste product from industrial processes and is being recycled in the installations. Last but not least, leaking CO₂ has a marginal impact on the environment compared to synthetic refrigerants.

Frigo-Consulting recognised the benefits of CO₂ technology at a very early stage and made a decisive contribution towards establishing this type of refrigeration. The first subcritical CO₂ refrigeration system to be engineered by Frigo-Consulting went into operation in 2003. The first transcritical system followed shortly afterwards in 2006. Since then, we have engineered more than 1’000 transcritical refrigeration systems. These include the first system with parallel compression, the world‘s first CO₂ System in tropical climate and liquid-/gas ejectors.