Carrier Transicold, a unit of Carrier Corp., has unveiled what it says is the world's first natural refrigerant technology for container refrigeration. The container refrigeration unit design will be known as NaturaLINE.
Carrier's natural refrigerant technology has been used to create a container refrigeration system incorporating carbon dioxide in place of conventional synthetic hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which have higher global warming potential. The system is being engineered to deliver efficiencies currently achieved by Carrier's PrimeLINE unit.
Carrier has already placed demonstration units in service for around-the-world tests with Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd. In 2011, Carrier will extend the program with full field trials.
Natural refrigerant CO2, also known as R-744, is non-ozone depleting with a global warming potential of only one, compared to conventional container system refrigerants R-134a and R-404A that have GWPs of 1320 and 3260, respectively. The use of CO2 also adds no new environmental risk in the event of a leak.
