R744 (CO2)

Refrigerant R744, i.e.CO2, started to be used as a refrigerant in early industrial times (since 1850), but with the advent of chemical refrigerants its use gradually declined. In the last few decades, this natural refrigerant has experienced a comeback, especially in view of the fact that it does not contribute to ozone depletion or global warming.

Cooling Technology Solution s.r.o. has pursued technical solutions with the R744 refrigerant from the beginning. At first, we were hesitant to implement the R744 refrigerant in our projects, especially due to the lower energy efficiency of the first-generation technologies. However, in 2014, we prepared the first cascade application for the low-pressure part of the 18kW refrigeration source for our partners. This solution has subsequently become standard for our retail projects. In 2019, we prepared a complete project of a central cooling source with the cooling capacity (MT part) of 75kW at evaporating temperature -8°C and the cooling capacity (LT part) of 25kW at evaporating temperature -35°C, equipped with a low-pressure LP ejector, low-pressure oil return system, PS 30/53/90/120Bar pressure system, including waste heat recovery technology for water heating (TV). Since that year, dozens more similar technologies have been designed. In 2022, a technical solution for refrigeration technology for supermarkets was prepared and implemented, with complete waste heat recovery for building heating and cooling needs (HVAC). This solution has become standard for current projects.

The R744 refrigerant is currently our preferred choice in terms of climate-friendly refrigeration technologies, but also in the current technical generation, this technology is energy-efficient with appropriate technical design and application. We prefer the R744 refrigerant over other natural alternatives in our applications because it has no flammability risk, no toxicity issues and its use is relatively easy to understand or explain to the general service companies. The only potential risk is the high operating pressure in the high-pressure part of the system, but with the design of today's modern systems and considering the large amount of research, development and operating experience, it can be concluded that this problem can be well dealt with.

At Cooling Technology Solution s.r.o. we have deep experience in designing various applications with the R744 refrigerant in different refrigeration capacities, from retail applications in the range of tens of kilowatts of the cooling capacity to distribution centres with cooling capacities in the hundreds of kilowatts. We closely monitor  applied research in this field and complement our knowledge with our internal technologies and design solutions.