Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Cold Energy (Industrialization and path to commercialization of a patented innovative industrial kit to modify COLD cycle in order to drastically reduce ENERGY consumption)
Période du rapport: 2018-01-01 au 2019-06-30
COLD ENERGY’s aim is to improve the efficiency of old and new compression refrigeration systems. The innovation is related to the introduction of a turbocharger (a technology coming from the automotive industry) and an energy recovery heat exchanger (economiser) into a conventional refrigeration plant (both new and existing refrigerating system).
COLD ENER+GY overall aim is to introduce a disruptive innovation in current refrigeration systems by adapting automotive’s turbocharger technology to freezers and cold machines. COLD ENERGY will take TURBOALGOR’s patented solution from TRL6 to TRL9, getting it ready for the European and International market launch.
The technical objectives of the project are:
- To optimise the design of the turbomachine for its use in the cold chain of food and retail segment, at first;
- To install and field-demonstrate two prototypes operating at low temperature for two different compressor power (20KW and 100KW achieving up to 23% energy savings for cold systems.
- To define the Cold Energy Kit manufacturing process;
- To design the Cold Energy Kit industrial production and assembling process;
- To explore the possible “integration” of the turbocharger directly inside the main compressor body.
The commercial objectives of the project are:
- To protect new turbocharger design for each cooling capacity range and commercially exploit COLD ENERGY patented technology.
- To refine COLD ENERGY’s international commercialization plan, including the assessment of the kit distribution costs as well as the end-users prices therefore allowing a market penetration share between 15-25% of the European available market in the five years after first commercialization.
COLD ENER+GY overall aim is to introduce a disruptive innovation in current refrigeration systems by adapting automotive’s turbocharger technology to freezers and cold machines. COLD ENERGY will take TURBOALGOR’s patented solution from TRL6 to TRL9, getting it ready for the European and International market launch.
The technical objectives of the project are:
- To optimise the design of the turbomachine for its use in the cold chain of food and retail segment, at first;
- To install and field-demonstrate two prototypes operating at low temperature for two different compressor power (20KW and 100KW achieving up to 23% energy savings for cold systems.
- To define the Cold Energy Kit manufacturing process;
- To design the Cold Energy Kit industrial production and assembling process;
- To explore the possible “integration” of the turbocharger directly inside the main compressor body.
The commercial objectives of the project are:
- To protect new turbocharger design for each cooling capacity range and commercially exploit COLD ENERGY patented technology.
- To refine COLD ENERGY’s international commercialization plan, including the assessment of the kit distribution costs as well as the end-users prices therefore allowing a market penetration share between 15-25% of the European available market in the five years after first commercialization.
During the project, the consortium focused on the engineering the turbocharger, defining the features of the first installation, starting the R&D activities related to the introduction of the turbocharger inside the main compressor and on the manufacturing of the turbocharger prototypes, solving stability problems occurred, engineering the turbochargers for high temperature applications, defining the features of the first kit installations, developing the R&D activities related to the introduction of the turbocharger inside the main compressor, deepening the characterization of the refrigeration market, defining the business and commercialization plan and disseminating at different level the results of the project achieved.
The technical objectives of the project reached were:
- Optimization, re-engineering manufacturing and testing of the current prototype for low temperature-100 kW power plant application (LT3);
- To complete the design, manufacture and test of at least 2 prototypes for each defined operating power range for Low and Medium temperature as well as design the prototypes for High temperature operation.
- The complete the Construction of the first Cold Energy kit for a low temperature-100 kW application and field demonstrate the performances, in order to achieve up to 23% of energy savings for cold systems;
- To complete the construction (at Spanish partner Grupo Tres Mares facilities) of the 100 kW refrigerant plant in which the first kit will be installed for the field demonstration of the energy saving device;
- To identify possible alternative installation of the kit in order to verify on site the performances of the turbocharges;
- To develop the collaboration with Italian partner Officine Mario Dorìn for the definition of the alternative compressor in which studying the integration of the turbocharger directly inside the main compressor.
- To close the definition of the characteristics of the turbocharger container in order to create a product that is in line with international directives (PED, etc.);
- To define the manufacturing process and design the industrial production and assembling process
The commercial objectives of the project reached were:
- To implement measures to protect the intellectual property rights of the Cold Energy product;
- To deepen the characterization of the refrigeration market, in order to be able to define the exploitation strategy more effectively and consistently;
- To refine COLD ENERGY’s international commercialization plan, including the final costs and market prices of the turbomachine that allows to achieve a penetration share between 15-25% of European available market in the five years after first commercialization.
- To identify possible installers for Cold Energy kits;
- To provide TRES MARES with a tool able to reduce their energy consumption up to 23%, increasing their margin of benefits;
- To define a new business line for AVL and for ENEL;
- To expand ENEL.SI portfolio adding an innovative solution for companies in the cold-chain, taking advantage of their brand and channels to launch and commercialize the new product.
- To disseminate the project results to institutional and non-institutional stakeholders (industry, scientific groups, research) in order to raise awareness of the product;
- to start defining, thanks to Enel's contribution, the procedures for obtaining energy efficiency certificates for the product in Italy and to investigate about energy efficiency incentives in Spain.
The technical objectives of the project reached were:
- Optimization, re-engineering manufacturing and testing of the current prototype for low temperature-100 kW power plant application (LT3);
- To complete the design, manufacture and test of at least 2 prototypes for each defined operating power range for Low and Medium temperature as well as design the prototypes for High temperature operation.
- The complete the Construction of the first Cold Energy kit for a low temperature-100 kW application and field demonstrate the performances, in order to achieve up to 23% of energy savings for cold systems;
- To complete the construction (at Spanish partner Grupo Tres Mares facilities) of the 100 kW refrigerant plant in which the first kit will be installed for the field demonstration of the energy saving device;
- To identify possible alternative installation of the kit in order to verify on site the performances of the turbocharges;
- To develop the collaboration with Italian partner Officine Mario Dorìn for the definition of the alternative compressor in which studying the integration of the turbocharger directly inside the main compressor.
- To close the definition of the characteristics of the turbocharger container in order to create a product that is in line with international directives (PED, etc.);
- To define the manufacturing process and design the industrial production and assembling process
The commercial objectives of the project reached were:
- To implement measures to protect the intellectual property rights of the Cold Energy product;
- To deepen the characterization of the refrigeration market, in order to be able to define the exploitation strategy more effectively and consistently;
- To refine COLD ENERGY’s international commercialization plan, including the final costs and market prices of the turbomachine that allows to achieve a penetration share between 15-25% of European available market in the five years after first commercialization.
- To identify possible installers for Cold Energy kits;
- To provide TRES MARES with a tool able to reduce their energy consumption up to 23%, increasing their margin of benefits;
- To define a new business line for AVL and for ENEL;
- To expand ENEL.SI portfolio adding an innovative solution for companies in the cold-chain, taking advantage of their brand and channels to launch and commercialize the new product.
- To disseminate the project results to institutional and non-institutional stakeholders (industry, scientific groups, research) in order to raise awareness of the product;
- to start defining, thanks to Enel's contribution, the procedures for obtaining energy efficiency certificates for the product in Italy and to investigate about energy efficiency incentives in Spain.
Energy consumption in the refrigeration industry has been under-estimated for many years and energy efficiency has become a more relevant issue only in the last years.
COLD ENERGY represents an “economic” viable solution for reciprocating compressors and, increasing its Cooling Power, extends also the field of application of the Reciprocating Compressor at the expense of the Screw Compressor (currently over 60-70 kW).
Concerning the range 90-300kW, the more competitive alternative solution to COLD ENERGY in this the range is the solution “screw compressor plus economizer”. Considering the “theoretical” functioning of the screw compressor, COLD ENERGY gives a strong increase in the Coefficient of Performance, more than 30%. COLD ENERGY price policy has been based therefore in this power range, having as a goal a payback period lower than three years, compared to the use of only an Economiser. Considering the “real” operative working conditions and using operative parameters declared by manufacturers, the situation becomes even better for COLD ENERGY. In this last scenario, the increase of efficiency due to COLD ENERGY installation would achieve up to 70% more increase than the solution using only an economiser.
The groundbreaking nature of the idea brings a progress beyond the state of art, exceeding all of the existing technologies already present in the market. As shown in table above, COLD ENERGY technology kit increases C.O.P. up to 34% and 53% in comparison with a standard reciprocating compressor and a standard screw compressor respectively. The solution offers a payback lower than one year. Even if we compare the solution with the use of an economiser, we find that although payback could be slightly higher than conventional economiser the increase in energy savings (35%) but also the high increase in cooling power (almost a 50% more than using an economiser), makes COLD ENERGY technology the most advantageous solution.
COLD ENERGY represents an “economic” viable solution for reciprocating compressors and, increasing its Cooling Power, extends also the field of application of the Reciprocating Compressor at the expense of the Screw Compressor (currently over 60-70 kW).
Concerning the range 90-300kW, the more competitive alternative solution to COLD ENERGY in this the range is the solution “screw compressor plus economizer”. Considering the “theoretical” functioning of the screw compressor, COLD ENERGY gives a strong increase in the Coefficient of Performance, more than 30%. COLD ENERGY price policy has been based therefore in this power range, having as a goal a payback period lower than three years, compared to the use of only an Economiser. Considering the “real” operative working conditions and using operative parameters declared by manufacturers, the situation becomes even better for COLD ENERGY. In this last scenario, the increase of efficiency due to COLD ENERGY installation would achieve up to 70% more increase than the solution using only an economiser.
The groundbreaking nature of the idea brings a progress beyond the state of art, exceeding all of the existing technologies already present in the market. As shown in table above, COLD ENERGY technology kit increases C.O.P. up to 34% and 53% in comparison with a standard reciprocating compressor and a standard screw compressor respectively. The solution offers a payback lower than one year. Even if we compare the solution with the use of an economiser, we find that although payback could be slightly higher than conventional economiser the increase in energy savings (35%) but also the high increase in cooling power (almost a 50% more than using an economiser), makes COLD ENERGY technology the most advantageous solution.