Technical Report: Demonstration of a CO2 commercial refrigeration system in Jordan

Supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) HFC Initiative through the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the project demonstrated the feasibility of a CO2 transcritical system as a non-HFC based alternative to HCFC-22 in retail applications in countries with high ambient temperature though the full-scale replacement of an existing installation in Jordan.

The converted supermarket is located in the capital city of Jordan, Amman. It is the Middle East’s first transcritical CO2 system in the food retail sector, commissioned in January 2018 at the Al-Salam military supermarket.

PROJECT RESULTS

The annual electricity demand for the refrigeration unit is reduced by 40.000 kWh, which corresponds to a CO2 emission reduction of approximately 32 metric tons.
The previously direct emissions related to refrigerant leakage are eliminated and correspond to an annual equivalent CO2 emission reduction of approximately 35 metric tons.
Food wastage from the supermarket is now completely avoided, due to the stable operation of the CO2 refrigeration unit.

During the first 20 months of operation, so far, no maintenance costs appeared. The annual saving for the supermarket owner is approximately US$20,000. The involvement of local companies, showing a real interest to further improve the know-how of the employees and demonstrating the willingness to learn is a key success factor for these kind of demonstration projects.