The new compact transcritical refrigeration system has been designed by Norwegian company Kuldeteknisk for smaller or medium sized freezing systems for offshore and onshore production.
“The new system is good news for medium sized or smaller coastal trawlers where owners are looking for a modern CO2 solution onboard”, says Peter Christensen, sales director at plate freezer manufacturer DSI.
“This is a really smart way out of the ammonia or R22 systems that have been phased out in most places. Coastal trawlers with small or medium capacity are now allowed to modernise their freezing systems. Combined with our plate freezers they will have a high quality solution that will last for many years.”
The Kuldeteknisk system will allow the DSI freezers to work at -50oC and thereby increase the capacity of the freezers by 25-30%. The Roaldnes will normally have the freezers work at -40oC but will also have the option of freezing at -50oC when needed.
Kuldeteknisk from Tromsø in Norway has been working with transcritical systems since 2007. The company has developed a very compact system where the cooling and freezing compressors are mounted on one frame, with the oil system, tanks, pumps and everything else needed attached within the framework. This is the system that fits smaller or medium production units offshore and onshore.
The Roaldnes Company has another fishing vessels with an R22 refrigeration system - the Stornes. The company is awaiting test results from onboard Roaldnes and will then decide whether to install the new system onboard Stornestoo. The company is not alone with the need of modernising its freezing system. Along the Norwegian coastline alone there are several hundreds of smaller or medium sized trawlers that await the hopefully positive results.
