10.5 Commercial Refrigeration

10.5.1  Overview

This section addresses §120.6(b) of the Energy Standards, which covers mandatory requirements for commercial refrigeration systems in retail food stores. This section explains the mandatory requirements for condensers, compressor systems, refrigerated display cases, refrigeration heat recovery. All buildings under the Energy Standards must also comply with the General Provisions of the Energy Standards (§100.0 – §100.2, §110.0 – §110.10, §120.0 – §120.9, §130.0 – §130.5), and additions and alterations requirements (§141.1).

10.5.1.1   Mandatory Measures and Compliance Approaches

The energy efficiency requirements for commercial refrigeration are all mandatory. There are no prescriptive requirements or performance compliance paths for commercial refrigeration. Since the provisions are all mandatory, there are no tradeoffs allowed between the various requirements. The application must demonstrate compliance with each of the mandatory measures. Exceptions to each mandatory requirement where provided are described in each of the mandatory measure sections below.

10.5.1.2   What’s New in the 2016 Energy Standards

In the 2016 Energy Standards, the exception to §120.6(b)3 is no longer available. This affects retail food stores with 8,000 square feet or more of conditioned area that use either: refrigerated display cases, or walk-in coolers or freezers connected to remote compressor units or condensing units, which are normally open for business for less than 140 hours per week. These stores must now comply with §120.6(b)3, without exception.

10.5.1.3   Scope and Application

§120.6(b) of the Energy Standards applies to retail food stores that have 8,000 square feet or more of conditioned area, and utilize either refrigerated display cases or walk-in coolers or freezers, which are connected to remote compressor units or condensing units.  The Energy Standards have minimum requirements for the condensers, compressor systems, refrigerated display cases, and refrigeration heat recovery systems associated with the refrigeration systems in these facilities.

The Energy Standards do not have minimum efficiency requirements for walk-ins, as these are deemed appliances and are covered by the California Appliance Efficiency Regulations (Title 20) and Federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Walk-ins are defined as refrigerated spaces with less than 3,000 square feet of floor area that are designed to operate below 55°F (13°C). Additionally, the Energy Standards do not have minimum equipment efficiency requirements for refrigerated display cases, as the minimum efficiency for these units is established by Federal law in the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Final Rule but there are requirements for display cases that do result in reduced energy consumption.

10.5.2  Condensers Mandatory Requirements

This section addresses the mandatory requirements for condensers serving commercial refrigeration systems. These requirements only apply to stand-alone refrigeration condensers and do not apply to condensers that are part of a unitary condensing unit.

If the work includes a new condenser replacing an existing condenser, the condenser requirements do not apply if all of the following conditions apply:

1.    The Total Heat of Rejection of the compressor system attached to the condenser or condenser system does not increase, and

2.    Less than 25% of the attached refrigeration system compressors (based on compressor capacity at design conditions) are new, and

3.    Less than 25% of the display cases (based on display case design load at applied conditions) that the condenser serves, are new. Since the compressor system loads commonly include walk-ins (both for storage and point-of-sale boxes with doors), the 25% “display case" should be calculated with walk-ins included.

10.5.2.1   Condenser Fan Control

Condenser fans for new air-cooled or evaporative condensers, or fans on air- or water-cooled fluid coolers or cooling towers used to reject heat on new refrigeration systems, must be continuously variable speed. Variable frequency drives are commonly used to provide continuously variable speed control of condenser fans and controllers designed to vary the speed of electronically commutated motors are increasingly being used for the same purpose. All fans serving a common high side, or indirect condenser water loop, shall be controlled in unison. Thus, in normal operation, the fan speed of all fans within a single condenser or set of condensers serving a common high-side should modulate together, rather than running fans at different speeds or staging fans off. However, when fan speed is at the minimum practical level minimum level, usually no higher than 10-20%, the fans may be staged off to further reduce condenser capacity. As load increases, fans should be turned back on prior to significantly increasing fan speed, recognizing a control band is necessary to avoid without excessive fan cycling. Control of air-cooled condensers may also keep fans running and use a holdback valve on the condenser outlet to maintain the minimum condensing temperature once all fans have reached minimum speed; with the holdback valve set below the fan control minimum saturated condensing temperature setpoint.

To minimize overall system energy consumption, the condensing temperature control setpoint must be continuously reset in response to ambient temperatures, rather than using a fixed setpoint value. This strategy is also termed ambient-following control, ambient-reset, wetbulb following and drybulb following—all referring to control logic which changes the condensing temperature control setpoint in response to ambient conditions at the condenser. The control system calculates a control setpoint saturated condensing temperature that is higher than the ambient temperature by a predetermined temperature difference (i.e. the condenser control TD). Fan speed is then modulated so that the measured SCT (saturated condensing temperature) matches the calculated SCT control setpoint. The SCT control setpoint for evaporative condensers or water-cooled condensers (via cooling towers or fluid coolers) must be reset according to ambient wet bulb temperature, and the SCT control setpoint for air-cooled condensers must be reset according to ambient dry bulb temperature.

The condenser control TD is not specified in the Standard.  The nominal control value is often equal to the condenser design TD; however the value for a particular system is left up to the system designer.  Since the intent is to utilize as much condenser capacity as possible without excessive fan power, common practice is to optimize the control TD over a period of time such that the fan speed is in a range of approximately 60-80% during normal operation (i.e. when not at minimum SCT and not in heat recovery).

The minimum saturated condensing temperature setpoint must be 70°F (21°C) or less.  For systems utilizing halocarbon refrigerants with glide, the SCT setpoint shall correlate with a midpoint temperature (between the refrigerant bubble-point and dew point temperatures) of 70°F (21°C) or less.  As a practical matter, a maximum SCT setpoint is also commonly employed to set an upper bound on the control setpoint in the event of a sensor failure and to force full condenser operation during peak ambient conditions.  This value should be set high enough that it does not interfere with normal operation.

Split air-cooled condensers are sometimes used for separate refrigeration systems, with two circuits and two rows of condenser fans. Each condenser half would be controlled as a separate condenser. If a condenser has multiple circuits served by a common fan or set of fans, the control strategy may utilize the average condensing temperature or the highest condensing temperature of the individual circuits as the control variable for controlling fan speed.

Alternative control strategies are permitted to the condensing temperature reset control required in §120.6(b)1C.  The alternative control strategy must be demonstrated to provide equal or better performance, as approved by the Executive Director.

Hybrid condensers, manufactured with integral capability to operate with either air-cooled or evaporative-cooled operation, are not covered.  Air-cooled condensers with separately installed evaporative precoolers added to the condenser are not considered hybrid condensers for the purpose of this Standard. Air cooled condensers with an added evaporative precooling must meet the requirements for air cooled equipment, including specific efficiency and ambient-following control.

10.5.2.2   Condenser Specific Efficiency

All newly installed evaporative condensers and air-cooled condensers with capacities greater than 150,000 Btuh (at the specific efficiency rating conditions) shall meet the minimum specific efficiency requirements shown in Table 10-2.

Table 10-2: Fan-powered Condensers – Minimum Specific Efficiency Requirements

Condenser specific efficiency is defined as:

Condenser Specific Efficiency = Total Heat Rejection (THR) Capacity / Input Power

The total heat rejection capacity is defined at the rating conditions of 100°F Saturated Condensing Temperature (SCT) and 70°F outdoor wetbulb temperature for evaporative condensers, and 105°F SCT and 95°F outdoor drybulb temperature for air-cooled condensers.  Input power is the electric input power draw of the condenser fan motors (at full speed), plus the electric input power of the spray pumps for evaporative condensers. The motor power is the manufacturer’s published applied power for the subject equipment, which is not necessarily equal to the motor nameplate rating. Power input for secondary devices such as sump heaters shall not be included in the specific efficiency calculation.

The data published in the condenser manufacturer’s published rating for capacity and power shall be used to calculate specific efficiency. For evaporative condensers, manufacturers typically provide nominal condenser capacity, and tables of correction factors that are used to convert the nominal condenser capacity to the capacity at various applied condensing temperatures and wetbulb temperatures. Usually the manufacturer publishes two sets of correction factors: one is a set of “heat rejection” capacity factors, while the others are “evaporator ton” capacity factors. Only the “heat rejection” capacity factors shall be used to calculate the condenser capacity at the efficiency rating conditions for the purpose of determining compliance with this section.

For air-cooled condensers, manufacturers typically provide the capacity at a given temperature difference (TD) between SCT and drybulb temperature.  Manufacturers typically assume that air-cooled condenser capacity is linearly proportional to TD; the catalog capacity at 20°F TD is typically twice as much as at 10°F TD.  The condenser capacity for air-cooled condensers at a TD of 10°F shall be used to calculate efficiency. If the capacity at 10°F TD is not provided, the capacity shall be scaled linearly.

Depending on the type of condenser, the actual manufacturer’s rated motor power may vary from motor nameplate in different ways. Air cooled condensers with direct-drive OEM motors may use far greater input power than the nominal motor horsepower would indicate. On the other hand, evaporative condenser fans may have a degree of safety factor to allow for higher motor load in cold weather conditions (vs. the 100°F SCT/70°F WBT specific efficiency rating conditions). Thus, actual motor input power from the manufacturer must be used for direct-drive air-cooled condensers.  For evaporative condensers and fluid coolers, the full load motor power, using the minimum allowable motor efficiencies published in the Nonresidential Appendix NA3: Fan Motor Efficiencies, is generally conservative but manufacturer’s applied power should be used whenever possible to more accurately determine specific efficiency.

There are three exceptions to the condenser specific efficiency requirements.

1.    If the store is located in Climate Zone 1 (the cool coastal region in northern California).

2.    If an existing condenser is reused for an addition of alteration.

3.    If the condenser capacity is less than 150 MBH at the specific efficiency rating conditions.

Air-cooled condensers shall have a fin density no greater than 10 fins per inch. Condensers with higher fin densities have a higher risk of fouling with airborne debris. This requirement does not apply for air-cooled condensers that utilize a micro-channel heat exchange surface, since this type of surface is not as susceptible to permanent fouling in the same manner as traditional tube-and-fin condensers with tight fin spacing.

The fin spacing requirement does not apply to condensers that are reused for an addition or alteration.

10.5.3  Compressor System Mandatory Requirements

This section addresses mandatory requirements for remote compressor systems and condensing units used for refrigeration. In addition to the requirements described below, all the compressors and all associated components must be designed to operate at a minimum condensing temperature of 70°F (21°C) or less.

10.5.3.1   Floating Suction Pressure Controls

Compressors and multiple-compressor suction groups must have floating suction pressure control to reset the saturated suction pressure control setpoint based on the temperature requirements of the attached refrigeration display cases or walk-ins.

Exceptions to the floating suction pressure requirements are:

1.    Single compressor systems that do not have continuously variable capacity capability

2.    Suction groups that have a design saturated suction temperature of 30°F or higher

3.    Suction groups that comprise the high side of a two-stage or cascade system

4.    Suction groups that primarily serve chillers for secondary cooling fluids

5.    Existing compressor systems that are reused for an addition or alteration.

The examples of a two-stage system and a cascade system are shown in Figure 10-7 and Figure 10-8, respectively. Figure 10-9 shows a secondary fluid system.

Figure 10-7: Two-stage System using a Two-Stage Compressor

Figure 10-8: Cascade System

Figure 10-9: Secondary Fluid System

Evaporator coils are sized to maintain a design fixture temperature under design load conditions.  Design loads are high enough to cover the highest expected load throughout the year, and inherently include safety factors. The actual load on evaporator coils varies throughout the day, month and year, and an evaporator coil operating at the design saturated evaporating temperature (SET) has excess capacity at most times. The SET can be safely raised during these times, reducing evaporator capacity and reducing the required “lift” of the suction group, saving energy at the compressor while maintaining proper fixture (and product) temperature.

In a floating suction pressure control strategy, the suction group target saturated suction pressure (SST) setpoint is allowed to vary depending on the actual requirements of the attached loads, rather than fixing the SST setpoint low enough to satisfy the highest expected yearly load. The target setpoint is adjusted so that it is just low enough to satisfy lowest current SET requirement of any attached refrigeration load while still maintaining target fixture temperatures, but not any higher.  The controls are typically bound by low and high setpoints limits. The maximum float value should be established by the system designer, but a minimum value equal to the design SST (that is no negative float) and a positive float range of 4-6°F of saturation pressure equivalent have been used successfully.

Figure 10-10 shows hourly values for floating suction pressure control over a one week period, expressed in equivalent saturation temperature. The suction pressure control setpoint is adjusted to meet the temperature setpoint at the most demanding fixture or walk-in. The difference in SST between the floating suction pressure control and fixed suction pressure control translates into reduced compressor work and thus energy savings for the floating suction control.

Figure 10-10: Example of Floating Suction Pressure Control

A.   Floating Suction Pressure Control with Mechanical Evaporator Pressure Regulators

Mechanical evaporator pressure regulators (EPR valves) are often used on multiplex systems to maintain temperature by regulating the SET at each multiple evaporator connected to the common suction group, and often to also function as a suction-stop valve during defrost. EPR valves throttle to maintain the pressure at the valve inlet and thus indirectly control the temperature at the case or walk-in. The valves are manually adjusted to the pressure necessary to provide the desired fixture or walk-in air temperature. The load (circuit) with the lowest EPR pressure governs the required compressor suction pressure setpoint.

Floating suction pressure on a system with EPR valves requires special attention to valve settings on the circuit(s) used for floating suction pressure control.  EPR valves on these circuit(s) must be adjusted “out of range”, meaning the EPR pressure must be set lower than what would otherwise be used to maintain temperature.  This keeps the EPR valve from interfering with the floating suction control logic. In some control systems, two circuits are used to govern floating suction control; commonly designated as primary and secondary float circuits.  EPR valves may also be equipped with electrically controlled wide-open solenoid pilots for more fully automatic control if desired.

Similar logic is applied on systems using on/off liquid line solenoid valves (LLSV) for temperature control, with the control of the solenoid adjusted slightly out of range to avoid interference with floating suction pressure.

These procedures have been employed to float suction on supermarket control systems since the mid-80’s, however careful attention is still required during design, start-up and commissioning to insure control is effectively coordinated.

Figure 10-11: Evaporators with Evaporative Pressure Regulator Valves

B.   Floating Suction Pressure Control with Electronic Suction Regulators

An electronic suction regulator (ESR) valve is an electronically controlled valve used in the place of a mechanical evaporator pressure regulator valve. ESRs are known in industry as electronic suction regulator (ESR) or electronic evaporator pressure regulator (EEPR). It is important to note that ESR valves are not pressure regulators; instead they control the flow through the evaporator based on a setpoint air temperature at the case or walk-in. ESR valves are modulated to maintain precise temperature. This provides more accurate temperature compared to an EPR which controls temperature indirectly through pressure and is subject to pressure drop in piping and heat load (and thus TD) on the evaporator coil.

Floating suction pressure strategies with ESR valves vary depending on the controls manufacturer, but will generally allow for more flexibility than systems with EPR valves.  In general, the control system monitors how much each ESR valve is opened. If an ESR is fully open, indicating that the evaporator connected to the ESR requires more capacity, the control system will respond by decrementing the SST setpoint. If all ESR valves are less than fully open, the control system increments the suction pressure up until an ESR valve fully opens. At this point, the control system starts floating down the suction pressure again. This allows suction pressure to be no lower than necessary for the most demanding fixture.

Figure 10-12 shows multiple evaporators controlled by ESR valves connected to a common suction group.

Figure 10-12: DX Evaporators with ESRs on a Multiplex System

10.5.3.2   Liquid Subcooling

Liquid subcooling must be provided for all low temperature compressor systems with a design cooling capacity of 100,000 Btuh or greater and with a design saturated suction temperature of -10°F or lower.  The subcooled liquid temperature of 50°F or less must be maintained continuously at the exit of the subcooler.  Subcooling load may be handled by compressor economizer ports, or by using a suction group operating at a saturated suction temperature of 18°F or higher. Figure 10-13 and Figure 10-14 show example subcooling configurations.

Exceptions to the liquid subcooling requirements are:

1.    Low temperature cascade systems that condense into another refrigeration system rather than condensing to ambient temperature.

2.    Existing compressor systems that are reused for an addition or alteration.

Figure 10-13: Liquid Subcooling Provided by Scroll Compressor Economizer Ports

Figure 10-14: Liquid Subcooling Provided By a Separate Medium-Temperature System

10.5.4  Refrigerated Display Case Lighting Control Requirements

All lighting in refrigerated display cases, and lights installed on glass doors of walk-in coolers and freezers shall be controlled by either automatic time switch controls and/or motion sensor control.

A.   Automatic Time Switch Control

Automatic time switch controls shall turn off the lights during non-business hours.

Timed overrides for a display case line-up or walk-in case may be used to turn on the lights for stocking or non-standard business hours. The override must time-out and automatically turn the lights off again in one hour or less. The override control may be enabled manually (e.g. a push button input to the control system) or may be scheduled by the lighting control or energy management system.

B.   Motion Sensor

Motion sensor control can be used to meet this requirement by either dimming or turning off the display case lights when space near the case is vacated. The lighting must dim so that the lighting power reduces to 50% or less. The maximum time delay for the motion sensor must be 30 minutes or less.

10.5.5  Refrigeration Heat Recovery

This section addresses mandatory requirements for the use of heat recovery from refrigeration system(s) to HVAC system(s) for space heating and the charge limitations when implementing heat recovery, including an overview of configurations and design considerations for heat recovery systems. Heat rejected from a refrigeration system is the total of the cooling load taken from display cases and walk-ins in the store plus the electric energy used by the refrigeration compressors. Consequently, there is a natural relationship between the heat available and the heating needed; a store with greater refrigeration loads needs more heat to make up for the cases and walk-ins and also has more heat available.

The heat recovery requirements apply only to space heating.

There are many possible heat recovery design configurations due to the variety of refrigeration systems, HVAC systems and potential arrangement and locations of these systems.  A number of examples are presented here but the Energy Standards do not require these configurations to be used. The heat recovery design must be consistent with the other requirements in the Energy Standards such as condenser floating head pressure.

At least 25 percent of the sum of the design Total Heat of Rejection (THR) of all refrigeration systems with individual design Total Heat of Rejection of 150,000 Btu/h or greater must be utilized for space heat recovery.

Exceptions to the above requirements for heat recovery are:

1.    Stores located in Climate Zone 15, which is the area around Palm Springs, California.  Weather and climate data are available in Joint Appendix JA2 – Reference Weather/Climate Data

2.    The above requirements for heat recovery do not apply to the HVAC and refrigeration systems that are reused for an addition or alteration

The Energy Standards also limit the increase in hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant charge associated with refrigeration heat recovery.  The increase in HFC refrigerant charge associated with refrigeration heat recovery equipment and piping must not be greater than 0.35 lbs. per 1,000 Btuh of heat recovery heating capacity.

10.5.5.1   Refrigeration Heat Recovery Design Configurations

The designer of heat recovery systems must consider the arrangement of piping, valves, coils, and heat exchangers as applicable to comply with the Energy Standards. Numerous refrigeration heat recovery systems configurations are possible depending upon the refrigeration system type, HVAC system type and the store size. Some possible configurations are:

1.    Direct heat recovery

2.    Indirect heat recovery

3.    Water loop heat pump system

These configurations are described in more detail with the following sections.

A.   Direct Heat Recovery

Figure 10-15 shows a series-connected direct condensing heat recovery configuration.  In this configuration, the heat recovery coil is placed directly within the HVAC unit airstream (generally the unit serving the main sales area), and the discharge refrigerant vapor from the compressors is routed through the recovery coil and then to the outdoor refrigerant condenser when in heating mode. If two or more refrigeration systems are used for heat recovery, a multi-circuit heat recovery coil could be used.

This configuration is very suitable when the compressor racks are close to the air handling units used for heat recovery.  If the distance is too far, an alternative design should be considered; the long piping runs may result in a refrigerant charge increase that exceeds the maximum defined in the Energy Standards, or there may be excessive pressure losses in the piping that could negatively affect compressor energy.

Figure 10-15: Series Direct Heat Recovery Configuration

Figure 10-16 shows a parallel-connected direct-condensing configuration. In this configuration, the heat recovery coil handles the entire condensing load for the connected refrigeration system(s) when the air handling unit is in heating mode.  Reduced refrigerant charge is the primary advantage of this configuration. Since the unused condenser (either the heat recovery condenser or the outdoor condenser) can be pumped out, there is no increase in refrigerant charge. A high degree of design expertise is required with this configuration in that the heat recovery condenser and associated HVAC system must take the entire heating load while operating at reasonable condensing temperatures—in any event, no higher than the system design SCT and in most instances with reasonable design no higher than 95°F-100°F condensing temperature in the heat recovery condenser. Ducting with under case or low return air design is essential in this type of system, in order to obtain cooler entering air and maintain reasonable condensing temperatures. Provision is required for practical factors such as dirty air filters.

Since the main condenser is not in use during heat recovery, the condenser floating head pressure requirements do not apply.

Figure 10-16: Parallel Direct Condensing Heat Recovery Configuration

B.   Indirect Heat Recovery

Figure 10-17 shows an indirect heat recovery configuration with a fluid loop. In this configuration, the recovered heat is transferred from the refrigerant to an intermediate fluid, normally water or water-glycol, which is circulated through a fluid-to-air heat exchanger located in the air handling unit airstream. Like the direct condensing configuration, discharge refrigerant gas from the compressors is routed through the refrigerant-to-fluid heat exchanger and then to the outdoor refrigerant condenser when in heating mode.

The refrigerant-to-fluid heat exchanger can be located close to the refrigeration system compressors, maximizing the available heat for recover while keeping the overall refrigerant charge increase low. This configuration is also suitable when multiple HVAC units are employed for the refrigeration heat recovery. Indirect systems must utilize a circulation pump to circulate the fluid between the HVAC unit and the recovery heat exchanger.

Figure 10-17: Indirect Heat Recovery with an Indirect Loop

Multiple refrigeration systems can also be connected in parallel or in series, using a common indirect fluid loop. Figure 10-18 shows three refrigeration systems connected in series by a common fluid loop. The temperatures shown are only examples.

Figure 10-18: Series-Piped Indirect Water Recovery

This configuration allows the refrigerant-to-water condenser temperature difference (TD) to be kept low at each refrigeration system (e.g. 8°-10°F is possible) while maintaining a sufficiently high water-side TD at the air handling unit (e.g. 20°-25°F depending on specifics) to allow an effective selection of the water-to-air heating coil vs. the available airflow. This method also minimizes both the required fluid flow and pump power.

C.        Water Loop Heat Pump Heat Recovery

Water-source heat pumps (WLHP) can be used for in conjunction with water cooled refrigeration systems, connected to a common water loop as shown in Figure 10-19. Refrigeration systems heat pumps serving various zones of the store reject heat into a water loop, which in turn is rejected to ambient by an evaporative fluid cooler. When the heat pumps are in heating mode, they extract the heat rejected by the refrigeration systems from the water loop. Additional heat, if required, is provided by a boiler connected to the water loop. A significant advantage of this design is low refrigerant charge, since the refrigeration systems use a compact water-cooled condenser, typically with less charge than an air-cooled condenser and no heat recovery condenser is required. Compared with other methods, however, the electric penalty is somewhat higher to utilize the available heat.

The floating pressure requirements in the standard would apply to the fluid coolers, i.e. controls to allow refrigeration systems to float to 70°F SCT and use of wetbulb following control logic.

Figure 10-19: Water Loop Heat Pump Example

10.5.5.2   Control Considerations

A.   Holdback Considerations

For direct and indirect systems, a holdback valve is required to control the refrigerant condensing temperature in the heat recovery coil (for direct systems) or the refrigerant-to-water condenser (for indirect systems) during heat recovery operation. Regulating the refrigerant pressure to achieve condensing recovers the latent heat from the refrigerant. Without condensing, only the sensible heat (i.e. superheat) is obtained, which is only a small fraction of the available heat. Figure 10-20 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram showing the difference in available recovery heat from a refrigeration system with and without a holdback valve.

Figure 10-20: Pressure-Enthalpy Diagram with and without a Holdback Valve

The holdback valve regulates pressure at its inlet, and is located at the exit of the recovery heat exchanger. Figure 10-21 shows a direct-condensing configuration with the proper location of the holdback valve.

Figure 10-21: Direct-condensing configuration showing location of holdback valve

A more advanced design uses an electronic holdback valve controlled based on the temperature of the air entering the heat recovery coil. The electronic heat recovery holdback valve controls the valve inlet pressure and thus the heat recovery coil condensing temperature to maintain only the pressure necessary to achieve the required condensing TD (heat recovery SCT less entering air temperature) thereby minimizing compressor efficiency penalty.  This is particularly useful when the volume outside air can significantly change the mixed air temperature entering the heat recovery coil. In colder climates, reducing the heat recovery holdback pressure can be important as a means to avoid over-condensing (i.e. subcooling). As shown in the pressure-enthalpy diagram above, there is additional flash gas handled by the condenser (even if the refrigerant fully condenses in the heat recovery coil) which is necessary to maintain piping and condenser velocity and thus minimize the charge in the outdoor condenser.

Other designs can replace the three-way valve with a differential pressure regulator and solenoid valve. Figure 10-21 shows a direct-condensing configuration with an electronic heat recovery holdback valve, solenoid valve, and differential pressure regulator.

Figure 10-22: Direct-condensing configuration showing differential
regulator, solenoid valve, electronic holdback valve

B.   Heat Recovery and Floating Head Pressure

There is typically a tradeoff between heat recovery and refrigeration system efficiency, in that compressor discharge pressure must be increased to provide condensing for heat recovery.  If implemented properly, the electric penalty at the refrigeration system compressors is small compared to the heating energy savings.

The Standards require that the minimum condensing temperature at the refrigeration condenser shall be 70°F or less.  That means that (in the typical case of series-connected heat recovery) the refrigeration “cycle” still benefits from lower refrigerant liquid temperature, even if the compressor power is somewhat increased during heat recovery. The pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in Figure 10-22 shows the incremental energy penalty at the refrigeration compressors due to the higher discharge pressure required for heat recovery, as well as the lower liquid temperature (and thus improved refrigerant cooling capacity) by floating head pressure at the outdoor condenser.

Figure 10-23: Pressure-enthalpy diagram for heat recovery

10.5.5.3   Recovery Coil Design Considerations

A.   Recovery Coil Sizing Example

Selecting an appropriately-sized heat recovery coil is essential to proper heat recovery system operation. The following example details the process of selecting a right-sized heat recovery coil.

B.   Air-side Integration Considerations

1.    Return Air Location

In supermarkets, ducting return air from behind display cases or near the floor is beneficial in improving comfort by removing the stagnant cool air that naturally occurs due to product refrigeration cases. This approach also increases the effectiveness of refrigeration heat recovery by increasing the temperature difference between the return air temperature and the refrigerant condensing temperature in the heat recovery coil. Figure 10-23 shows the location of an HVAC return air duct positioned to scavenge cool air from the floor level near refrigerated display cases.

Figure 10-24: Low Return Air Example

2.    Return Air Duct Configuration

Heat recovery can be incorporated into rooftop HVAC units (RTU) by installing the heat recovery coil inside the RTU cabinet or by installing in the return air duct upstream of the RTU, as shown in Figure 10-25. Location inside the RTU is preferable when outside air is a substantial part of the heating load, but location in the return air duct is reasonable and can provide greater flexibility in selecting the heat recovery coil (e.g. for low face velocity and pressure drop), particularly when coupled with low return air on units located in the refrigerated space, which predominantly provide heating. The fan design must allow for the additional ductwork and coil pressure drop.

Figure 10-25: Heat Recovery Coil in Return Air Duct

3.    Transfer Fan Configuration

A ducted transfer system is sometimes employed to remove cold air from aisles with refrigerated display cases (rather than blowing warm air into the refrigerated areas) and can be an easy and appropriate way to utilize heat recovery, particularly from smaller distributed systems. Figure 10- 25 depicts a ducted transfer system.

Figure 10-26: Ducted Transfer System

4.    Calculating Charge Increase

The Energy Standards require that the increase in HFC refrigerant charge from all equipment related to heat recovery for space heating shall be less than 0.35 lbs. for every 1,000 Btuh of heat recovery capacity at design conditions. Refrigerant charge may increase due to the addition of the recovery coil itself (either the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger for direct configurations, or the refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger for indirect configurations), and the additional piping between the compressor group and the recovery coil. 'In addition, the refrigerant leaving the recovery coil and entering the refrigerant condenser will be mostly condensed, which increases the charge in the outdoor condenser compared with normal operation. Operating the outdoor condenser at lower pressure (i.e. the required floating heat pressure control) vs. the higher setting at the heat recovery coil holdback valve creates pressure drop, flashing of some liquid to vapor and an increase in velocity due to the much larger volume of a pound of vapor vs. a point of liquid refrigerant. Split condenser control, which is very common in cooler climates, can also be used to close-off and pump out half of the outdoor condenser.

It is the responsibility of the system designer to fully understand how the heat recovery system affects overall refrigerant charge.

10.5.6  Additions and Alterations

Requirements related to commercial refrigeration additions and alterations to existing buildings are covered by the Energy Standards in §141.1(b).  The specific requirements for additions and alterations for Commercial Refrigeration are included in §120.6(b).

10.5.7  Compliance Documentation

Compliance documentation includes the forms, reports and other information that are submitted to the enforcement agency with an application for a building permit (Certificate of Compliance). Compliance documentation also includes documentation completed by the installing contractor, engineer/architect of record, or owner’s agent to verify that certain systems and equipment have been correctly installed and commissioned (Installation Certificate).

Form NRCC-PRC-05-E for Commercial Refrigeration - Certificate of Compliance

NRCC-PRC-05-E is the primary form for commercial refrigeration in retail food stores, which provides compliance information for the use of the enforcement agency’s field inspectors. This form must be included on the plans. A copy of this form should also be submitted to the enforcement agency along with the rest of the compliance submittal at the time of building permit application. With enforcement agency approval, the applicant may use alternative formats of these forms (rather than the Energy Commission’s forms), provided the information is the same and in similar format.