Moving to an Eco Friendly Future Underpinning the Celli business ethos is Life Cycle Thinking – a common sense environmental program that focuses on a “philosophy of the 6 Rs”. These ‘Rs’ stand for Rethinking the product and its functions; Reducing energy and materials consumption; Replacing harmful substances with more eco-compatible alternatives; Recycling materials; Re-using parts where possible; and Repairing product rather than replacing. Over recent years, the company has identified new solutions to replace R134a – including CO2 and Solstice ze – in response to global warming becoming its top environmental priority. As part of the Life Cycle Thinking programme, Celli set up a field test to assess the performance of Solstice ze against R134a in beverage dispensers with motors from ½–1hp power output. The Honeywell technology was selected for its low GWP and its ability to charge systems with more of 150g of refrigerant, so avoiding the use of potentially hazardous hydrocarbons.

Dispensing Low GWP For the field test, Celli selected its Brave 30ES dispenser unit, which holds UN EN ISO 14021:2002 certification covering energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions. This model can be used as a water dispenser, pre-mix or post-mix unit when a CO2 source to carbonate water is included. Tests were conducted as post-mix unit. Using Solstice ze, this non-modified three tap system recorded a 20 % reduction in power consumption, even while showing a close to 20 % lower refrigeration capacity, thereby offering an equivalent CoP to R134a. The only adjustment made was to the refrigerant charge (5% more for Solstice ze versus R134a) – the evaporator, condenser, compressor and capillary tubes all remained as per the original equipment specification. Critically, from Celli’s perspective, the trial proved the environmental benefits of Solstice ze, with >99.5% emissions reduction, along with lower discharge pressures across all measured ambient temperatures (a key contributor to extended product life). Consequently, Solstice ze demonstrated its credentials as an effective refrigerant across all climatic conditions, ideally suited to global distribution.

Meeting Common Global Warming Obligations

“The company leaves no stone unturned and every year invests significant resources in the testing and industrialisation of new, increasingly environmentally-friendly machines. Where we see opportunities to mitigate our environmental impact – for example in the use of new refrigerants – these will be carefully considered and analyzed for the contributions they can make to a sustainable future.” Luca Faedi, Responsible for Production and Technical Department

Creating a Cleaner Future

The Celli water dispenser using Honeywell’s Solstice ze was first exhibited at the Mostra Convegno in Milan (Italy) in March 2012 – plans are now well advanced to demonstrate the refrigerant’s effectiveness in soda and beer coolers at a number of upcoming shows. Celli’s adoption of this technology reflects growing demand in the Food & Beverage market for the application of refrigerants with low GWP, energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions in a global (all regions, all climates) and sustainable way. The table below illustrates the relative merits of refrigerants current in use in the F&B industry.

Reducing Emissions through Life Cycle Thinking

In just a few decades, Celli SpA has become the leading designer and manufacturer in Italy of refrigeration and dispensing systems for beer, soft drinks, wine and water. The company is an acknowledged leader in Europe and around the world both for its products – which it exports to 86 countries – and for its commitment to minimizing environmental impact, which is enshrined in a green program called Life Cycle Thinking. The company’s products and systems are produced in San Giovanni in Marignano, where it operates a policy of continuous innovation and originality. The success of this industrial-oriented philosophy is expressed through the relentless pursuit of quality, made possible through investment in advanced technologies and in its people. In keeping with its environmental commitments, Celli recently worked with Rivoira (Praxair Euroholding) to introduce Honeywell’s Solstice ze refrigerant (HFO1234ze) as a globally compliant replacement for R134a in beverage dispensers. A field test involving the Celli Brave 30ES – with a Secop (formerly Danfoss Compressors) NL10MF compressor – compared the performance of Solstice ze against R134a, which had previously been specified by the company. Solstice ze is a refrigerant based on hydro-fluoro-olefins (HFO) with a Global Warming Potential of just 6 and an atmospheric lifetime of 18 days – compared to measures of 1430 and 13 years respectively for R134a.

Summary of Field Test Results:

• Solstice ze delivered a 99.5% direct comparative emissions reduction over R134a
• Solstice ze exhibited lower discharge pressure (around 40% versus 134a), thereby reducing compressor mechanical stresses
• Solstice ze proved to be a near drop-in replacement for R134a, ensuring full optimization of current equipment