Process of drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature

With the lowering of temperature microbial growth rate can also be lowered.
It helps to protect food items longer period than when they are at high ambient.
But even at low temperatures, there will be slow growth rate.
Therefore, best thing is to consume fresh food without leaving so long after harvesting.
Best practice is the consumption of fresh food without refrigeration.
It can cut down the cost of refrigeration and maintain the food values.
The food items need be refrigerated, when there is an excessive food that cannot be consumed soon.
Storage temperature depend on the type of food and the period of storage.
When large quantities are available, cold rooms can be used to store food items.
For short term storage +(above 0c) range cold rooms can be used.
For long term storage it is necessary to have freezer rooms (below 0c)
To cut down the food prices, it is necessary to maintain the cost of refrigeration at lowest levels.
Therefore, proper designing is required to minimize the cost of refrigeration.
Factors to be considered to minimize the cost of refrigeration

1 Finding of suitable location with minimal external heat gains.
2 Selection of a room with proper thermal insulation.
3 Proper load calculation to select the correct capacity refrigeration equipment.
4 Selection of efficient refrigeration equipment.
5 Proper installation under a competent person.
6 Providing of protection for the equipment.
7 Servicing of equipment periodically.
8 Performing of preventive maintenance work.
9 Use of quality components
10 Use of quality refrigerant and lubricant.
11 Obtain the services of experienced knowledgeable expert.

Properly designed and well maintained cold room will cut down the cost of refrigeration
Need to consider about the low energy consumption (Electricity).
Such a cold room will have less breakdowns which will protect the food properly.
It is better to consider about the life cycle cost than initial cost.

Environment friendliness

The refrigerant used in the system should not adversely affect on the environment
Refrigerant that causes the increase of ODP and GWP should not use.
Some refrigerants are already in the process of phase out.
Those refrigerants should not be selected to use in the refrigeration system.
R-12, R-502 have already been phased out.
R-22 is due to phase out in the near future.
Instead of R-12, R-134a, R600a and R 290 have introduced.
Instead of R-502, R 404A and R-507 has introduced
R404A is a mixture of refrigerant(zeotropic mixture)
Once leaked R 404A cannot be replenished.
Difficult to recover recycle and reuse.
Need to take out all the refrigerant evacuate and charge again.
This could be very expensive and will increase the cost of refrigeration.
Solution for this is to use R-507
R-507 is an azeotropic mixture.
It can be replenished, recover recycle and re use.
Electrical power consumption of R-507 is less than R 404A.

CFC refrigerants were introduced in 1928
Ozone depletion due to the release of CFC’S were identified in 1974
It took 46 years to identify the harmfulness of CFC’s.

In the same way even the newly introduced refrigerant could be harmful to the atmosphere.

Therefore, any foreign chemical which is not present in our natural environment should not release to the atmosphere.

It is the duty of the users and the maintenance people of refrigeration industry to protect the environment without releasing such chemicals.

There will be less break downs, if the refrigeration system is well maintained, serviced and carryout the preventive maintenance work .
Therefore, releasing of such chemicals also will be less.
Such systems can cut down the cost of production in an industry.

Refrigerant must recover recycle and reuse.
All the precautionary measures must be taken to minimize the releasing of refrigerant and such other chemicals.
Most effective way of controlling the releasing of refrigerant is to minimize the breakdowns.

HOW TO PURCHASE QUALITY REFRIGERANT

Look for the Manufacturers web address and postal address on the can.
Go through the manufacturer’s website.
Confirm with the manufacturer.
Look for the production registration certificates.
Look for quality certificates and test certificates
Confirm the method followed is AHRI-700- 2017.

Do not purchase refilled refrigerant.
Always look for manufacturer’s factory filled refrigerants.

HOW TO MINIMISE THE BREAK DOWNS

Periodical services
Preventive maintenance work
Use of quality spare parts
Use of quality lubricant
This is the most important aspect to consider.
Lubrication is very important
Equipment manufacturer has recommended the correct type oil and the required quantity
Old CFC and HCFC refrigerants used with Mineral oil.
New refrigerants(HFC) are not miscible with Mineral oil.
Therefore, synthetic oil must be used with these HFC refrigerants.

As synthetic oil is expensive some unscrupulous people use mineral oil for new systems.
It is very harmful to the equipment as well as the environment.
Life time of the equipment will be drastically reduced.
Repair and maintenance cost will be very high.
Cost of production in an industry will go up.
Finally, due to the use of wrong oil, equipment may need to discard and spend for a new system.

Therefore, it is necessary to emphasis that the use of wrong oil is the main reason for the failures in refrigeration system.

Majority of the oil in Sri Lankan market are fake oils.
In some containers, chemical composition and the manufacturers contact details and websites are not printed.
They are definitely fake oils. That is why the fake oil manufacturer do not print that information.
But some fake oil cans are printed with false websites. They can be identifying easily.

The genuine oil manufacturer always prints all such information on the container.
Before purchasing of such oil, it is necessary to ascertain about these facts.
Always purchase oil packed by the oil manufacturer.
As synthetic oils are hygroscopic cannot repack in other place except in well-organized factories.
When handling, if moisture and air enter in to the system oil will be become unusable.
Therefore, oil exposed to the atmosphere for more than 15 minutes must not be used.
Oil gun must be used to charge oil.
If not moisture and air can enter in to the system and destroy the system.

Some fake oil manufacturers copy the famous brand names to hoodwink the customers.

Most famous copying has done with the Emkarate brand
Because it is the number one oil in the world.
But they can be easily identified.
The original Emkarate oil can is blue in colour.
Other fake one has a metalic colour.
Fake can is filled with mineral oil and the genuine one is filled with POE(Polyalkylene glycol)
The manufacturers of emekarate brand changed in 2007.
Then the new manufacturer Lubrizol change the can.
The address of the genuine can is –
Lubrizol Corporation
2300, James Savage Road
Midland, MI48642, U.S.A
TEL- 1-989-496-3780
Email: sales@cpifluideng.com

But the address on the fake can differs.
Various fake manufacturers use different ones.
But web address on both the cans are same.
It is emkaraterl.com
But when search in the website only the genuine can is appeared.
Another way of identification is the capacity.
Fake can has only 01L and 4L capacities.
But Genuine one has following capacities. 01L, 5L, 20L
Mostly fake cans are printed with RL 32 and RL 68.
But genuine one has following viscosity grades.
RL-22, RL-32, RL 46, RL-68, RL-100, RL 170, RL 220, RL 220 Plus

Best way to obtain the genuine oil is to purchase from the Authorized suppler.