Emerson Climate Technologies has built a model supermarket, complete with refrigerated cases, dry goods shelves and point-ofsale terminals, in its Helix Innovation Center on the campus of the University of Dayton, Ohio (USA). The 2,500 ft2 (230 m2) supermarket module will support research on supermarket and convenience store refrigeration, including system controls and alternative refrigerants, lighting and HVAC. The module is being constructed by Emerson as one of five research areas within the innovation center. The facility will include a transcritical CO2 booster refrigeration
system, which will chill the model supermarket’s refrigeration cases, walk-in cooler and support the HVAC system. The CO2 system will also be used to provide building heat and hot water and even heat the sidewalk to melt snow. Testing and research in the supermarket module will include temperature and humidity variations using an environmental chamber that can simulate temperatures from –20°F to 120°F (–29°C to 49°C).
(Source: The HVAC&R Industry, September 10, 2015)