Economic comparison of pumped carbon dioxide as a volatile secondary fluid against traditional glycol systems.

Secondary refrigerant glycol systems are commonly installed on large industrial refrigeration plant. Ethylene glycol is typically used for ice rinks and other processes whilst propylene glycol is used for food applications where toxicity is a concern. An alternative of pumped carbon dioxide as a volatile secondary refrigerant shall be considered with a recently installed food factory forming the basis of the study. Economic comparisons will be made on the relative difference of install and yearly operating cost to provide practical guidance to system designers. The computer model will evaluate plant size, temperature of operation, load type, weather data and part load operation.