A select group of professionals from a variety of different sectors within the cold-chain industry recently gathered in Wiesbaden, Germany, for the EUROVENT KÄLTE KOLLOQUIUM.
Taking place at the start of June, refrigeration managers, planners and manufacturers explored reliable refrigeration systems for the cold chain at the EUROVENT KÄLTE KOLLOQUIUM.
Themed ‘From Farm to Supermarket’, the colloquium was organised by Eurovent Certita Certification and COOLPLAN, along with media partners CCI and KKA.
Speakers from Eurovent Certita Certification, Kratschmayer, ECOOLTEC, REWE, Evapco, LU-VE, Danfoss, Epta and TÜV SÜD presented over two days, offering a comprehensive technical programme that transitioned from theory to practical applications.
“We wanted to engage with the wider refrigeration community and promote certification and its importance in the market, as well as encourage a level playing field,” commented Tim Kroeger, sales manager, Eurovent Certita Certification. “We also wanted to create an industry exchange, where companies like REWE, Danfoss and ECOOLTEC could share ideas and learn from each other.”
The event took place in the stunning setting of Kloster Eberbach, a historic monastery dating back to the twelfth century, near Wiesbaden, Germany.
The Importance Of Certification
The first day of the event featured a variety of presentations – under the themes of certification, farm, transport, supermarkets and components – and covered the entire food cold chain.
Kicking things off, Eurovent Certita Certification’s Tim Kroeger took delegates on a whistle-stop tour of the world of third-party product certification. Reiterating the message that “certification cannot be bought – it has to be earned,” Kroeger shared several case studies, “analysing the performance shortfall of a non-certified manufacturer, as well as calculating the impact on operational costs over a ten-year horizon, and in terms of CO2 footprint,” he explained.
Other presentations on the opening day touched on topics including refrigeration system comparison for fruit storage (hosted by Micha Kluge, Head of the Refrigeration Department at Kratschmayer KÄLTE-Klima-Lüftung GmbH); sustainable transport cooling with natural refrigerants (featuring Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Süß, CTO from ECOOLTEC Grosskopf GmbH); and planning, tendering and operation of R744 green building concepts (hosted by Tobias Frey and Manfred Rössling of REWE Deutscher Supermarkt AG & Co. KGaA).
The event also featured heat dissipation in cold-storage logistics (with Michael Rabenstein, Country and Branch Manager at Evapco Europe GmbH, presenting on behalf of the members of the Eurovent Cooling Tower (CT) Working Group); certification and comparison of finned heat exchangers (hosted by Stefano Filippini, Innovation Director at LU-VE S.p.A., on behalf of the Eurovent Heat Exchanger Working Group).
Additional topics discussed include retail decarbonisation and the development of emission-free supermarkets (featuring Jörg Saar, Global Solutions at Danfoss GmbH); water loop refrigeration systems (with Daniel Vöhringer, Head of Project Engineering at EPTA Deutschland GmbH); and the importance of testing and certifying refrigeration systems and components (hosted by Peter Schnepf, Head of the Refrigeration Laboratory at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH).
In his presentation, Schnepf discussed the role of certification in the food cold chain, highlighting the laboratory tests conducted at TÜV SÜD as part of the Eurovent Certified Performance certification process.
These tests include evaluations of condensers, CO2 gas coolers, dry coolers, refrigerated display cabinets, fan convectors, sample boxes for ventilation units, air-handling units, cooling towers, heat pumps, and air conditioners. Schnepf also addressed certification requirements for transport refrigeration systems.
From Theory To Practice
The second day presented an opportunity to put theory into practice, as delegates explored cold food chain technology in its natural habitat.
This included a visit to REWE’s innovative Green Farming Market in Wiesbaden, to learn about the store’s CO2 refrigeration system, as well as the broader store concept. Blending a supermarket and rooftop farm, the store was developed with sustainability in mind: the supporting structure is made of wood from certified-sustainable forests, and only 100% green energy – including that from photovoltaic sources – is used.
From a refrigeration perspective, CO2 is used for normal and deep-freeze interconnected installations, and propane is used for ready-to-use plug-in chests. Buffer storage is used for heat recovery – glazed wall-mounted refrigerated shelves for meat and dairy products allow less heat to escape.
Steps such as integrated LED lighting, energy-saving fans, and not using window heating for freezer units also increases the energy efficiency of refrigeration appliances.
When it comes to water, rainwater harvesting is used to collect rainwater for cleaning floors, flushing toilets, and outdoor watering. The store also features an innovative part-aquaponic (i.e. a closed aquaculture) cycle for fish farming and a part-hydroponic cycle for basil cultivation, the products from which supply the majority of stores in the region.
Following on from this, delegates visited REWE’s NH3/CO2 logistics warehouse in Raunheim, near Frankfurt – a 47,000-square-metre site that features cold rooms ranging from 12 °C to 5 °C to -22 °C.
The site utilises a range of refrigeration systems, as well as Eurovent Certified Evapco cooling towers, which are mounted on the rooftop, alongside an extensive photovoltaic network.
Overall, the EUROVENT KÄLTE KOLLOQUIUM stood out for its detailed technical presentations and tours, as well as the evening programme, with delegates returning to Frankfurt Airport with positive memories of what was a unique, insightful gathering.
“Hopefully, this event will become an industry staple – the quality and content of the presentations was on a par with other events hosted by international heavyweights,” says Tim Kroeger. “It’s a fantastic networking platform for planners, contractors, end users, and manufacturers to meet and emphasise the importance of certified products in the market.”
To express your interest in next year’s event, please email [email protected].
