Saving Energy with Turbo Air Refrigeration

As a leading manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment, Turbo Air sets the standard for producing high quality, energy efficient units like commercial freezers, commercial fridges, bar refrigeration, and merchandisers.  Turbo Air is an Energy Star Partner, meaning it has committed to tracking its energy performance and then developing ways to improve when designing new product.

But what does it take for an energy-sucking machine, like a commercial refrigerator, to be deemed “earth friendly?”  Today I’ll go through the elements of the refrigerator that use the most energy, and how Turbo Air has found ways of reducing energy consumption in these areas.

First, A Quick Lesson About Refrigeration

The whole point of a refrigerator is to get any hot air from the inside to the outside of the unit so that food being stored inside can stay fresh and safe to eat.  The idea behind keeping the air cool inside a fridge is based on the knowledge that gases are hotter when condensed, and cooler when expanded.  That buzzing and humming you hear is a process that starts when the coolant (a liquid at first), travels through an expansion valve.  The expansion valve cools and expands the coolant, causing it to turn into a gas.  It then travels to the inside cabinet of the refrigerator, where it absorbs any heat coming from the food inside.  Next, it travels through the condenser, which squeezes the coolant, meaning now you have a hot, high pressure gas that needs to escape.  Lastly, the coolant travels through radiator pipes in the very back of the unit, which release the hot air out.  As the coolant cools back into a liquid, it travels back through the expansion valve and starts the whole process again!  I should mention that these units also use a fan that runs non-stop to help with the circulation of cold air throughout the cabinet.

The Turbo Air Difference

Now that you know exactly how a refrigerator works, let’s talk about how a Turbo Air refrigerator wastes less energy than others.

Fan Controller

Let’s start by talking about that fan I mentioned above.  Every cooling unit needs one (or more) to help circulate cold air throughout the cabinet.  The funny thing about these fans is that their purpose is to circulate cold air, but they run so long that they actually create a lot of heat in the process.  When the compressor isn’t running, the heat from the fan(s) can increase the internal temperature of the unit.  This is why Turbo Air a controller inside the motor, which tells the fan to stop running as soon as there is a rise in internal temperature.  This can equal up to 25% in overall energy savings.  Win #1.

Self-Cleaning Condenser

No matter how clean you keep your walk-in, dust is unavoidable – especially in a high-traffic situation.  This dust gets drawn into the fan and actually accumulates on the condenser, making it harder to release heat.  Since everything is connected, this also can cause the condenser to increase pressure, leading to mechanic failure.  Turbo Air’s solution to this is called a self-cleaning condenser system.  Simply put, this system uses a rotating brush to clean the condenser and prevent dust build up.

Foam Insulation

Another factor that helps keep all that cold air in is the insulation inside the walls and door(s) of the unit.  Turbo Air uses Cyclopentane which doesn’t contain HFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons).  HFCs (as well as CFCs) are used in refrigerants and polyurethane foam insulants.  Unfortunately, they are well known for having high ozone depletion potential (ODP).  By eliminating these harmful elements, Turbo Air can promise that the foam in its machines has zero ODP.

Turbo Air has such a dedication to reducing energy consumption that I can’t touch on every way in which their machines are earth friendly.  I talked about some major points, but you can read more about how this company has become an Energy Star Partner right here.

With energy waste becoming more and more of a threat to our environment, it helps to know that some manufacturers really care and are extremely dedicated to reducing their effect on the planet.  We have a lot of admiration for the research and attention Turbo Air puts into this, and can’t wait to see what energy saving technology they come out with next.

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