Huurre Finland supplied Varuboden's S-Market Söderkulla in Sipoo with a CO2-operated refrigeration system. The technical design of the facility is unique in Finland, and it is expected to be extremely energy-efficient and ecological.According to Arto Hiltunen, CEO of the S Group retail chain, S-Market Söderkulla is an important pilot project for improved energy efficiency and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Sipoo facility applies new technology

The refrigeration facility in the Söderkulla supermarket was launched in October 2009. It is the first refrigeration system in Finland, where both low and high temperature duties are generated by means of carbon dioxide. Cooling is achieved by a CO2 cascade system with direct evaporation. For high temperatures, pressurised liquid carbon dioxide is circulated in evaporators by pumps. The condensing system is indirect with coolant condensed into liquid in plate heat exchangers.

The project is part of a refrigeration system research project that aims to establish the usage and suitability of carbon diodixe in retail refrigeration systems. In the project, SOK and Huurre are collaborating with TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), the Ministry for Employment and the Economy as well as with Tampere University of Technology.