Annual Meeting of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe

& Central Asia, Yerevan, Armenia, 26-28 May 2015

 MACEDONIAN CHALLENGE
MACEDONIAN CHALLENGE

USE OF NATURAL REFRIGERANTS AND

HYDROCARBONS IN THE REBUPLIC OF
MACEDONIA AS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
Case Study

Ammonia / carbon dioxide system in

meat factory Pekabesko in Skopje
Vasil Eftimov
 History - use of ammonia in Macedonia
The use of ammonia is not unknown in
Macedonia. In the 1970s ammonia systems
were built in the dairy, brewery and soft
drink production factories. Ammonia was
used as a refrigerant for cooling in the
process of production.

Ammonia was also used for cold storages.

An example is a huge cold storage for apples
in the city of Resen using ammonia as a
refrigerant for cooling.
 Near the city of Skopje there is a
The capacity of the cold factory for soft drinks, which is
rooms in this storage is part of ‘Fructal’ company from
2,000 tons of apples, Slovenia. New equipment was
and it also has a system installed during the renovation
for controlled process in 2004 and it lead to
atmosphere. the restart of the old ammonia
system.
During the following years ammonia was
forgotten as a refrigerant and new
generation of installations were designed
or build.
Existing systems are very old and with
some exceptions not regularly
maintained. However, most of them are
still functioning.
A positive thing to notice is that there are
examples of reconstruction and
renovation of this system in some dairies
and breweries in the last decade.
 Steps forward in the
use of natural refrigerants
In 2010 the company Pekabesko decided to
build a new factory for meat processing and
preparation near Skopje.
For the cooling system they made a brave
decision:
Building an ammonia system for a
certain part of the technology and
ammonia / CO2 cascade system for
freezing.

The production and storage technologies

required several different temperature
regimes to be achieved.
The capacities required according to the
main mechanical project are the following:
 Cold rooms with temperature regime 0/+40C -
total 26 rooms = 380 KW

 Cold rooms with temperature regime -20/-220C

- total 8 rooms = 300 KW

 Fast freezing tunnel with temperature regime

-35/-450C = 100 KW

 For air conditioning of the production space

with temperature regime +7+120C = 300 KW
 Temperature circuit -6 /-
20C is provided with NH3 as
refrigerant and glycol as a
brine.
 Temperatures in the circuit for
cold rooms for freezing and tunnel
for fast freezing are provided with
a cascade system NH3/CO2
The equipment installed in this system is from
famous world manufacturers:
- Four ammonia screw compressors are installed
with cooling capacity of 390 KW each, produced
by Bitzer (Te/Tc = -10 / +35 0C)

- Two CO2 piston compressors are installed with

cooling capacity of 53 KW each, produced by
Mycon (Te/Tc = -43 / -5 0C)

- Two CO2 piston compressors are installed with

cooling capacity of 102,5 KW each, produced by
Mycon (Te/Tc = -30 / -5 0C)
- Guntner evaporative condenser for ammonia
and evaporators for CO2
- Witt pumps, Danfoss automation and control,
Herl armature, Alfa Laval heat exchangers and
etc.
The factory started working in 2012 and this
system has been working successfully for the last
three years.
 Ideas for steps forward
As a country we certainly do not want this
example to be the only one in the following years.
However, in order to encourage the companies in our
country to invest in cooling and air conditioning systems
that use natural refrigerants, and also overcome some
barriers in the use of these refrigerants, certain
conditions should be provided.
One of the conditions is to provide qualified personnel
for installation and maintenance of systems with natural
refrigerants.

So we defined the first step as follows:

Train the trainees to train technicians in use
of natural refrigerants
The trainees during this training will have an opportunity
to not only get informed about the new systems and
equipment in RAC, but will also have an opportunity to
exchange experience with their colleagues from other
countries around the world.
 The second step toward wider
use of natural refrigerants and HC
is providing appropriate
conditioning for training.
By means of appropriate conditions we
think in line of creating a training center with
laboratories, necessary equipment and tools
for practical training.
 The Ozone Unit in Macedonia is in its initial
phase of ‘brainstorming’ some ideas and
concepts about the initiation of a possible project
for the creation of a training center similar to
the one presented.

Following steps that we plan to undertake is

to upgrade the existing handbooks for good
service practices. The new handbook will
include natural refrigerants and HC.
 In addition, guidelines for safe use of HC
refrigerants and information about safety issues
should be prepared and distributed to relevant
stakeholders.
 As a National Ozone Unit we will continue
to follow the steps described above and we
certainly expect that in the following years we
will have an opportunity to speak about a
wider usage of natural refrigerants.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!