Article
Diagnosis and baseline refrigerant use in the Colombian meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable industries
International Journal of Refrigeration
(2021)
Abstract
This paper presents the characteristics and baseline use of refrigerant gas in the meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable sectors. The data are based on different sources of primary information starting from a survey of the companies that constitute the three chains in different departments of Colombia. The results show that the management, use and handling of refrigerants is similar among the three productive sectors and that the most commonly used refrigerant gases are R22, R404, R507, and R134A. Moreover, 80% of refrigerants are traditional and 20% are natural refrigerants, especially in large companies that have managed to migrate to cleaner technologies that have less of an impact on the environment. The food sector with the highest use of refrigerant gas is the meat industry, followed by the dairy and fruit and vegetable industries. Except in the fruit and vegetable chain, the refrigerant charge for these sectors is less than 100 kilograms and refrigerant changes are performed in a period of six to twelve months. A consensus was reached that preventive maintenance and timely detection of leaks is essential for the efficient and rational use of refrigerant, and its reuse is not a practice that is evident in these sectors. The findings of this study are important for analysing how companies in the food sector, have implemented environmentally friendly practices related to vital refrigeration processes for the processing and conservation of products and for identifying controls and maintenance processes that generate refrigerant changes and reduce environmental impacts.
Keywords
- Refrigerants,
- dairy,
- meet,
- fruit and vegetables industries,
- quantitative analysis,
- Colombia
Disciplines
Publication Date
September 29, 2021
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.08.017
Citation Information
Alexander Cotte Poveda and Clara Inés Pardo Martinez. "Diagnosis and baseline refrigerant use in the Colombian meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable industries" International Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 131 Iss. 2 (2021) p. 1 - 20 ISSN: 0140-7007 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/alexandercottepoveda/52/