Compressors, with a future for 2010

By: Héctor Gómez Pérez

We want to start the year on the right foot, as is everyone's wish when 12 o'clock arrives on the night of December 31. That is why we took on the task of talking with four experts from different companies specialized in the subject of compressors to talk about the current needs of buyers, the main launches of the previous year, the fairs in which these equipment were announced, the type of applications for which they have been designed and the markets in which these elements, indispensable in the refrigeration cycles, they found a place.

In the range of experts we have the participation of personalities such as Roberto Sánchez Valladares, general director of Bitzer México S. de R.L de C.V; José Augusto Castro Chagas, director of refrigeration for Latin America at Johnson Controls; Fernando Becerra Ariza, refrigeration manager at Danfoss, and Germán Giovanni Flórez, vice president of the international division of National Compressor Exchanage, Inc.

A look back
Doing a retrospective we find that 2009 was a year in which Bitzer had an important advance, as pointed out by Valladares, in the subject of compressors with integrated variable speed drive; likewise, this company focused mainly on the issue of energy saving. Among the equipment to highlight we have the Octagon (semi-hermetic piston) and screw type compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning.

Valladares added that "there were also advances in terms of compressors friendly to new refrigerants such as scroll compressors for R-410a and Octagon Eco Line (semi-hermetic piston) optimized for use with R-134a."

Although Johnson Controls had no compressor launches during the immediately preceding year, it has continued to direct its efforts to the development of new sizes for screw compressors, as well as a global platform of liquid coolers that work with ammonia.

On the Danfoss side, the VHS variable speed drive scroll compressors for air conditioning were launched, this equipment won the innovation award at AHR EXPO 2009, and the MLZ model for refrigeration.

Germán Giovanni Flórez, of National Compressor Exchange, Inc, pointed out that as a remanufacter of the east coast of the United States, the most worked lines in 2009 were the Carrier/Carlyle and the Copeland, which, as expressed by the guest, had a high demand in the continental and international markets.

Fairs and novelties
Undoubtedly, the fairs and specialized shows of the industry will always be a good showcase for the commercialization of the products of the different manufacturers. When talking about the industry fairs we learned that Bitzer will use as a platform for the promotion of its compressors in this 2010 fairs in the Old World such as Chillventa, in Germany, and Mostra Convegno, in Italy. For the American continent the fairs will be AHR EXPO in Orlando, Mexico and Canada; and Febrava, from Brazil.

Regarding the differences of the Bitzer compressors that we have mentioned above and the technologies that preceded it, we have that they are integrated products that include variator and that solve situations such as speed controls, guaranteeing their use in the appropriate ranges to achieve lubrication and cooling, control of the electrical filters to avoid harmonics and competitive price.

"The state-of-the-art development allows the use of R-410a in a product of greater capacity than the competition and with a very attractive price. Likewise, the optimization of the compressor for R-134a offers a much more environmentally friendly product due to its low energy consumption," said Valladares.

José Augusto Castro Chagas, of Johnson Controls, highlighted his company's participation in Expo Pesca Peru the previous year and the advances in technology of his company's equipment: "Although we did not have the launch of new products, our effort continues to be directed to improving the energy efficiency of the compressors, as well as to the reduction of the refrigerant load in the chillers of
liquid and the focus on natural refrigerants."

In terms of shows, Fernando Becerra said that Danfoss presented its novelties at AHR EXPO, Febrava and Refricolombia. About the new equipment he mentioned the following: "The new Scroll compressors for MLZ Refrigeration allow energy savings of more than 20% compared to a piston compressor, with applications in medium and high temperature".

Germán Flórez said National Compressor, Inc.'s products were showcased at fairs such as the Ashrae show; the IKK in Hamburg, Germany; the Engineering & Plant Convention in Maryland, United States and Puerto Rico participated in the Maintenance and Installation seminar in Trujillo Alto.

On the novelties of his company, the guest said that "our cutting-edge technology and evolution with the needs of the market positions us in the XXI century".

The market and needs
Finally, we spoke with our guests about the markets where compressors were best sold the year before. In the case of Bitzer, the answer showed that Europe, Asia, the United States and Mexico were the most active; for Johnson Controls, particularly in the Latin American case, the countries in which its equipment was best sold were Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina. The Danfoss representative said Brazil, Argentina and Colombia were the countries that led the sales, while National Compressor Exchange, Inc. earned its best dividends in the United States.

The 2010 that is just beginning is seen as positive for the refrigeration industry after two years in which most of the countries in the region either had negative growth or low positive figures. This is how compressor manufacturers that direct their efforts to create equipment that has low energy consumption, uses ecological refrigerants, offers good technical support, has a good price, easy repair and manufacture will have guaranteed success.