Industry & Business

Azane Inc., based in San Francisco will act as the regional headquarters to serve the North American industrial refrigeration market to meet the demand for their ground-breaking “low-charge ammonia” Azane technology.  

The international group has announced it has launched a new subsidiary Azane Inc., to manufacture and supply their game-changing “low-charge ammonia” Azane technology in the US.

The industrial refrigeration group, whose Azanechiller and Azanefreezer technology has been installed at some of the world’s leading organizations , developed the unique technology to meet the environmental and legislative challenges that the cooling industry was facing as Europe started the phaseout of ozone depleting refrigerant R22.

The technology is being introduced to the US market at a key time, just as the US refrigeration industry begins to see the effects of the EPA’s R22 phaseout program. The EPA’s phaseout timetable for R-22 will gradually decrease its production until a complete ban comes into force in 2020.  The cost of R-22 will continue to rise and existing R-22 refrigeration systems will become uneconomical long before the substance is banned completely.

Derek Hamilton, US Business Development Manager at Azane says:

“We are currently trying to raise awareness of the impending R22 phaseout amongst the food industry and the wider refrigeration industry. The EPA’s phaseout of the refrigerant R22, which is still widely used in the US, is an issue that is going to effect a large number of businesses.”

“We are in a unique position because we have experience of this process in Europe and have helped a large number of companies to navigate this process.”

The Azanechiller and Azanefrezeer  are factory-built industrial refrigeration packages which  are both highly efficient and environmentally conscious. The design uses patented technology to deliver the lowest cost of ownership by minimizing running costs over 25 + years.

All Azane packages use the natural refrigerant ammonia and have been designed to operate with as little as one tenth of the charge of a traditional refrigeration system, therefore avoiding the burden of OSHA’s PSM and the EPA RPM requirements.

Ammonia is also future-proof. A natural refrigerant widely used for its environmentally friendly credentials -zero ODP and zero GWP- it is not under threat of being banned, unlike HFCs.

Derek Hamilton adds:

“The good news is that there are plenty of options available to allow a smooth transition away from R-22.  Low charge ammonia is one of a number of options available and we are always happy to talk to our customers and guide them through the various options. There are a wide range of ‘drop in’ refrigerant options are available, this typically consist of blends of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).”

“Our approach is to look at the overall strategy of a business to ensure that they invest in the technology which is right for their needs”.

HFCs have an uncertain future due to their contribution to global warming. The US government stated one of the key targets to address climate change is to reduce HFC consumption.  While a firm timetable is yet to be published, it is only a matter of time before restrictions on the use of HFCs come into place as has already happen in Europe at the end of last year. 

With manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania, the energy efficient packaged ammonia chiller and freezer are fabricated following US standards and regulations and supplied nationwide. Azane Inc. also provides dedicated technical support, site surveys, proposals and training to HVAC&R contractors, consultants and operators and end-users.

The Azane product range of air cooled chilling and freezing solutions offers an environmental solution with a low total life cycle cost in a number of applications including HVAC,food processing and freezing, process cooling, public refrigerated warehouses, ice rinks and more.

The factory-built design of the Azane packages makes them suitable for new installations and upgrade projects.  The packages require no machinery room and can be located close to the cooling demand, making the installation simple and low cost.

Hamilton says:“In the USA, the use of ammonia has historically been restricted to large, distributed refrigeration systems.  These systems are typically site-installed and require a central machinery room to house the refrigeration equipment.  These systems also tend to use ‘pumped circulation’ technology which requires a relatively large quantity of ammonia.

“The advent of ‘low charge ammonia’ means that ammonia is now being considered in applications which were typically the domain of ‘commercial’ systems.  These commercial systems often use the HFC refrigerants mentioned above.  Some users of HFC systems may be reluctant to switch to an ammonia system because of safety concerns, however the reality is that ammonia systems in general are very safe and the low-charge, packaged approach alleviates these concerns further by using the minimum amount of ammonia and ensuring that it stays within the refrigeration system.”

For further information or to see how we can help with your R-22 phase out contact Azane@azane-inc.com or visit  www.azane-inc.com