Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 151 / Tuesday, August 10, 2021 / Notices reasons to grant immediate relief pending a determination of the petition for waiver. 10 CFR 431.401e2.
Based on the assertions in the petition, absent an interim waiver, the prescribed test procedure is not appropriate for RefPluss CO2 direct expansion unit coolers and the test conditions are not achievable. As discussed, CO2 refrigerant has a critical temperature of 87.8 F and the current DOE test procedure calls for a liquid inlet saturation temperature of 105 F.
The inability to achieve test conditions for the stated basic models would result in economic hardship from loss of sales stemming from the inability of the DOE
test procedure to address the operating conditions of RefPluss equipment. DOE
has published decision and orders granting a waiver for other equipment relying on the same technology.10
III. Requested Alternate Test Procedure EPCA requires that manufacturers use DOE test procedures when making representations about the energy consumption and energy consumption costs of covered equipment. 42 U.S.C.
6314d. Consistency is important when making representations about the energy efficiency of covered equipment, including when demonstrating compliance with applicable DOE energy conservation standards. Pursuant to 10
CFR 431.401, and after consideration of public comments on the petition, DOE
may establish in a subsequent Decision and Order an alternate test procedure for the basic models addressed by the Interim Waiver Order.
RefPlus seeks to use an alternate test procedure to test and rate specific CO2
direct expansion unit cooler basic models. RefPluss suggested approach specifies using modified liquid inlet saturation and liquid inlet subcooling temperatures of 38 F and 5 F,
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES

10 See Notice of Decision and Order granting a waiver to HTPG Case No. 2020009; 86 FR 14887
Mar. 19, 2021; Notice of Decision and Order granting a waiver to Hussmann Case No. 2020010;
86 FR 24606 May 7, 2021; Notice of Decision and Order granting a waiver to KeepRite Case No.
2020014; 86 FR 24603 May 7, 2021.

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:05 Aug 09, 2021

Jkt 253001

respectively, for both walk-in refrigerator unit coolers and walk-in freezer unit coolers. RefPlus, No. 2 at p.
5. Additionally, RefPlus recommended that because the subject units are used in transcritical CO2 booster systems, the calculations in AHRI 12502009 section 7.9 should be used to determine Annual Walk-in Efficiency Factor AWEF
and net capacity for unit coolers matched to parallel rack systems as required under the DOE test procedure.
RefPlus, No. 2 at pp. 56. This section of AHRI 12502009 is prescribed by the DOE test procedure for determining AWEF for all unit coolers tested alone see 10 CFR part 431, subpart R, appendix C, section 3.3.1. Finally, RefPlus also recommended that AHRI
12502009 Table 17, EER for Remote Commercial Refrigerated Display Merchandisers and Storage Cabinets, should be used to determine power consumption of CO2 direct expansion unit cooler systems as required under the DOE test procedure RefPlus, No. 2
at p. 5.
IV. Interim Waiver Order DOE has reviewed RefPluss application for an interim waiver, the alternate test procedure requested by RefPlus, and the websites and product specification sheets for the basic models listed in RefPluss petition. Based on this review, the suggested alternate test procedure appears to allow for the accurate measurement of the energy efficiency of the specified basic models, while alleviating the testing issues associated with RefPluss implementation of walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer testing for these basic models. Review of the CO2 refrigeration market confirms that the testing conditions and approach suggested by RefPlus would be representative for operation of a unit cooler used in a transcritical CO2 booster system Docket EERE2021BTWAV0014, No. 4.
Specifically, CO2 that is cooled in the gas cooler of a transcritical booster system expands through a high-pressure control valve that delivers CO2 to a
PO 00000

Frm 00014

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

43637

subcritical-pressure flash tank, where liquid and vapor phases of the refrigerant are separated. The liquid is then split, and the unit coolers receive the refrigerant at the same condition, consistent with the use of the same liquid inlet saturation temperature for both the mediumand low-temperature systems in RefPluss suggested test approach. Calculations on other external CO2 refrigeration system designs in the market indicate that the 38 F liquid unit cooler inlet saturation temperature suggested by RefPlus is representative of CO2 booster systems Docket EERE
2021BTWAV0014, No. 5. Regarding use of the EER values in AHRI 1250
2009 Table 17 to determine the representative compressor power consumption for CO2 unit cooler systems, research into the performance of different configurations of CO2
booster systems shows that enhanced CO2 cycles like those used in transcritical booster systems can match conventional refrigerants in average annual efficiency Docket EERE2021
BTWAV0014, No. 3. The findings from this research, along with the other collective factors previously noted, justify the use of the EER values in AHRI 12502009 Table 17 for determining the power consumption for CO2 booster system evaporators, despite these EER values being initially established for systems using conventional refrigerants. Consequently, DOE has determined that RefPluss petition for waiver likely will be granted. Furthermore, DOE has determined that it is desirable for public policy reasons to grant RefPlus immediate relief pending a determination of the petition for waiver.
For the reasons stated, it is ordered that:
1 RefPlus must test and rate the following RefPlus-branded, CO2 direct expansion unit cooler basic models with the alternate test procedure set forth in paragraph 2.
Basic Model Numbers:
BILLING CODE 645001P

E:FRFM10AUN1.SGM

10AUN1