Commercial refrigeration installation at Shell Luton Petrol Station

A new refrigeration system for a Luton petrol station

Climate Flow Limited installed a new commercial refrigeration system at Shell Luton Petrol Station. The job covered an indoor evaporator unit, an outdoor condensing unit, insulated refrigerant pipework, electrical interconnecting cables and condensate drainage. The installation was completed in less than one working day. Climate Flow installs and services commercial refrigeration for forecourt shops, convenience stores, pubs and restaurants across London and surrounding areas.

The site and the brief

The petrol station's shop needed a new refrigeration system for its refrigerated stock. On a forecourt shop, the refrigeration matters for food safety as well as for stock. Government guidance says chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that a fridge should be set to 5°C or below so food stays cold enough when the temperature changes (GOV.UK, chilling and freezing).

Equipment installed

The system is a split refrigeration system. The equipment installed was:

• a commercial refrigeration system
• an indoor evaporator unit
• an outdoor condensing unit
• insulated refrigerant pipework
• electrical interconnecting cables
• a condensate drainage system

Scope of work

• Installing the indoor evaporator unit
• Installing the outdoor condensing unit
• Running 5/8 inch insulated refrigerant pipe over a long distance
• Routing the pipework through the ceiling voids
• Installing the condensate drainage
• Installing the electrical interconnecting cables
• Pressure testing, evacuation and commissioning

The challenge: one pipe run through three ceiling voids

The main challenge of the job was the refrigerant pipework. The 5/8 inch insulated pipe had to run a long way through the ceiling voids, passing through three separate areas with different ceiling heights. That route needed careful planning so the pipe stayed properly supported and insulated along its whole length, and so the system would run as designed once commissioned.

How the system was tested and commissioned

Before the system went into service, the engineers worked through three steps:

1. Pressure test. The pipework was pressure tested with OFN, nitrogen with the oxygen taken out.
2. Deep vacuum. The system was evacuated to a deep vacuum.
3. Commissioning. The system was commissioned.

The result

The complete installation at Shell Luton Petrol Station was finished in less than one working day, with the evaporator, condensing unit, pipework, drainage and cabling all in place and the system commissioned.

F-gas rules on a refrigeration installation

UK law controls who may work on equipment containing fluorinated gases (F gas). Every engineer who installs or services the equipment must hold their own qualifications, and working with F gas without them is against the law (GOV.UK, F gas qualifications). A company that services stationary F-gas equipment for others must also be certified by an approved body (GOV.UK, company certification). Climate Flow's engineers are F-Gas certified.

Once a system is running, the operator shares responsibility for stopping leaks with the service technician. Equipment holding 5 to less than 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F gas must be leak checked at least once every 12 months; whether a system falls in that band depends on its refrigerant charge (GOV.UK, checking F gas equipment for leaks).

More commercial refrigeration work

This installation is one of the jobs behind Climate Flow's commercial refrigeration services. Another outdoor unit job is the condenser unit replacement at Ark Walworth Academy, and the rest are on Our Projects. If a shop or forecourt needs new refrigeration in London and surrounding areas, request a quote or call 020 3488 5452.

This guide is general information, not a survey or a quote for your site; every system is different, so an engineer needs to see yours before any work is priced.