Efficient production of modern commercial fridges and freezers

As a manufacturer of commercial refrigerator and freezer food units for wholesale markets, food retailers and various production facilities, you are aware of the many challenges involved in this sophisticated manufacturing.

Your customers expect modern and tailor-made refrigeration solutions for their individual needs. Nowadays it's essential to offer a perfect display of groceries, an appealing design of the furniture, a high quality and durability in the products, a fast response time in the event of a refrigeration failure, as well as environmental awareness, energy optimization and efficiency.

Producing high-quality refrigeration and freezer units always requires the use of many individual components for a wide range of application areas.

Cold Solutions VBB Kältetechnik GmbH have developed and manufactured our own self-closing companion valves for commercial refrigeration cabinets using HFC, PFC and hydrocarbons as refrigerants. The use of these special companion valves offers your company and your customers several advantages.

Companion valves  yesterday and today

Companion valves, better known as quick couplings or also quick connect couplers, were rarely used by the refrigeration industry until the turn of the century. This was mainly due to relatively high leakage rates and low reliability as well as cost intensity. Today, inexpensive companion valves for refrigerator appliances have reliable and durable leakage rates that are better than, for example, those of artificial cardiac pacemaker. At the same time, the differences in pressure between the operating and test conditions in refrigeration technology are much higher than in the pacemaker technology.

Self-closing companion valves make a significant contribution to preventing the unintentional release of fluorinated greenhouse gases, as required by Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014, Article 3. This does not only apply to the operation of equipment. Components and tubing equipped with stop valves (two matching stop valves form a companion valve) can be prepared, evacuated, and, if necessary, filled with refrigerants under environments prior to being installed. In addition to reducing environmental pollution, this also makes assembly, maintenance and relocation more efficient.

Even systems with hydrocarbons (e.g. R290 - Propane) as refrigerants can be implemented as Plug-n-Cool solutions using our companion valves (Generation III, larger nominal diameters on request).

Our goal is to continuously adapt the companion valves to the market requirements as well as to continuously improve the reliability, ease of assembly and tightness.

For instance, it is now possible to screw the matching stop valves of all our generations together by hand, without the use of torque tools that would otherwise be necessary, thus creating a permanent and reliable connection between components and tubes. When used on hermetically sealed systems, locks can be used to secure the connection.

Just as important is ensuring minimal leakage from the stop valves. Consequently, this guarantees long-term storage of components and tubes that have been evacuated or prefilled with refrigerants and allows a rapid response to assembly or repair work.

State-of-the-art “Plug-n-Cool“ applications offer you and your customers significant added value

Nowadays, manufacturers of refrigerated and deep- freeze units are faced with the challenge of constantly having to assert themselves on the market amid strong competitors.

The company's continued success depends on appealing to its own customers and offering them the best possible solutions for their individual requirements.

The use of state-of-the-art components supports you in fulfilling the wishes and ideas of your customers. In the area of companion valves, the innovative Plug-n-Cool solutions from Cold Solutions offer real added value for you and your customers.

Advantages of the “Plug-n-Cool“ companion valves

When using the self-closing companion valves, defective components can easily be replaced during ongoing operations. This provides great added value for users, as there is minimal interruption to operations.

The refrigeration circuit is never opened during a replacement, it is only separated. This means that no refrigerant needs to be extracted and refilled going to great expense. Extracting always entails polluting the environment.

With Cold Solutions' Plug-n-Cool solutions, both sides of the self-closing stop valves can be closed and only then can the defective components connected in between be replaced.

• This translates into efficient, safe and environmentally friendly use and handling of refrigerants.

These certified fittings can be used with all types of refrigerants, including hydrocarbons. The quality of the fittings is carefully monitored on an ongoing basis by internal tests and external service providers.

And most importantly, Cold Solutions' modern Plug-n-Cool companion valves also have extremely low leakage rates and a high level of reliability.

For you as a manufacturer of commercial refrigerator and freezer units, the use of Cold Solutions' Plug-n-Cool companion valves gives you added value and a competitive edge, as your customers benefit from the most up-to-date solutions available.