Dow experts continue to collaborate with customers to develop technologies to reduce their environmental impact and lower operations and maintenance costs.
DOWFROST™ Inhibited Propylene Glycol-based Heat Transfer Fluid is being used in Wal-Mart’s experimental Supercenter store in Aurora, Colorado in a refrigeration system for meat, dairy, produce and other medium temperature-chilled foods. Secondary loop refrigeration systems have been proven to reduce energy consumption from traditional systems by up to 24 percent. Energy savings are realized because with a secondary loop system, there is only one motor; where in traditional systems, there is a separate motor for each cold case. The fewer motors used, the less power and maintenance required. The system design also uses plastic versus copper piping, which is lighter and eliminates welds and corrosion. It lowers maintenance costs by up to 50 percent while providing cooling performance comparable to or better than traditional cooling systems.
The secondary loop refrigeration system installed by Wal-Mart at Aurora uses a coolant fluid which is a mixture of 35 percent DOWFROST fluid and 65 percent deionized water, limiting the use of refrigerants and thereby reducing potential for leaks and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from refrigerant use.
DOWFROST fluids comply with the United States Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration regulations for use in applications where contact with food or beverage products could occur, which helps to address concerns about potential spills or fluid leaks in food store operations.
This kind of innovative thinking and collaborative effort is just one example of how the Human Element at Dow is contributing to more sustainable chemistry solutions; for more, please visit http://www.dow.com/commitments/studies/index.htm
