Refrigerated Display Cabinet Testing

	GIE Cemafroid tests, on the one hand, refrigerated display cabinets to determine their performance and, on the other hand, conducts shop studies and surveys relating to the influence of environmental conditions on the operation of refrigerated display cabinets and their refrigeration equipment.
Small containers: tests are performed on all types of containers up to 2m3, to check their effectiveness and their ability to maintain the temperature of products in various conditions of use. Applications in food products, pharmaceuticals and other products.

Performance of refrigerated display cabinets
Testing enables manufacturers to certify the performance of their equipment and therefore, to make their relations with users easier. In addition, certification is a passport for export, especially with the opening of the borders.

European directives and French orders set the regulatory framework. The "frozen foods" directive of 21 December 1988 states that frozen foods must have a stable temperature, maintained at all points of the product at -18°C or less, with possible brief fluctuations upward not exceeding 3°C during transport.

The Order of 9 May 1995 which regulates the hygiene of foods delivered directly to the consumer specifies that the refrigerated display cabinets for the retail sale of quick-frozen foods, deep-frozen foods or ice cream must be fitted with a thermometer or a temperature recorder for the measurement of air temperature.

These regulations make it particularly important to apply the certification tool provided by the standards on refrigerated display cabinets for quick-frozen foods.





Shop research on the influence of environmental conditions
Experiments conducted onsite enable researching the link between the environmental conditions and the energy consumption of the refrigeration facilities in a supermarket. In the sale area, the heat balance of the cabinets is mostly dependent on the shop's internal environmental conditions.

The action of the controllers in the refrigerated display cabinets results in a demand or a halt in refrigeration energy which causes operation of a greater or lesser number of compressors as the case may be.





Reference Regulations / Standard
The GIE Cemafroid laboratory applies the European standard EN 441.

European standard EN 441
NF EN 441-1 (D74-005-1) : Terms and definitions,
NF EN 441-2 (D74-005-2) : General mechanical and physical requirements,
NF EN 441-3 (D74-005-3) : Linear dimensions, areas and volumes,
NF EN 441-4 (D74-005-4) : General test conditions,
NF EN 441-5 (D74-005-5) : Temperature test,
NF EN 441-6 (D74-005-6) : Classification according to temperatures,
NF EN 441-7 (D74-005-7) : Defrosting test,
NF EN 441-8 (D74-005-8) : Water vapour condensation test,
NF EN 441-9 (D74-005-9) : Electrical energy consumption test,
NF EN 441-10 (D74-005-10) : Test for the absence of odour and taste,
NF EN 441-11 (D74-005-11) : Installation, maintenance and user's guide,
NF EN 441-12 (D74-005-12) : Measurement of the heat extraction rate of the cabinets when the condensing unit is remote from the cabinet.

Equipment
The equipment is used to test, on the one hand, refrigerated display cabinets having built-in refrigeration units and on the other hand, refrigerated display cabinets with remote units, with a refrigerant fluid or a heat transfer fluid as appropriate.

We have:
A test cell
Dimensions: 8.40m x 5.00m ground area 147 m²
Refrigeration capacity: 37kW by glycol water +5/+10°C
Heating capacity: 15kW
Temperature range: +16°C to +40°C
Controlled air relative humidity: 40 to 80%
Controlled air speed: 0.10 to 0.20 m/s

Two test-package storage cells
One 26m² cell for 0°C storage
Dimensions : 4.00 x 2.40m on ground
Refrigeration capacity : 3.2 kW to -10°C/+45°C
Electric defrosting : 1.2 kW
Air Condensation.

One 26m² cell for -20°C storage
Dimensions : 4.00 x 2.40m au sol
Refrigeration capacity : 5.4 kW to -25°C/+45°C
Electric defrosting: 4 kW
Air condensation.

A machine room
Volume : 160m3
Ground area: 34m²
5 compressors with unit capacity: 6 kW to -30/+30°C
Air condensation.
This facility is designed to produce the refrigeration required for refrigerated display shelving, either through direct expansion, or via a heat transfer fluid.

A test control room
Area : 14m²
This room is used to control the tests and to simultaneously record the test data.

A system for acquisition of data from a sensor assembly
The tests are controlled and recorded by means of a data acquisition system and a sensor assembly.
This assembly features:
- 1 PC micro-computer
- 1 colour printer,
- 1 multi-task, 80-channel measuring unit,
- 1 measuring unit/microcomputer interface software,
- 1 multipurpose wattmeter,
- 3 hygrometers,
- 1 anemometer,
- 1 luxmeter,
- 67 temperature sensors,
- 4 pressure sensors,
- 1 mass flowmeter with converter.

Contact

	M. Sami Benamara
	Cemafroid - Parc de Tourvoie – BP 44 - 92 185 Antony cedex
	+33 1 40 96 65 96
	contact@cemafroid.fr