The roundtable “Modern Refrigeration Solutions for Ships, Fish Processing Plants, and Storage Warehouses” was held on 8 September as part of the Global Fishery Forum and International Exhibition of Fish Industry, Seafood and Technology (Seafood Expo Russia).

Up to 2030, the fisheries industry is expecting a gradual increase in aquaculture catch and global aquaculture production. As production grows and sales channels expand, so will the challenge of preserving the quality of such a delicate product as fish. One way is to use modern freezing and defrosting techniques. Innovation is also becoming more important since Russia ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which requires a number of ozone-depleting refrigerants to be withdrawn fr om the market.

Evgeny Povalyaev, Technical Director of Danfoss, told the roundtable participants about an effective solution, giving the example of a Norwegian ship wh ere freon (R22) was successfully replaced with carbon dioxide, this increasing freezing power by 25%. Ammonia solutions are also promising. Both refrigerants cause no harm to the environment, and carbon dioxide is particularly safe to use, in addition to being several-fold cheaper.

Evgeny Povalyaev said his company could provide advice on these matters and help in drafting the necessary documents. It offers a range of solutions for the safety and efficiency of refrigeration systems: EKE 400 Evaporator Controller with wizard setup, ICFD float regulator, control valve, and a pressure switch.

The latest Russian refrigeration solutions were also presented by Aleksei Morozov, CEO of Refcool. He stressed that his company was specifically addressing all requests.

Viktor Sachkov, Development Director of Thermokool, focused on storage solutions, namely modular and high-rise warehouses: while the former feature shorter design and construction times, the latter boast greater capacity with a smaller footprint, as well as faster operations, although the capital costs are higher. The payback period is comparable to conventional warehouses. The Slavatrans-Service logistics centre is an example of a completed warehouse for the fishing industry.

Dmitry Rumyantsev, head of Ridan's shipbuilding division, presented the plate heat exchangers the company began producing in Russia in 2017. A high level of heat transfer is achieved thanks to the special grooving of the plates.

Konstantin Polupanov, Key Account Manager of the Danfoss shipbuilding unit, described the company’s range of frequency converters and presented electric propulsion solutions for ships, which are used in fishing vessels. He also pointed out the potential of permanent magnet motors, which have the highest efficiency in their class, and inverter motors.

Source: Press Office of Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo Russia 2021