Nov 24, 2023

On 28th June the inaugural ‘Colloquium on Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Systems for Supermarkets & Shopping Centres’ conference took place at the Maritim Hotel, Darmstadt, Germany. The one-day event hosted by Eurovent Certita Certification (ECC) and COOLPLAN, welcomed an audience of operators, planners and decision makers in supermarket and retail refrigeration systems. A top line-up of quality speakers presented on the day, including the current President of the VDKF, Karl-Heinz Thielmann, of SV Büro Thielmann. His presentation focused in on the topic of ‘Performance assessment of heat exchangers from an expert's point of view’. In this interview we get to talk to Karl-Heinz about the experience. 

ECC: Can you give a brief overview of your presentation? 
Karl-Heinz: I was asked to speak as an expert in heat transfer devices. My presentation centred around the key topic of heat exchanger capacity. My presentation explored how important it is to use certified products because it is absolutely vital that the information the installer has is a true reflection of heat exchanger capacity.

ECC: Readers of this interview will be able to download ‘Performance assessment of heat exchangers from an expert's point of view,’ at the end of this article. What were the key takeaways from the presentation and why should they hit the download button?
Karl-Heinz: My presentation highlights that it’s all about the installer. The installer needs certified products. When it comes to capacity, there are clear parameters the installer must be aware of. Likewise different parameters are important for manufacturers, to ensure correct installation. The article explains the key things everyone should know about heat exchanger capacity.

ECC: What did you think about the format of the event?
Karl-Heinz: The presentation slots gave the perfect amount of time to get my points across. 

ECC: Why did you decide to speak at the event?
Karl-Heinz: The ‘Colloquium on Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Systems for Supermarkets & Shopping Centres’ conference was held the day before the ‘ZVKKW and the 14th Supermarket Symposium: Humidity control changes everything’. When being invited to speak at such an event it’s an easy ‘yes’ when events are combined like this. 

ECC: Why are these events important to manufacturers
Karl-Heinz: It provides opportunities to discuss topics such as products from a capacity point of view. Supermarket applications are driven by refrigerant regulations, which are going to be very important subjects over the next 15 months. Installers will have to learn new skills, some may call then forgotten skills when to comes to natural refrigerants. Events such as this brings together knowledge and informs us what is new.

ECC: Anything else you wish to add?
Karl-Heinz: Looking at the supermarket and shopping centre sector, it is clear that certification is not so important to the end user. However it should be important to the installer, because is the system doesn’t perform as expected, it is all the installer’s fault. 

ECC: Thank you Karl-Heinz for your time today and for such an excellent presentation at the Colloquium on Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Systems for Supermarkets & Shopping Centres.
Karl-Heinz: It was a pleasure.

Presentation download

Did you miss the Colloquium or want to know more? Karl-Heinz’s presentation, ‘Performance assessment of heat exchangers from an expert's point of view,’ covered a range of topics including:

• When does an expert come into play
• Fundamentals of heat exchangers
• Boundary conditions for performance data
• Which factors influence the performance
• Summary

You can download the presentation for free by hitting the button below.