Tried and tested reciprocating compressors can now be used
in an even more versatile range of ways

• Greater energy efficiency
• Enhanced cooling capacity
• Extended application limits

Sindelfingen, 27.03.2012. At the Mostra Convegno Expocomfort trade fair in Milan, BITZER will be unveiling its extended range of BITZER ECOLINE reciprocating compressors. These compressors can now be used for an even more versatile range of applications. In addition to R134a, many other refrigerants can also be used, e.g. R404A, R407A, R407C, R407F and R507A. With this new range, BITZER has succeeded in leveraging all the benefits of the tried and tested BITZER ECOLINE series for refrigerant R134a for an even broader range of applications, as well as offering its customers significant added value. 

The extended BITZER ECOLINE range offers a great many product and efficiency benefits: With immediate effect, the compressors can deliver a 5-6% improvement in cooling capacity in medium temperature applications - and for low-temperature applications, these same compressors provide even more impressive improvements. At the same time, BITZER engineers have succeeded in increasing the coefficient of performance (COP) of this upgraded series by up to twelve percent for high as well as for low condensing temperatures. All compressors impress with substantially extended application limits when using refrigerant R404A and motor version 2 (medium and low-temperature applications), e.g. with condensing temperatures of up to +60°C and an evaporation temperature of 0°C.
Yet another attribute is the tremendous suitability of the new ECOLINE range for very favorable speed control by frequency inverter, a great bonus in terms of system efficiency. Irrespective of that, all 4 and 6-cylinder models can be equipped with cylinder head deactivation and this in turn delivers a very cost-effective form of capacity control. These measures already enable BITZER at this time to meet the foreseeable rise in requirements relating to energy consumption, while also meeting customer wishes for an exceptionally flexible range of compressors.

Versatile application options on a tried and tested platform
Thanks to the scope for using many of the commonly available refrigerants, these compressors cover a wide range of applications, and provide great added value to BITZER customers. BITZER ECOLINE compressors are used, for example, in medium and low-temperature applications in supermarkets, food storage facilities, condensing units, the chemical industry as well as large catering kitchens, the pharmaceuticals sector and in high-temperature heat pumps. All compressors in this upgraded range are based on the successful 2nd generation of semi-hermetic BITZER reciprocating compressors, for many years now a synonym for proven quality, great efficiency and reliability. For this recently upgraded range, BITZER has optimized the know-how gained from the successful ECOLINE series for R134a and made available for the use of other refrigerants. The tried and tested compressor platform has remained the same - which enables the updated BITZER ECOLINE range to completely replace the previous series. There are also no changes in the assembly hole pattern, the suction and discharge line connections and, in almost all cases, the valve position and installation space for the new series, compared to the standard range. This assures universal interchangeability.

In addition to the upgraded compressors in the ECOLINE range and the recently developed ORBIT 6 scroll compressors, BITZER will be unveiling a world first at the BITZER trade fair stand H29 K30.

BITZER celebrated the official opening of its Vietnam representative office which is managed by the BITZER Group’s subsidiary BITZER Refrigeration Asia Limited based in Hong Kong. The local representative office, located at Level 4, Centec Tower, 72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, was initiated last September 2010 as BITZER's 34th branch office worldwide. The office was established with the aims to provide a better and comprehensive support in accordance with BITZER’s unique first class customer services as well as a commitment of the Company to the customer base in this potential market. Chief Executive Officer Peter Schaufler, Senator h. c., and his wife Christiane Schaufler-Münch traveled to the event from Stuttgart to mark the importance of this new BITZER pillar: "With this new office, Vietnam has become an integral part of our broader expansion strategy in Asia. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning industry in Vietnam is still young and at this stage we want to help the country to develop with the latest available know-how and to contribute in environmental protection by supplying the most environmentally friendly refrigeration technologies and techniques".

Storage Technology Solutions Ltd (Refrigeration section) of Paddock Wood in Kent, a market leader in the design, installation and maintenance of cold storage technology, has been specifying BITZER compressors for many years. The proven reliability of BITZER products has been a key factor according to STS’s Paul Kennett as well as BITZER’s ability to customize products for individual applications. More recently, STS has also been specifying BITZER ECOSTAR condensing units for a number of new building and refurbishment projects, typically for fruit growers in the south east of England. 

STS Refrigeration’s main area of business is fresh produce cooling systems, especially controlled atmosphere stores for long-term storage of top fruit such as apples & pears. The company also provides special cooling tunnels for soft fruit and rapid cooling for various other produce. As all fruits and vegetables have unique demands with regard to temperature, humidity, CO₂ , O₂ , and ethylene levels, it is essential that modern storage facilities are professionally planned and installed in order to avoid a catastrophic loss of revenue resulting from poor construction, instrument and equipment knowledge.

The BITZER ECOSTAR　unit suits many of the installations undertaken by STS Refrigeration as it has been especially developed for applications with varying cooling loads. It incorporates variable speed compressors and fans that provide constant temperature regulation and low-energy compressor cycling. The cooling capacity can be adapted to actual requirements and this considerably increases the efficiency of the refrigeration system. The built-in controller allows quick and easy commissioning, comprehensive safety and monitoring functions as well as simplified error diagnosis.

STS has undertaken a number of projects featuring ECOSTAR. These include a project for ICA Ltd where ten ECOSTARS have been installed on five large controlled atmosphere stores for long-term Bramley apple storage. Another installation has been at Hugh Lowe Farms, soft fruit growers of Mereworth and one of the leading strawberry growers in mid-Kent. At CM Ramus, fruit growers in Peasmarsh East Sussex, ECOSTAR features in a new build cold storage facility project, fully planned and implemented by STS Refrigeration from the groundwork to the finished building.

According to Paul Kennett of STS, ECOSTAR offers many advantages including a lower starting current which helps with power consumption on-site. ECOSTAR units are also compact, making site access easy. "BITZER UK has very supportive staff always on hand to assist us. We have been delighted with the operation of the ECOSTAR units and have installed more of these on other sites too," he says.

BITZER is satisfied with the Busworld trade show 

High operational safety, compact design and very easy maintenance: The products presented by BITZER at Busworld in Kortrijk show the importance the compressor manufacturer attaches to these features. BITZER presented to the trade fair visitors pioneering innovations for the transport industry, enabling the company to provide adequate solutions to address the challenges of mobile cooling.

For six days, Kortrijk in Belgium was completely marked by Busworld, the international bus trade show with more than 350 exhibitors across 50,000 square meters. As the world market leader for compressors in bus air-conditioning, BITZER showcased, among other products, the ROADSTAR series on their 110 square meter stand at the trade fair. This series excels in high operational reliability, making it particularly suitable for use in extreme conditions. 

As a special highlight, BITZER introduced a new vehicle compressor of the BITZER ROADSTAR family with a cylinder volume of 750 cm³. This compressor offers the highest size-related performance in its class and minimum space requirement: It requires approximately 15 percent less space than comparable compressors, thus combining the compact design of a 4-cylinder compressor with the performance of a 6-cylinder compressor.

 "Our products are designed to address the challenges our customers face every day," said Helmut Meyer, Director Transport Products, Sales International at BITZER. "These challenges not only include dealing with issues related to safety and easy maintenance, but also with increasing energy costs and the need for greater environmental responsibility. We are able to provide solutions to these concerns from a single source". All in all, Helmut Meyer considered the trade fair a success: "We are very satisfied with this year's Busworld. Talks on technical issues with high-caliber visitors at our exhibition stand made it clear to us that our products and solutions perfectly meet the demands of the market", he said at the end of the show.

A distance of 144,000 km covered and almost 17,280 liters of diesel fuel saved: This is the result achieved by five hybrid buses which have been used by the SSB AG since September 2010 in the course of the electromobility project "Elektromobilitätsregion Stuttgart". Inside the environmentally-friendly buses, BITZER compressors ensure comfortable air quality and create a feel-good atmosphere for the passengers. Special feature of the new hybrid buses: The air conditioning system operates independently of engine speed, and thus also at terminal stops. Moreover, the BITZER compressors of the VSK3161 type are so quiet that at least from this part of the air conditioning unit nothing can be heard by the passengers.

Reported in the German newspapers Cannstatter Zeitung/Schwäbisches Tagblatt on September 15th:

BITZER ROADSTAR: proven and service-friendly 

BITZER presents vehicle compressor series

• High operational reliability 
• High ease of service  　

The highlight on the BITZER exhibition booth of this year's Busworld Kortrijk will be the BITZER ROADSTAR series. Based on the BITZER transport compressors, this series is characterized by high operational reliability as well as high ease of service. In addition, BITZER will present a new compressor of the ROADSTAR series. With a cylinder volume of 750 cm³, this compressor offers the highest size-related performance in its class. 

As the world market leader for compressors in bus air-conditioning, BITZER will showcase, among others, the ROADSTAR series on a 110 square meter booth at the Busworld Kortrijk. This series offers convincing high operational reliability, especially under extreme conditions. The robust drive gear ensures maximum performance and guarantees the user not only safety but also a long service life of the compressor. In addition, the customers can also rely on the high ease of service of the BITZER ROADSTAR series. Two sight glasses ensure optimum view of the oil level and enable early detection of necessary service work. The oil collection chamber substantially prolongs the specified service intervals and simplifies maintenance work on the oil collection chamber which can be carried out easily and quickly as the coupling must not be dismounted. 

A particular highlight will be a new transport compressor of the BITZER ROADSTAR family which BITZER will showcase for the first time at the Busworld in Kortrijk. With a cylinder volume of 750 cm³, this compressor offers the highest size-related performance in its class. The space requirements are convincing at approximately 15 per cent less space than comparable compressors. Thus, it combines the compactness of a 4-cylinder compressor with the performance of a 6-cylinder compressor. 

BITZER customers can rely on a large worldwide service network: In almost every country, BITZER is represented by local agencies or partners to assist you in maintenance work and avoid unnecessary shut-off periods.

Since 2009, BITZER has supported the Paul-Klee high school in Rottenburg: On trial days in the company owned training center, pupils are provided with information concerning the various different training careers or are given a view of the daily production in form of plant tours. Last year, BITZER promoted a special project by buying shares of the student company "harvit". The name consists of the English word "harvest" which corresponds to the German word "Ernte" and the term "spirit" which means "Geist" in German. The core of the company concept is the protection of the orchards in the Gäu region. The pupils sell to interested companies event days on which employees can build dry-stone walls, cut trees or harvest apples under skilled guidance. The aim of the project is to transmit knowledge about the operations of companies to the pupils and help them to cope with business life. The German UNESCO Commission also recognized the importance of this project. The student company was signalized in mid-September by the commission as project of the UN Decade "Education for Sustainable Development". The goal of this global initiative is to implement sustainability-oriented thinking and acting among children and adults. 

Further information can be found at www.bne-portal.de/coremedia/generator/unesco/en/01__Home/English_20Homepage.html and www.harvit.de

The GL Design Approval Certificate has been awarded to the BITZER compact screw compressors of the CS.3 series by the German ship classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) located in Hamburg.  

BITZER compact screw compressors of the CS.65, CS.75, CS.85 and CS.95 types have been awarded the GL Design Approval Certificate for "Approved Design". The certificate applies to compressor operation with R134a, R407C, R404A, R507A and R22 refrigerants and to ship climate control and provision cooling applications. Furthermore, it can be used as a basis for further approvals. With the approval certification, GL confirms that the compressor design has been tested and complies with the Society's rules and guidelines. The GL Design Approval enables BITZER to give his customers a clear competitive advantage when using CS.3 compact screw compressors on seagoing vessels and in offshore areas. Germanischer Lloyd is a member of the IACS (International Association of Classification Societies Ltd.), the international governing body for ship classification societies. The classification society has been authorized by more than 130 flag states to perform statutory duties in the maritime sector. Many other societies refer to the standards set by GL, accept them or have partially adopted them.

The GL Design Approval for the CS.3 series is available here  for free download.

Revised topics, many practical exercises and more individuality: BITZER has developed a new customer training concept and implemented this new concept for the very first time on the occasion of the International Refrigeration Seminar 2011 in Sindelfingen. The restructuring enables the BITZER experts to address the individual customer requirements more efficiently and set individual priorities in the seminars. This is BITZER’s reaction to the ever-increasing demand for high-quality training courses on the markets across the world. The highlight of the seminars is that the participants may select their area of specialization in advance according to their individual requirements and focus on a main topic. Thus, small groups are formed in which the seminar instructor can respond individually to the customers’ needs and adapt the training accordingly. 

Hörbiger Holding AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, published an article about BITZER in edition 1/2011 of its customer magazine, "hoerbiger@motion". The six-page article contains among other things an interview with Peter Schaufler, Senator h.c., Jürgen Kleiner and Hans P. Meurer. Hörbiger is a leading company in compressor, automation and drive technology and a system supplier of lamellar valves to BITZER. 

Click here to download the PDF edition of the BITZER article:

BITZER is now offering a free application to determine the pressure-temperature characteristic of refrigerants for smartphones with the Android operating system. The application also enables users of the now widely used Google operating system to use this modern alternative to the traditional refrigerant ruler. As with the version for iPhone, this digital refrigerant ruler for Android smartphones shows the most common refrigerants, can use imperial or metric units simultaneously and can display these in any combination. 

This BITZER app is available now for download from the Android Market .

The 500,000th compressor rolled off the production line at BITZER's Chinese subsidiaries BITZER Compressors (Beijing) Ltd. and BITZER Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd. in early 2011. BITZER has maintained its own manufacturing presence in China since 1994 and has taken on the role of a respected innovator in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. Particularly successful in the Chinese market are BITZER OCTAGON reciprocating compressors, manufactured by the company since 1998, aluminum compressors for bus-applications, the ELH7, in production since 2009, and the CSW series since 2009.

Art and technology are two aspects of everyday life that could hardly be more different. The combination of the two runs through the work of Peter Schaufler as a recurrent theme. For more than 30 years he has passionately embodied both areas of endeavor, and in mid-April his successes and achievements were honored. Under the heading "The Art of Compression" the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and TU Dresden held an honorary symposium at the SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen gallery. Compressor experts from all over Europe gathered to give a diverse range of talks to a specialist audience from the refrigeration and air conditioning industry on the coexistence of art and refrigeration/air conditioning technology. Topics included "Art and Technology", "Energy efficiency on refrigeration systems" and "Minichannel heat exchangers".

Personnel and Managing Directors celebrated the 20th anniversary of BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau Schkeuditz GmbH in mid-April with a grand ceremony. Chief Executive Officer Peter Schaufler, Senator h. c. and his wife Christiane Schaufler-Münch traveled to the event from Stuttgart. Mr Schaufler took over the former MAB Schkeuditz on 1 April 1991 – and since then has invested over €70 million in the site. Today 750 employees work for BITZER at Schkeuditz. Most brought their families with them to the celebrations, so that some 2000 guests filled the festive marquee to bursting. Peter Schaufler also has major plans for the future. Annual production capacity at Schkeuditz is expected to increase from the current 190,000 to 300,000 compressors in the next few years. The number of employees will rise accordingly to 1200. 

Further information about the anniversary and MaleLE:

http://www.malele.de/en/project/

Not one but two awards were conferred on BITZER Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH on April 14 in Frankfurt for outstanding communications. The compressor manufacturer took silver for its "The Heart of Freshness" campaign in the advertising and enclosures category of the Best of Business-to-Business Communication (BoB) Awards and the panel of experts awarded BITZER the bronze in the integrated communications campaign category. The BoB award is one of the most coveted prizes in business-to-business (B-to-B) communications for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is awarded annually by the Hamburg-based "Kommunikationsverband" (Communication Association) in recognition of successful B-to-B communications. It is the clients who have the greatest say in selecting the winners – after all, 70% of the members of the jury are active players in industry. Since 2009 all of BITZER's advertising activities have been realized in close collaboration with the RTS Rieger Team agency based in Leinfelden-Echterdingen.

Energy efficiency and environmental friendliness: these are the themes that BITZER will present to its visitors at this year's EuroShop trade fair. Trade visitors will be shown a comprehensive palette of new product developments by the compressor manufacturer, all of which feature high eco-efficiency.

• New generation: a reciprocating compressor series for subcritical CO2 applications
• OCTAGON VARISPEED: an extended series of reciprocating compressors with suction gas-cooled frequency inverters — now also for transcritical CO2 applications
• BITZER ECOSTAR: extended series featuring new technology and Ethernet module

 Inform yourself about the new BITZER products:

Award for a long-lasting business relationship: On January 18^th , Michael Bauer, Director Stationary Products, Sales International, at BITZER Kuehlmaschinenbau GmbH, handed the "BITZER Golden Piston Compressor" trophy over to Pedro and Oriol Company, Managing Directors of Pecomark SA. The company, whose headquarters are in Barcelona, Spain, has been a BITZER distributor for 20 years. BITZER decided to bestow the award on Pecomark SA, honoring a long and successful cooperation on the Spanish market. During this period, more than 75,000 reciprocating compressors have been sold – this equates to almost one compressor every 30 minutes.

BITZER presents innovations

• New generation: a reciprocating compressor series for subcritical CO2 applications
• OCTAGON VARISPEED: an extended series of reciprocating compressors with suction gas-cooled frequency inverters — now also for transcritical CO2 applications
• BITZER ECOSTAR: extended series featuring new technology and Ethernet module

Energy efficiency and environmental friendliness: these are the themes that BITZER will present to its visitors at this year's EuroShop trade fair. Trade visitors will be shown a comprehensive palette of new product developments by the compressor manufacturer, all of which feature high eco-efficiency.

One of the highlights of the BITZER stand are the reciprocating compressors for subcritical CO2 applications. These boast an improvement of up to 20% in energy efficiency while also delivering greater cooling capacity. Higher permitted pressure levels have made it possible to extend the application limits, which simplifies plant operation and allows for additional system optimization and increased efficiency. Reciprocating compressors for subcritical CO2 applications are the first choice for use in supermarket systems: where they are used in combination with the BITZER ECOLINE series to create a tried and tested hybrid system for medium and low-temperature applications.

The extended OCTAGON VARISPEED series offers displacements of up to 99m3/h at 87 Hz and a factory-fitted frequency inverter. Thanks to the optimal allocation of the compressor and pre-configured frequency inverter, this series is particularly economical on energy, environmentally friendly and ready for immediate use. With their suction gas cooling the frequency inverters used with OCTAGON VARISPEED are maintenance-free and safe to operate even at high ambient temperatures. Advantages include optimal capacity adaptation and low starting currents. With the VARISPEED versions of its ECOLINE series and the OCTAGON series, BITZER will in future offer reciprocating compressors for transcritical CO2 applications with built-in frequency inverters.

At EuroShop BITZER will also present the extended ECOSTAR series, which now includes seven versions. The condensing unit with OCTAGON VARISPEED compressors allows extended capacity of up to about 27 kW under normal conditions and features infinite capacity regulation and pre-programmed control. The heat exchanger, with increased power density (microchannel), the improved display with optimal user guidance and the Ethernet module for remote monitoring are integrated into the extended series as standard and offer significant benefits.

Lifecycle cost analyses for refrigeration systems can be used to increase the value of tenders. Using simple approaches, an economic assessment can be applied quickly to various technical solutions. The 5th Info-Tour takes place in 2011 and will be led jointly by the BITZER, Danfoss, DuPont, Güntner and Testo companies. The event is designed to be equally suitable for installers and technical specialists from refrigeration and air conditioning companies and for planners, specialist engineers as well as technicians working for system operators. The speakers will show how to determine the best alternative for practical implementation. The event will be presented by Professor Stephan Engelking of the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg. 2011

Venues and Dates:

Hamburg 12 January
Leipzig 13 January
Wuppertal 26 January
Frankfurt 27 January
Stuttgart 09 February
Munich/Feldkirchen 10 February
Linz (A) 01 March
Olten (CH) 03 March

The events are free of charge and take place in the afternoons. You can register at www.info-tour.de  from 13 October.