From Academia to Application – New CO₂ Study on Heat Recovery in Retail Environments

Sotiris Thanasoulas (Linkedin)

Sotiris Thanasoulas, formerly a research engineer and master’s thesis student at EKA, is now a doctoral student at KTH, focusing on the modelling of CO₂ refrigeration systems. In recent years, he has combined practical experience with advanced simulation and theory — something that is clearly reflected in his latest publication: “Investigation of heat recovery in CO₂ refrigeration cycles for supermarkets: A mechanism for determining optimal discharge pressure”, published in the International Journal of Refrigeration.

The study presents a modelling framework for how heat recovery in CO₂ systems can be optimized while taking “pinch point” limitations in the heat exchangers into account — a detail that is often overlooked in simpler calculations.

Key findings:

• Two-stage heat recovery increases the system’s SPF by up to 17%.

• Operating below the optimal pressure results in a greater efficiency loss than operating above it.

• A small pressure increase, up to 5 bar above the optimum, enables the use of smaller heat exchangers.

The study cites several previous publications, including a collaboration with EKA’s Jörgen on heat recovery in CO₂ systems for ice rinks, which was presented at the Gustav Lorentzen Conference in Montreal.

📖 Read the full article here:

Research Paper Investigation of heat recovery in CO 2 refrigeration cycles for supermarket.

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We congratulate Sotiris on another strong scientific contribution and look forward to his future contributions to the field!