In recent years, the refrigeration sector has been experiencing one of the most complex periods in memory.
The regulatory pressure derived from the EU F-Gas Regulation and the progressive adjustment of the HFC phase-down is directly impacting the operation of existing refrigeration installations. The combination of the CO₂ tax applied to importers/distributors and the reduction in supply is generating a significant increase in refrigerant costs, affecting all types of installations, especially direct expansion systems in medium and industrial facilities where refrigerant charge is considerable.
In this context, many operators are facing:
• Refrigerant replacement costs that exhaust the annual maintenance budget in the first quarter, generating growing tensions between operators and end customers never before seen in the sector.
• Installations with HFCs trapped without viable retrofit alternatives, requiring the continued operation of HFC-based systems until migration to low-GWP refrigerants becomes feasible.
• Evaporators being the component most susceptible to leaks.

This is due to several factors:

• Fragility of the evaporator coil:
  The tubes that make up the coil have a very thin wall thickness to maximize thermal transfer of the refrigerant. This characteristic makes them more vulnerable to physical and mechanical damage.
• Continuous cycles of temperature and pressure:
  Constant expansion and contraction cause misalignments between the tubes and the metal support plates. These movements generate contact points and friction that, over time, lead to material wear and leaks.
• Corrosion from airflow and chamber environment:
  The air circulating through the evaporator may contain corrosive substances from the respiration and decomposition of perishable products, which accelerates the deterioration of heat-exchange coils.
• Chemical attack from drain vapors:
  Vapors produced by stagnant water decomposition in the drainage system rise toward the evaporator and damage both welds and tubes through corrosive processes.

What can we do?
To respond to this scenario, at Garcia Cámara we have developed a new generation of multipurpose evaporators, designed with thermal and mechanical compatibility criteria that allow their use in different refrigeration cycle configurations.

What does it mean for an evaporator to be multipurpose?
It means it is designed and ready to operate with the current system, but also prepared for future refrigerants and emerging technologies. To achieve this, we analyze each case to offer:
• Heat exchangers optimized to operate with current HFC refrigerants and alternative fluids such as CO₂ (in subcritical and transcritical applications), pumped or direct-expansion NH₃, as well as solutions with secondary fluids.
• Coil designs and fin-tube geometries adapted to variations in pressure, cooling capacity, and thermal regime according to the refrigerant.
• Components and materials selected to ensure chemical compatibility and resistance to high operating pressures (especially in CO₂).
• Flexible configuration for different evaporation regimes and mass flow rates, facilitating integration into hybrid systems or transition phases.

What are the advantages of having this product?
• Service continuity without prolonged shutdowns or complete system replacement.
• Phased planning of the transition.
• Reduced economic impact, avoiding immediate large-scale investment.
• Maximizing the value of investment through the replacement of standard evaporators with multipurpose ones.
• Increased lifespan of existing installations, aligning them with future regulatory scenarios.

Commitment and Objective:
Our commitment and objective is to offer solutions that maintain thermodynamic efficiency, ensure mechanical compatibility, and anticipate future regulatory requirements.
Because the transition in refrigeration is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be traumatic or economically unfeasible.
Multipurpose evaporators are a key component for facing the transition toward natural refrigerants and low-GWP systems without compromising the operability of current installations.