Frialsa is known as the leading cold storage operator in Mexico and Latin America, and is also one of the largest in North
America. Frialsa has 24 facilities that operate at varying temperatures to accommodate the vast array of products- typically
the temperature is at -13°F for freezing, 40°F for cooling, and 40°F at the dock. Because of the need to expand the
company while maintaining low energy costs and remaining operationally dependable, Frialsa’s Chief Corporate Engineer,
Ricardo Garcia, started working with M&M Refrigeration to implement CO2 Cascade Systems to replace standard two stage
ammonia systems.
M&M Refrigeration was first introduced to Frialsa nine years ago through Watco, a Mexico based contractor specializing in
industrial refrigeration. Watco currently manages the installation and maintenance of the CO2 Cascade equipment at all
the Frialsa facilities. After learning about M&M’s history with CO2 Cascade Systems and visiting a plant in the US that has
one of M&M’s first CO2 Cascade Systems, Frialsa decided to make the switch. During the start-up, the Frialsa technicians
as well as third party techs had to learn about CO2 Cascade Systems. M&M employees were on-site for a month to ensure
proper system education.
Currently Frialsa has over 35 million ft3 of frozen space that operates on CO2 Cascade Systems. Garcia indicates that the
CO2 Cascade Systems have proven to be 15-20% more energy efficient than the ammonia systems that they have
replaced. With these systems, the lower the temperature, the more efficient they become. Although there is more
equipment associated with installing a CO2 Cascade System, the installation cost remains about the same as a two-stage
ammonia system. “Maintenance is the only cost that we found to be higher for the CO2 side of the system, but that
expense is grossly offset by the efficiency,” Frialsa reports.
Besides efficiency, another great benefit of a CO2 Cascade System, Garcia indicates, is a reduced amount of ammonia.
Frialsa’s customers and employees are reassured that the ammonia is contained only to the engine room, which greatly
decreases risk of exposure to people and products. “There are customers who specifically request to store their products
at facilities with the CO2 Cascade Systems because of the reduced risk,” says Garcia. The employees of Frialsa indicate
that another advantage of working with M&M Refrigeration is that the systems’ software can be remotely monitored in
real-time and if an issue arises, diagnostics can be performed remotely as well.
Regarding working with M&M Refrigeration, Garcia states, “It is a good option because we have confidence in them, so
our customers can have confidence in us.”
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