Diseño y Mantenimiento de Plantas Frigoríficas (R&M), a subsidiary of Eiffage Energía Sistemas, is now in the final stage of delivering its R&D project ‘Design and development of an expert control demonstrator for a refrigeration plant to improve its energy efficiency’.
Through its R&D Projects funding line, the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) is backing this innovative initiative, which is also co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF 2021–2027).
At its core, the project aims to build a technology demonstrator that can optimise the operation of high-capacity industrial refrigeration plants by applying advanced machine learning technologies, dynamic plant modelling and variable optimisation algorithms.
Artificial intelligence for refrigeration plant control
Plants of this kind are usually managed today with SCADA systems and PLCs. The new system we are developing at R&M builds in advanced algorithms that compare the plant’s actual behaviour with an optimised digital model in real time, pinpoint opportunities for improvement and automatically adjust operating parameters to maximise energy efficiency.
With this technology, the system can act on key variables such as suction pressure, condensing pressure, compressor sequencing and the management of cooling demand across the different services, always homing in on the optimum operating point and improving the plant’s overall performance.
We are developing the project in technological partnership with the Technological Institute of Castilla y León (ITCL). It falls within the field of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies applied to industry.
Innovation geared towards sustainability
Beyond its innovative side, the project stands out for its potential to help reduce energy consumption in the refrigeration industry, one of the sector’s main challenges in terms of sustainability and competitiveness. The technology will make the installations more energy efficient, optimise control processes and support more efficient resource management.
Funding comes from the CDTI, with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF 2021–2027).
Commitment to innovation
With this project, we at R&M are strengthening our commitment to technological innovation in industrial refrigeration, driving advanced solutions that bring together digitalisation, artificial intelligence and energy efficiency to meet the sector’s challenges, both today and in the years ahead.
