By Copeland
CC200 pilot program drives significant refrigeration performance improvements while simplifying case management
When Copeland engineers began product development for the CC200 Case Controller in 2018, they set out to leverage the latest control technologies and address retailers’ greatest refrigeration challenges. The team took a “blank slate” approach to hardware and software design, creating a user-friendly companion Cold Chain Connect mobile app while optimizing the solution for use with modern electronic expansion valves (EEVs). In late 2021, Copeland began several retail store pilot tests in Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; and Conyers, Ga. Improvements in performance, energy efficiency and reliability were indisputable.
CC200 solution overview
The CC200 Case Controller is a microprocessor-based refrigerated case controller that enables precise temperature, superheat and evaporator pressure control in display cases and walk-in coolers and freezers (WICFs). Designed to support low-, medium- and dual-temperature applications, the stand-alone CC200 manages all caseloads and simplifies every aspect of case management, including lighting, evaporator fans, defrost heaters, liquid line solenoid valves (LLSVs), stepper valves and pulse-width modulated (PWM) valves.
A built-in connector port supports plug-in expansion modules for up to three evaporator coils per case, eliminating the need to run separate wiring for power and communication. A single power source operates the CC200, its expansion modules and display.
The CC200 Case Controller was designed for integrated connectivity and communication with the companion Cold Chain Connect mobile app. Cold Chain Connect guides technicians through the CC200’s setup and commissioning while enabling remote visibility for monitoring case performance and fast troubleshooting.
The CC200 is powered by advanced control algorithms that optimize superheat, discharge air temperature and demand defrost with maximum precision, resulting in significant improvements in energy efficiency, system reliability, store health scores and food quality. Its robust control capabilities enable the coordination of up to eight cases in a refrigerated case lineup.
Proving the case with multiple store trials
According to Chris Denney, Copeland senior engineer, simply replacing the existing controls with the CC200 delivered immediate results. “Air temperature stays on target better, while evaporator suction pressure and superheat are more stable. No new sensors or valves were installed. We simply swapped the controller,” Denney said.
The CC200 Case Controller features an auto-tuning superheat control that reduces the time needed to pinpoint the ideal case settings, resulting in faster commissioning and more precise temperature management. This enhanced precision is enabled by a patent-pending software algorithm that automatically determines the optimal setpoint for the electronic evaporator pressure-regulating (EEPR) valve.
Another algorithm automatically learns and selects the optimal superheat setpoint for each evaporator, helping the CC200 to balance all air temperatures in a refrigeration circuit close to the target setpoint — even for multi-coil display case designs.
Case setpoint performance is a key metric for retailers, impacting their health scores which are tracked in each individual store. According to Doug Crawford, Copeland account delivery manager, cases were monitored for a three-week period to see how often they were performing within a two-degree range above or below the desired setpoints. Discharge air temperature, which is used to measure the temperature inside each case, was one of the primary performance factors compared before and after the upgrade.
Prior to the retrofit, the discharge air temperature of one of the store’s reach-in freezers had been above its setpoint 95 percent of the time. In the first 24 hours after the upgrade, it was out of range only 28 percent of the time. Other key values — including the average superheat temperature, average EEV position and EEPR valve position — also saw significant improvements.
“The CC200 was able to stabilize those valves just by replacing the old controller,” Denney said. “That’s better for the system, and it’s also better for food quality and freshness.”
What prevents these rates from achieving 100 percent efficiency? One cause is the best possible reason: customers opening the case to add products to their shopping carts. Temperatures also rise above the setpoint during regularly scheduled defrost cycles. Although these cycles are essential to keep the system operating properly, the temperature increases that come with them are an undesirable by-product.
To minimize this impact, the Copeland team conducted testing on the CC200’s demand defrost feature. Rather than scheduling defrost cycles to run two to four times daily, the CC200 initiates defrost only when necessary, thereby ensuring greater temperature consistency while reducing energy consumption. In one of the pilot stores, defrost cycles were reduced by 20–50 percent, resulting in a 47 percent reduction in energy use.
Conclusive results
Observations from the multiple store trials suggest the CC200 delivered significant benefits across all key retail performance metrics. One notable benefit was the controller’s superior reliability.
“After months, one refrigeration manager hadn’t had a single service call for controllers since the CC200 was installed,” Denney said. “So they’re making a lot fewer trips to the store for service. And if they do need it in the future, it will be much easier for them to troubleshoot.”
Perhaps the real proof comes from the refrigeration technicians’ points of view. Technicians involved with the pilot agreed that system start-up and controller set-up were seamless — without any issues or call-backs since installation.
To read the full case study and learn how the CC200 Case Controller and Cold Chain Connect mobile app simplify case management and improve refrigeration performance, click below.
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