Star Refrigeration to discuss cold chain investment decisions at Cold Chain Live! 2026

Dr Rob Lamb will examine refrigerant choice, energy performance and lifecycle cost in a changing climate, and introduce Azanechiller 4.0. Conference attendees can discuss their plans and operational challenges with the Star team on Stand 30 throughout the event.

LONDON, Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Star Refrigeration will return to Cold Chain Live! as a Platinum Partner on 13–14 October 2026 at Telford International Centre. Drawing on the company's experience designing, installing and maintaining industrial refrigeration systems, Star's specialists will help cold store operators assess the technical and commercial decisions behind their next investment.

Dr Rob Lamb, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Star Refrigeration, will examine how the F-Gas phase-down, energy costs and rising ambient temperatures affect the choice of refrigeration technology. He will also introduce Azanechiller 4.0, the latest development in Star's low-charge ammonia chiller range.

At 15:25 on Tuesday 13 October, Dr Lamb will deliver a 45-minute Breakout Zone session titled 'Future-Proofing Cold Chain Refrigeration: Balancing Refrigerant Choice, Energy Performance and Lifecycle Cost in a Changing Climate.'

The presentation will look at the future of synthetic refrigerants and compare where CO₂ and ammonia technologies perform well and where their limitations need to be considered. It will cover applications from chilled distribution to frozen storage and industrial freezing.

Dr Lamb will also challenge procurement decisions based primarily on capital cost. Using case studies from operating plants, he will examine the effect of energy consumption and maintenance over a system's working life and explain how continuous optimisation, supported by real-time data, can help protect operations, and control energy costs and emissions.

Dr Lamb said, "Choosing a refrigeration system involves more than comparing refrigerants or equipment prices. Understanding how a plant will perform across its full range of duties, what it will cost to run and how that performance will be maintained throughout its life, can help operators make informed decisions."

Through several practical examples, Dr Lamb will show operators how to test the assumptions behind a refrigeration proposal before making a long-term investment. One case will examine how rising ambient temperatures can change the performance of different systems. In CO₂ and ammonia systems, for example, a 10°C increase in ambient temperature reduces available cooling capacity by approximately 33% and 5%, respectively. Power consumption rises by 13% for the CO₂ system and 17.4% for the ammonia system, while the coefficient of performance falls by 40% and 19.5%.

This demonstrates the need to consider how each option will perform across the duties and ambient conditions it will face, as well as its energy use, maintenance needs and cost over its working life. A system installed today may remain in service for decades, so it must meet demand during hotter summers while operating efficiently throughout the rest of the year.

On Wednesday 14 October at 09:45, Dr Lamb will present "Azanechiller 4.0: Setting a New Benchmark for Efficient, Future-Proof Cooling" in the Innovation Zone.

Building on more than 25 years of Azanechiller development, the new model is designed to deliver full cooling capacity at ambient temperatures of up to +40°C. The session will cover its design, construction, efficiency, controls, and connection to Star Data Analytics' Ethos platform, and explain how these features support reliability and performance throughout the chiller's working life.

Cold Chain Live! 2026 takes place at Telford International Centre. Star Refrigeration will exhibit on Stand 30 throughout the two-day event.

To register, visit the Cold Chain Federation website.