News

German life cycle assessment finds ammonia more environmentally friendly than synthetics or hydrocarbons for residential heat pumps

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of residential air-to-water heat pumps found that ammonia (R717)-based units are more environmentally friendly than those using synthetics or hydrocarbon refrigerants. Read more

F-gas agreement unlikely before July

An agreement on the revision of the European F-gas regulation (517/2014) will not be achieved this month, as had previously been hoped. Read more

TEWI vs GWP

The Global Warming Potential is an index that exclusively concerns the quantity of gas dispersed into the atmosphere, therefore it measures the direct emissions and their damage, but it does not consider the chapter of indirect emissions and all that heats the air, in virtue of the necessary primary energy production to operate refrigeration plants and heat pumps. Read more

German research institute looks into low-charge R290 heat pumps systems, especially Indoors, for multi-family housing

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), a German research center, is working to develop low-charge propane (R290) heat pumps in multi-family housing – especially for indoor use – to replace existing gas- and oil-based heating. Read more

Study finds ‘novel’ transcritical CO₂ ejector system outperforms conventional CO₂ system up to 82.5% in hot climate

A “novel” transcritical CO₂ (R744) supermarket refrigeration system using a multi-ejector, parallel compression and mechanical subcooling was found in a new study to be up to 82.5% more efficient than a conventional transcritical CO₂ booster system in a warm ambient climate. Read more

CO₂ refrigeration helps cut electricity use at finnish ice rink by 34%

According to the latest data from consultancy firm EKA Finland, a CO2 (R744) rack with two-stage heat recovery has helped to reduce the electricity demand at an ice rink in Pirkkala, Finland, by 34% compared to its previous R404-based refrigeration system. Read more

World Refrigeration Day looks to the future

This year’s World Refrigeration Day on June 26 will focus on the future of cooling technology, the industry, the people working within it, and those that benefit from cooling. Read more

UK pushes for pragmatic approach to F-gas

Leading UK experts have accused the EU of being “blinkered” by ambition in their F-gas revision proposals, pushing for the UK to take a more pragmatic approach. Read more

Sorption process points to small-scale applications of ammonia refrigeration

The use of the sorption process in ammonia (R717)-based refrigeration represents a scalable solution that broadens the horizon for small-scale applications of ammonia. Read more

Danfoss introduces a new algorithm for enhanced control of ejectors and high-pressure valves in a CO₂ industrial system

Danish component manufacturer Danfoss has unveiled an algorithm to optimize the control and distribution of refrigerant flows between ejectors and high-pressure valves in large industrial transcritical CO₂ (R744) systems. Read more

10th IIR conference calls for ‘F-exit’ and switch to natural refrigerants

The 10th International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) conference, held in Ohrid, North Macedonia, April 27–29, called for an “F-exit” – an exit from fluorinated refrigerants – and a switch to natural refrigerants. Read more

Scientist calls for use of natural refrigerants in ice slurry systems on fishing vessels

Though ice slurry refrigeration systems offer many advantages for the fishing industry, there are few ice slurry systems installed on fishing vessels that use ammonia (R717) or CO2 (R744) for ice slurry systems. Read more

International Network for Women in Cooling launches online platform to connect women professionals around the globe

On May 11, 2023, the International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) officially launched its web service, available at http://www.inwic.org. The website will act as a hub for the organisation and its members with the primary purpose of providing a networking platform for women working in cooling, which broadly covers the heat pumps, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR). Read more

Yes, hydrocarbons are clean and natural refrigerants, says gas manufacturer GTS

From an environmental point of view, hydrocarbons are “highly sustainable and among the cleanest refrigerants” due to low GWP and zero ODP (ozone depletion potential), with no harmful molecules produced during production, said Paolo Zunino, CEO of Italian-based gas manufacturer GTS in a recent article published in Zerosottozero. Read more

Demonstration sites highlight potential of natural refrigerants in India

The INDEE+ project, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and designed to transform India’s refrigeration and air-conditioning sector, has recently unfurled a series of natural refrigerant demonstration sites in Goa, and Kochi and Bangalore. Read more