News

A paper published in the January 2017 edition of Applied Thermal Engineering compares CO₂ transcritical systems to HFC systems in Sweden.

DC inverters to modulate compressor speed are among the refrigeration system innovations that Italian multinational CAREL hopes will boost natural refrigerant uptake in food retail.

Two industrial refrigeration bodies in the United States – the GCCA and the IIAR – will run a course with American University group the IRC to help OSHA inspectors, who carry out ammonia safety inspections in the United States, get to grips with large ammonia refrigeration systems (usually over 10,000 lbs).

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Russian Federation have opened a training centre in mountainous Armenia.

On Oct. 15, 2016, representatives from more than 170 countries met in Kigali, Rwanda, and agreed to a legally binding accord under the Montreal Protocol to reduce worldwide use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), recently discussed the Kigali Agreement and some of the effects it may have on the HVACR industry.

The Federal Government of Australia recently announced that it was to implement a phase-down of HFCs. The phase-down will start in January 2018 and will reduce HFC emissions by 85% in 2036.

Italian manufacturer Epta sees customer demand for increased energy efficiency as a positive sign for natural refrigerants.

The US HVACR industry has called on the incoming Trump administration to ratify the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol in order to protect US manufacturing and employment.

Italy’s Blupura was established in 2008, becoming a first-mover among water cooler manufacturers investing in hydrocarbon technology.

Hydrocarbons are ready to move into a host of applications, asserts a new paper from European natural refrigerant advocates Eurammon.

A company producing dried pasta has agreed to pay a $78,184 penalty for violations of laws related to its use of ammonia in its refrigeration system.

Commercial refrigeration is just one of many applications that are increasingly relying on CO₂ systems to meet their HFC phase-down commitments in 2017.

The must-attend conference of the year will take place on 20 February in Tokyo, right after the Supermarket Trade Show.

Low-charge, self-contained ammonia systems and ammonia/CO₂ cascade systems look set to become the solutions of choice for distribution centres this year.

Australia’s Coopers Brewery has commissioned an ammonia refrigeration plant for its new malting facility in Regency Park, Adelaide.

Efforts by the Asian giant to reduce HCFC and HFC consumption will move the global HVAC&R market, according to the European Commission.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will help increase investment in natural refrigerant technologies, according to the French government.

Compressor manufacturer Bitzer has launched a horizontal oil separator designed to work with its ammonia screw compressors.

In the late 1980s, those of us of a certain age became familiar with an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol. The goal of this agreement was the phaseout of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants. Then, in 1999, Title VI of the U.S. Clean Air Act was modified to phase out high global-warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. Now, once again, the fix has been deemed inadequate, and we are being asked to jump into a new generation of refrigerants.

The amended refrigeration and air conditioning directive, which entered into force on 1 January, will subsidise the installation of natural refrigerant-based systems in Germany.