Refrigeration sector monitoring

The lifetime cost of a magnetic refrigerator

A research paper published in the International Journal of Refrigeration demonstrates the lifetime cost of a magnetic refrigerator.

• Publication date : 2016/08/10

Latest figures on HFC impact on climate change

EU reports that hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) have decreased for the fourth consecutive year since 2014. On a global scale, the impact of HFCs on climate...

• Publication date : 2020/09/04
• Subjects: Environment

Assessment of the environmental impact of domestic refrigerators using LCCP

The environmental impact of domestic refrigerators over their lifetime has been quantified in different configurations (operating cycles, materials, insulation) in a recent IJR article. 

• Publication date : 2021/02/23

Solar cooling: Perspectives in Australia

A paper by P. Kohlenbach and M. Dennis1 presented at the 9th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants in Sydney gave an outlook and future perspectives on solar cooling in Australia, focusing on a comparison between the current...

• Publication date : 2011/02/04

Briefs: LCCP

The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI) has opened bidding for a new research project to establish a standardized methodology to calculate the Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) for stationary heating, ventilation,...

• Publication date : 2010/05/27

Briefs: Axima Refrigeration GmbH

A new giant is born: Axima Refrigeration GmbH of Lindau, Germany, Smardt Inc. of Montreal, Canada, and PowerPax of Melbourne, Australia have joined forces to market Turbocor oil-free compressors. The giant consortium will supply major companies...

• Publication date : 2006/07/26

Saving lives using solar refrigerators

The SolarChill project is providing an environmentally friendly means of refrigerating vaccines and certain drugs. The aim is to replace the 100 000 kerosene refrigerators in use today: these refrigerators emit unpleasant fumes, can catch fire and...

• Publication date : 2005/10/26

Brief: Industrial Refrigeration Consensus

During the Industrial RefrigerationConsensus hosted by Danfoss, held in December 2004 in Sønderborg , Denmark , the main following points were reached through workshop discussions with focus on the industrial refrigeration issues (thus the points...

• Publication date : 2005/06/14

Cryogenics: Energy Saving for Cryogenic Systems

The Cryogenics Group in the Accelerator Engineering Department of the Accelerator Division of Thomas Jefferson's National Accelerator Facilities has discovered a way of cutting the energy consumption of the compressors involved in cryocooling. The...

• Publication date : 2007/05/04

Alternative Cooling Technologies conference, London, 1st February 2005

This conference, which was co-sponsored by the UK Institute of Refrigeration and organised commercially by RAC magazine, was well attended with about 140 people present. It was arranged in five sessions. In the first session, speakers from UK...

• Publication date : 2005/02/11

UNEP report on HFCs: key findings

During the United Nations COP9/MOP23 Conference of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol which took place in Bali, Indonesia, on November 21-25, 2011, the IIR participated in a side-event presenting a new report "HFCs: A Critical Link in Protecting...

• Publication date : 2012/02/20
• Subjects: Figures, economy

Vacuum Insulation Panels: a promising solution for domestic refrigerators

Thanks to their low thermal conductivity, Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) make it possible to greatly reduce the energy consumption of domestic refrigerators. However, their adoption comes up against problems of...

• Publication date : 2020/05/27

GL2012 highlights: photovoltaic vs solar thermal cooling in Europe

In their paper presented during the 10th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants in June 2012, Kohlenbach et al. give an outlook of the current and potential situation of solar cooling in Europe.

• Publication date : 2012/11/26

ECOFRIDGES in Ghana: positive feedback from beneficiaries

A recent video updates on the ECOFRIDGES GO programme in Ghana, implemented by the Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE), UNEP’s United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative and the...

• Publication date : 2022/08/29
• Subjects: Developing country

Low temperature transport and storage solutions for COVID-19 vaccines

Presentation of two options suitable for mRNA vaccines: one using a traditional refrigerated container adapted to storage at -35°C extending the shelf life of dry ice by 2.5 times, the other based on PCM...

• Publication date : 2022/01/28

CFC banks release larger emissions than expected

The leaks of CFC11 and CFC12 stored up in banks, if left unchecked, would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by 6 years and add 9 billion metric tons of CO2eq to the...

• Publication date : 2020/05/27
• Subjects: Environment, Developing country

Searching for refrigerant traces in the atmosphere

The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) researchers have now published first measurements on the atmospheric distribution and abundance of the 4th generation halogenated coolants and foaming agents. (fluoroolefins).

• Publication date : 2015/04/20

Investing in more efficient ACs could cut future AC world energy demand by 45%

A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report “The Future of Cooling - Opportunities for energy-efficient air conditioning » states that without new efficiency standards, the world will face a “cold crunch” from the growth in air-conditioning...

• Publication date : 2018/06/22
• Subjects: Figures, economy

Near absolute zero molecules.

MIT succeeded in chilling molecules in a gas of sodium potassium (NaK) to a temperature of 500 nanokelvins.

• Publication date : 2015/09/02

New NIST screening method for refrigerants

Researchers from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a computational method to identify candidate low-GWP refrigerant fluids. The method identified 1234 promising low-GWP chemicals among 56 203 considered.

• Publication date : 2012/11/20

Is GWP20 relevant?

At the 31st Open Ended Working Group of the Montreal Protocol meeting in Montreal in August 2011, a paper proposing to calculate GWP figures on a 20 rather than on a 100-year basis was released.

• Publication date : 2011/12/26
• Subjects: General information, Environment

DuPont develops a new foam expansion agent

FEA-1100, DuPont’s latest foam expansion agent, has an excellent environmental profile. It is characterized by zero ozone depletion potential and low global warming potential (9.4). DuPont indicates that FEA-1100 has a short atmospheric lifetime:...

• Publication date : 2011/06/08

An alternative metal alloy for magnetic refrigeration?

A new metal alloy which does not use rare-earth elements could lead to commercially viable magnetic refrigeration systems.

• Publication date : 2015/12/07

Use of chillers in cannabis greenhouses

The legalisation of medical cannabis in several states in the US involves the development of new techniques to manage temperatures while reducing production costs.

• Publication date : 2020/02/06

ICCC2016 highlights: ageing of refrigerated truck insulation

This summary refers to a paper presented during the IIR International Cold Chain Conference (ICCC2016) which took place in New Zealand. This paper can be downloaded from Fridoc database by using the direct link provided at the end of the article.

• Publication date : 2016/08/25