HVAC

With a belief that natural refrigerants will be the “only option” in the future, Enrad, a Swedish manufacturer liquid chillers and heat pumps, has been working exclusively with propane since 2008.

The City Advantage is a new Trane range of compact scroll water-cooled chillers and water-source heat pumps with lower GWP refrigerant R454B refrigerant.

Hailiang Business Hotel in Zhuji, China, has installed six 65kW (18.5TR) CO₂ (R744) heat pump units to replace its R22 heat pumps, resulting in 50% energy savings.

Bitzer, the refrigeration and air conditioning specialist presents its SPEEDLITE ELV52 scroll compressor, which was specially developed for electric buses and rail vehicles.

Automatic Heating, an Australian provider of heating and cooling systems to the commercial HVAC market, has installed 11 CO₂ (R744) heat pumps from Japanese manufacturer ITOMIC at six local Nightingale Housing carbon-neutral apartment buildings, resulting in estimated operational savings for tenants.

St. Olav Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, retrofitted the numerous cold rooms for its laboratory, on-site hotel and canteen with a CO₂ (R744) installation, complete with advanced controls and variable frequency drives (VFDs) to optimize energy efficiency and enhance system accuracy.

Automatic Heating, an Australian provider of heating and cooling systems to the commercial HVAC market, expects continued adoption of CO₂ (R744) heat pumps in the local market, having already installed more than 100 units from Japanese manufacturer ITOMIC into various commercial and residential (apartment building) projects in Australia with resulting COPs of up to 4.2.

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has released an interim report confirming that only heat pumps charged with natural refrigerants will be awarded the new German “Blue Angel” ecolabel certification.

A recently published study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna found that adopting propane (R290) in split air conditioners (ACs) worldwide would reduce global warming up to 0.12°C (0.22°F).

Daikin Europe has launched smaller capacity versions of its Altherma R32 Monobloc heat pump.

German car manufacturer Volkswagen attributes the efficiency gains and resulting improved range of its first electric SUV coupe, the ID.5, to the CO₂ (R744) heat pump used for its mobile heating and air-conditioning.

In a three-year research study testing the viability of German manufacturer Liebherr’s CO₂ (R744) air-conditioning system on a long-distance passenger train, the “eco2jet” project showed an energy efficiency improvement of 30%.

A study of two air-to-water reversible CO2 (R744) heat pumps with ejectors at a Swiss shopping center led to improved system performance at a subsequent installation, according to an article by Jonas Schönenberger, Head of Research and Development at Swiss engineering consultancy Frigo-Consulting.

As the race to decarbonize gains momentum and interest in electric heat pumps builds, natural refrigerants, such as CO₂ (R744), ammonia/NH₃ (R717) and propane (R290), are key to long-term success and sustainability, according to clean energy expert Andy Baker, Owner and Project Manager at Seattle, Washington-based YourCleanEnergy.

A CO₂ air conditioning system from German manufacturer Liebherr has been successfully tested in a passenger train in Austria.

Cimco Refrigeration, a Toronto-based refrigeration contractor, recently partnered with Canadian environmental and engineering consultancy Pinchin to create an ammonia/NH₃ (R717)-based “fifth-generation” district heating and cooling system in Canada.

Toshiba has announced the launch of its new SHRM Advance VRF air conditioning system, specifically designed to be safely used with the lower GWP A2L refrigerant R32.

More than 60% of German electric buses (e-buses) in 2021 used Konvekta’s CO₂ (R744) heat pump systems, according to a recent statement from the German manufacturer.

The global HVAC-R market was valued at $193.6 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $257.9 billion in 2027, following a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The growth in the global HVAC-R market is expected to be driven by increasing population and rapid urbanization, drastic change in weather conditions, and emerging innovation in HVAC-R.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a key EU advisory body, has released its opinion on the proposed EU F-gas Regulation, calling for a ban on all refrigerants with a GWP above five in new heat pumps, room air conditioners, chillers and refrigeration applications as of 2030.