Educational institutions

All apprentices studying Level 2 RACHP upwards will eligible to compete in the 2018 SkillFridge skills competition.

It has been widely acknowledged that the number of technicians trained to handle natural refrigerant systems is dwindling. But the advent of small and standardized low-charge ammonia packaged systems – which can be used instead of traditional massive ammonia plants or synthetic refrigerant systems – will make it easier to train and maintain enough qualified technicians, according to Mike Chapman, director of process safety management (PSM) compliance at Stellar, and Kurt Liebendorfer, vice-president of Evapco.

If there’s one thing we’re learning about this global planetary experiment called climate change, it’s that there are unexpected consequences. Case in point: All of the water pouring off Earth’s melting ice sheets is making the oceans heavier, so much so that seafloors are literally sinking. And that could be messing with our measurements of global sea level rise.

With the phase-out of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer progressing, the introduction of alternatives with not only zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) but also low global warming potential (GWP) and improved energy efficiency is becoming an issue of increasing importance, especially in developing countries.

In recent years, ozone depletion efforts have primarily focused on the obligatory phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODS). However, in 2013, Decision XIX/6 at the 19th Meeting of the Parties highlighted the importance of climate and energy-efficiency as related to HCFC phaseout. In order to achieve reduction of both ODS and GHG emissions, attention must be paid to activities at a microlevel. This includes reducing leakage rates, adopting good service practices, improving energy-efficiency and preventing adverse environmental impacts during equipment servicing and maintenance.

A new guide on variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning was published in December 2017 ior cibse vrfas a joint publication from the Institute of Refrigeration and CIBSE. IOR members will be able to download it for FREE from the web site.

The European F-gas refrigerant training and certification scheme is to be emulated in Argentina as the country seeks to move to low GWP alternatives.

In a sign of growing interest in natural refrigerants in the Asia-Pacific, training organisations in Australia and New Zealand are seeing increased demand for natural refrigerant system training from owners, operators, and technicians in the region.

Warmer than average weather conditions this year are said to account for satellite measurements showing the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer as the smallest since 1988.

The latest refrigeration and air conditioning compressor technologies will be explained in a new programme of training sessions announced by Bitzer UK.

The Institute of Refrigeration Ireland and Engineers Ireland are presenting a one-day conference next month on Safe Ammonia Refrigeration.

This September marks 30 years since the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted. In honour of this important milestone, the Ozone Secretariat and the global community are launching the #OzoneHeroes campaign. A public engagement campaign to celebrate the international agreement’s success in protecting Earth against ozone depletion and mitigating climate change.

On 25 August, the small Caribbean island country of Grenada installed its first two air-conditioning (AC) units to use hydrocarbons. The installation of the R290-based (propane) units is part of a regional demonstration project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

REAL Alternatives, an online training programme, will be holding new ‘train the trainer’ events and study days across Europe thanks to new funding from the European Commission.

REAL Alternatives training to be expanded across Europe with support of European Commission environment and climate action programme.

The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) has just provided its first training workshop for entrepreneurs and technicians on refrigeration and air conditioning using natural refrigerants.

In new book, Project Drawdown calculates impact of 80 strategies on cutting greenhouse gas emissions over 30 years.

The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) references and makes available in open access on its website, PhD theses dedicated to refrigeration.

Since February 27 till March 2, 2017, a meeting of representatives of refrigeration associations of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine as well as working groups from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan took place in Moscow. It resulted in establishing the Interstate technical committee which will help specialists in refrigeration solve their common problems.

Since February 27 till March 2, 2017, a meeting of representatives of refrigeration associations of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine as well as working groups from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan took place in Moscow. It resulted in establishing the Interstate technical committee which will help specialists in refrigeration solve their common problems.