ASHRAE Journal - December 2022 - 10

INDUSTRY NEWS
A View of the Future:
Heat Pumps, Lower GWP
Refrigerants, Digitalization
NUREMBERG, GERMANY-When Chillventa's entrance gates opened
for the first time in four years recently, the 844 exhibitors
were uncertain of what to expect. When the three-day fair
(and one of the premier refrigeration technology events in
the world) ended, the verdict was in-30,773 visitors had
packed the stands and aisles of the show.
Though there was a small drop in the number of exhibitors
and visitors compared to 2018, exhibition stands were
bigger with no falloff in visitor quality. About 81% were
directly involved in the purchasing and procurement
decisions in their businesses, according to Elke Harreiss,
Chillventa's executive director. " From manufacturers to
plant operators, dealers, designers, architects and tradespeople,
everyone was there once again, " she said.
To Petra Wolf, a member of NürnbergMesse's executive
board, it was the enthusiasm on the faces of exhibitors
and visitors that impressed her the most. " As an industry
with vast potential for the future, there were many important
things to discuss, " she said.
Future on Display
Refrigerant choices in Europe are shaped by the European
Union's (EU) F-gas regulation (EU 517/2014) that
aims to reduce F-gas emissions by two thirds of 2014 levels
by 2030. This is being achieved by a quota system for
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (R-32, R-410A, R-134a, for
example). In April, the European Commission unveiled
a revision of the F-gas regulation to further reduce
emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and also make Europe
climate neutral by 2050. This means tightening the
quota system for HFCs reducing the potential climate
impact of the new HFCs coming onto the EU market by
98% between 2015 and 2050 to the extent that F-gases
would only be used in new equipment where no suitable
alternatives are available.
German manufacturer Efficient Energy GmbH exhibited
its Bluezero® technology that uses water (R-718) as a
refrigerant. The climate-neutral certified chillers of its
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eChiller product family dispense entirely with fluorinated
refrigerants. Water has a global warming potential
(GWP) of zero and does not fall under the F-gas regulation.
Cooling can be distributed by either water or air.
MIRAI INTEX, founded in Switzerland, exhibited what
it calls " nothing but air. " MIRAI's refrigerating technology
uses air, with its zero GWP, as the refrigerant. Air is
not a subject of F-gas regulation. The air cycle is widely
used in air separation plants as a cooling stage to obtain
cryogenic cold, to liquify natural gas, as well as in aircraft
air-conditioning systems.
Ammonia Among the Solutions
GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies was one of
the companies offering ammonia-based solutions. The
company announced expansion of its semi-hermetic
product portfolio, presenting two new screw compressor
models: GEA CompaX 350 and 400. For the GEA BluX
chiller, there will be major technical enhancements and
adaptations for optimal implementation to the compressors.
GEA promotes ammonia (R-717) as a compliance
path to F-gas regulation because of its ozone depletion
potential (ODP) and GWP of zero. The company says its
solutions provide high efficiencies by using ammonia
and state-of-the-art motor and compressor technology.
Propane
Europe's F-gas regulation has also raised the profile of
propane, R-290, as a refrigerant choice. When mechanical
refrigeration was first introduced, propane was among
the commonly used, first-generation refrigerant choice,
but its popularity decreased as nonflammable refrigerants
came into the market. Now because of its low ODP
and GWP, propane is winning favor again. In 2019, the
European Commission increased the charge limit of
R-290 to 500 g (1.1 lb) from 150 g (0.3 lb) to boost its use.
Panasonic announced that next year it will release three
new home models of its Aquarea L Series heat pumps
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ASHRAE Journal - December 2022

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