focusEditorialThe value of developing the cold chain in hot countries is becoming increasingly obvious, particularly in India — for several years now — but also in Africa and other hot regions of the world. In this context, the IIR signed a partnership agreement with FAO in July 2011. The agreement foresees joint actions and certain

actions have already been implemented (publications, regional workshops…). The scope of postharvest losses in these coun-tries, and the impact of these losses on food security, obliges us to take action.Among the various obstacles encountered, the cost and the reliability of the supply of electrical energy are often cited, and chilling is more energy-consuming in hot climates. This observation should promote the deve-lopment of systems based on well-known principles but for which the economic bene-fits (reduction in the cost of energy/additio-nal investment) are not sufficiently demonstrated. Thermal storage (of all types) is an example of an investment which merits greater attention in temperate as well as hot climates. Other technologies such as evapo-rative cooling also deserve further develo-pment. In remote regions with good solar exposure, absorption/adsorption cooling is attracting more and more interest.Maintenance issues are often cited among issues to be addressed. In certain cases, in particular in isolated sectors, this issue can be a greater problem than energy efficiency. The same applies to difficulties encountered when endeavoring to ensure temperature control within the required temperature range because of insufficient organization and human resources.All this indicates that strong and concerted action at the level of local public and profes-sional stakeholders and other international organizations. Industrial stakeholders and researchers in temperate countries should also seek new technologies that pave the way to future applications and markets. The IIR has decided to ensure that cold chain is one of its priority work areas for the coming years, drawing in particular on its recent agreement with FAO and its links with hot IIR member countries.

Didier CoulombDirector of the IIR

L’intérêt de développer la chaîne du froid dans les pays chauds en développement apparaît de plus en plus évident, en particu-lier en Inde - depuis plusieurs années déjà - mais aussi en Afrique et dans d’autres régions chaudes de la planète. L’IIF a signé en juillet 2011 un accord en ce sens avec la FAO, qui prévoit des actions communes dont certaines sont engagées à présent (publica-tions, séminaires régionaux…). L’ampleur des pertes après récoltes dans ces pays,

The IIR Congress which took place in Prague, Czech Republic, in August 21-26, 2011, was a great success. 944 attendees from 52 countries atten-ded. The most numerous came from Asia (China, Japan, South Korea) and Europe. All continents were represented. 593 papers and plenary pre-sentations were presented, and reflected the geographical distribution of the participants. As always, the greatest number of papers was on refrigerating equipment and on thermodyna-mics and transfer processes, but we saw a great increase of papers on heat pumps, compared with previous congresses. The papers will soon be available via the IIR’s Fridoc database. However, you will see in this issue of the Newsletter summaries of some papers providing an analysis which may interest most readers.Apart from the rich presentations, several events took place:- IIR statutory meetings: Management Committee, Science and Technology Council, General Conference. As is the case during every Congress, new IIR officers were nominated:Dr Piotr Domanski replaces Dr David Tanner as President of the Science and Technology Council; Mr Jacques Guilpart replaces Prof. Donald Cleland as Head of section C (Biology and Food technology); Mr Gérald Cavalier replaces Mr Sietze van der Sluis as Head of Section D (Storage and Transport); Dr Maciej Chorowski replaces Dr Vaclav Chrz as President of Commission A2 (Liquefaction and Separation of Gases); Dr Yong Tae Kang replaces Dr Piotr Domanski as President of Commission B1 (Thermodynamics and Transfer processes); Prof. Michael Kauffeld replaces Prof. Clark Bullard as President of Commission B2 (Refrigerating Equipment); Prof. Marija Todorovic replaces Prof. John Baust as President of Commission C1 (Cryobiology, Cryomedicine), Dr Silvia Estrada Flores replaces Prof. Bart Nicolai as President of Commission C2 (Food Science

and Engineering), Mr Richard Lawton replaces Mr Gérald Cavalier as President of Commission D2 (Refrigerated Transport).- IIR prizes: The Medal of Merit was awarded to Eric Granryd and Stanislav Safrata.Predrag Hrnjak received the Gustav Lorentzen Medal.Andrew Cleland received the IIR Science and Technology Medal.The Young Researchers Awards were given to Ekaterina Navasardyan, Edward Hammond, Andrew East, Ke Tang, Maria Trčka, Tatsuya Oku, Tatsunori Asaoka.- The IJR awards were given to:Best Paper Award, 2010/2011 : D. Gorenflo, E. Baumhögger, T. Windmann, G. HerresVery Highly Commended Paper Award, 2010/2011 :B. M. Fronk, S. GarimellaBest Paper Award, 2009/2010 : R. Akasaka, K. Tanaka, Y. HigashiVery Highly Commended Paper Award, 2009/2010: A. Cavallini, E. Da Riva, D. Del ColBest Paper Award, 2008/2009 : B. Blunier, G. Cirrincione, Y. Herve, A. MiraouiVery Highly Commended Paper Award, 2008/2009 : M. A. Kedzierski, M. Gong- An exhibition also took place. On its booth, the IIR presented its new Web portal and revamped Fridoc database and various publications.- Technical tours and cultural events also took place.Everybody enjoyed the congress greatly, both for professional reasons (presentations, contacts) and private reasons (cultural events and a friendly atmosphere).The next congress will take place in Yokohama, Japan, in 2014. Before then, many conferences will take place: see the IIR agenda!

avec toutes ses conséquences en matière de sécurité alimentaire, nous oblige à agir.Parmi les différents obstacles rencontrés, le coût et la régularité de l’approvisionnement en énergie électrique sont souvent cités, alors même que la réfrigération est plus « énergivore » lorsqu’il fait chaud. Ce constat devrait inciter à développer des dispositifs dont les principes sont bien connus mais dont l’intérêt économique (réduction du coût éner-gétique / surcoût d’investissement) n’est pas assez mis en évidence. Le stockage de froid (sous toutes ses formes) est un exemple d’in-vestissement qui devrait être examiné plus attentivement, y compris d’ailleurs en climat tempéré. D’autres techniques, telles que le refroidissement évaporatif mériterait aussi d’être développé. Dans les régions isolées bénéficiant d’un bon ensoleillement, le froid à absorption ou adsorption suscite de plus en plus d’intérêt.Les difficultés de la maintenance sont sou-vent citées également. Dans certains cas, en

The IIR Congress: a great success!

Radim Cermak presented the IIR flag to the organizers of the congress in Yokohama in 2015

particulier dans les secteurs isolés, cet aspect peut même primer sur l’efficacité énergétique. Il en est de même des difficultés à contrôler le respect des températures prescrites, faute d’organisation adéquate et de ressources humaines suffisantes.Tout cela plaide pour une action forte et concertée avec tous les acteurs publics et professionnels locaux, comme avec les autres organisations internationales. Les industriels et les chercheurs des pays tem-pérés devraient aussi y rechercher des nou-velles techniques, porteuses de nouveaux marchés. L’IIF a décidé d’en faire un de ses axes de travail privilégiés dans les années à venir, en s’appuyant notamment sur ce nou-vel accord avec la FAO et sur ses relais dans les pays chauds membres de l’IIF.

Didier CoulombDirecteur de l’IIF

Events The IIR will participate in the next UN Conferences

on the stratospheric ozone layer (MOP23) to be held in Bali, Indonesia, on November 21-25, 2011 and on climate change (COP17) to be held in Durban, South Africa, on November 28–December 9, 2011. The future of HFCs will be discussed because of new amended proposals to phase down HFCs (see “HFC news” below).

A UNEP-ASHRAE Conference for Middle East countries took place in Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on September 19-20, 2011, in order to discuss the replacement of HCFCs in refrigera-tion equipment. The Director of the IIR attended and presented a paper.

The Annual meeting of Transfrigoroute International took place in Valencia, Spain, on September 29-30, 2011. Didier Coulomb was invited and presented the state of the art of interna-tional discussions on fluorinated gases.

The annual Pôle Cristal conference in Dinan, France, was held on October 6-7, 2011. The Director presented discussions on F-gases at European and international levels. The President of the Executive Committee, Joe Paul, presented a paper on heat pumps.

Conference update

The 42nd International Congress on Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration will be held in

Belgrade, Serbia, on November 30-December 2, 2011. Register now! www.kgh-kongres.org

The 10th IIR-Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids (GL2012) will be h eld in Delft, the Netherlands on June 25-27,

2012. Abstracts are due now and full papers are to be submitted by December 24, 2011. Check out the plenary speakers and down-load the pre-programme: www.gl2012.nl info@gl2012.nl

The 10 th International Conference on Phase-Change

Materials and Slurries for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning will take place in Kobe, Japan, on July 29-August 1, 2012. Abstracts are due December 31, 2011 and full papers are to be sent by April 30, 2012. www2.kobe-u.ac.jp/~komoda/pcms/index.html heroc@kobe-u.ac.jp

12th Cryogenics 2012 will be held in Dresden, Germany, on September 11-14, 2012. Check out the themes and send an abstract by January 31, 2012: www.icaris.cz/conf/Cryogenics2012 Romana@icaris.cz

The 3rd IIR Workshop on Refrigerant Charge Reduction in Refrigerating Systems - RCR 2012 will be held in Valencia, Spain on October 25-26, 2012. Deadlines: abstracts due March 5, 2012 and full papers on May 21, 2012. www.imst.upv.es/iir-rcr2012 iir.rcr2012@gmail.com

Cryogen Expo 2011 is to take place in Moscow on November 8-10, 2011. It will fea-ture an unprecedented number of exhibi-tors: www.cryogen-expo.com

News from IIR members The IIR welcomes the following new members:

Benefactor memberDanfoss Commercial Compressors, FranceCorporate membersBalticare Ltd, UKGreenfield Energy Ltd, UKHowden Compressors, UKPrivate membersHannu Ahlstedt, Finland; Carlos Barrantes, Colombia; Mohamed Dayi, Morocco; David Luna, Brazil; Willian F. Mohs, USA; Carlos Eduardo Leme Nobrega, Brazil; Paulo Vodianitskaia, BrazilJunior membersGeorg Fosel, Denmark; Haitao Hu, China; Ferdousur Khan, Australia; Lars Finn Larsen, Denmark; Björn Margeirsson, Iceland; Yann Pecqueux, Norway; Wei Wu, China.

STEF-TFE opens largest cold store in MadridSDF Iberica, a subsidiary of STEF-TFE, has opened a 15 100 m² fresh and frozen food facility in Torrejon near Madrid at a cost of 23 million €. The new facility provides116 000 m3 of temperature-controlled sto-rage. The site has an energy-storage sys-tem based on eutectic nodules, providing 25% of the refrigeration energy needed. SDF expects to make savings of at least 15%. The facility also features low-GWP refrigerants and LED lighting.www.logisticsmanager.com/liChannelID/13/Articles/16790/STEF-TFE+opens+largest+cold+store+in+Madrid.html

Obituary Professor Albert Lacaze, who died on

August 5, 2011, was appointed honorary member of the IIR at the Vienna Congress in 1987, after having chaired the former Commission A1/2 from 1983 until 1987. He was Vice-President of this commission from 1980 to 1983 and was already one of its members before 1980. The IIR conveys its sympathy to Prof. Lacaze’s family.

In the news

Markets and figures Research and Markets has published a

report entitled "Global Healthcare Cold Chain Logistics Market Report & Forecast (2011-2016). The report emphasizes that strong growth in the sales of temperature-sensitive healthcare products is driving demand for cold chain logistic services. The market is currently experiencing explosive growth. The authors consider that the healthcare cold chain logistic ser-vices market will expand from its current figure of USD 6.1 billion to nearly USD 9.5 billion by 2016. This new report provides analysis of 3 aspects of this soaring market: i) quanti-fication of the global market for tempera-ture-sensitive healthcare products into three major classes and evaluation of the current and future opportunities in each of these classes; ii) an in-depth insight into the global healthcare cold chain distribu-tion process and logistic requirements for various temperature-sensitive healthcare products; and iii) the quantification of the global healthcare cold chain logistic servi-ces market and a comprehensive evalua-

tion of its various segments. The classes covered are biopharmaceuti-cals, vaccines and clinical trial materials. w w w . r e s e a r c h a n d m a r k e t s . c o m /research/3fd62a/global_healthcare www.reuters.com

Global LNG market to tighten in next few yearsAccording to Shell, the nuclear power capacity reductions following the Fukushima accident will result in a tighte-ning of the global gas market over the next two to three years. Following the major nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima facility in March, Germany switched off around 7 gigawatt (GW) of nuclear power capacity and has decided to totally phase out nuclear generation by 2022, and other major economies are also reviewing their nuclear power policies.For Japan, Asia's second biggest economy after China, the nuclear accident means it has begun to increase its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to compensate for the lost nuclear generation. "There is already some tightening in the gas market, and we will see a tightening of the LNG market in 2013 or 2014 based on increased demand in Asia and Europe," Graeme Sweeney, Shell's Executive Vice President, Future Fuels & CO2, has forecast.www.reuters.com www.globallnginfo.com/futher%20and%20fundamental.htm

Image courtesy of LNG World Shipping

Global ATW heat-pump market figuresIn 2010, global air-to-water (ATW) heat-pump market demand increased by 24% since the previous year to 1 238 500 units despite a 13% decline in European sales (from 526 263 to 456 144 units sold, still well over the 2007 figure of 396 556 units) and a 10% decline in the USA since 2009. The increase was partly due to the vitality of the Chinese market in 2010 with sales of 450 000 units, which represented enviable growth, following 150-200% annual growth rates since 2002. In addition to the Chinese domestic market, 20% of total Chinese ATW sales come from export markets. There are even claims that the Chinese ATW (not unlike its VRF market) has grown to more than double that of Europe, and in 2011 growth of 60% is still expected. JARN, August 25, 2011

Netherlands: refrigeration accounts for 18% of total electricity consumption in the industrial sectorA study(1) by KWA Business Consultants on the annual energy consumption of refri-geration plants in various industrial and non-industrial sectors in The Netherlands was presented during ICR2011. The industrial sector (including the food and drug industry) has an electrical ener-gy consumption of 200 PJ primary energy in total. Refrigeration consumes 35 PJ, which is an 18% share. Within the industrial sector, bulk chemical industry (9.0 PJ), refi-ning (3.6 PJ), refrigerated warehouses (2.0 PJ), oil and gas production (1.9 PJ) and

news

dairy (1.8 PJ) are the subsectors with the highest electricity consumption related to refrigeration. The non-industrial sectors have an elec-trical energy consumption of 96 PJ in total, of which refrigeration uses 21 PJ, i.e. a 22% share. Supermarkets are one of the sub-sectors within the non-industrial sector with the highest electricity consumption related to refrigeration (6.7 PJ), along with data centres (2.6 PJ), hotels and restau-rants (2.8 PJ), air-conditioned offices (2.5 PJ), hospitals (2.1 PJ) and above all, house-hold refrigerators, with an annual consumption related to refrigeration of 34 PJ primary energy. (1) The energy consumption of refrigeration installations and refri-gerant charges in Dutch industrial sectors, Pennartz et al.

HFC news Increasing pressure on HFCs

Policy-makers worldwide are increasing pressure to reduce HFC use.. On the occasion of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on September 16, 2011, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said “Parties to the Montreal Protocol are now considering further amendments, inclu-ding proposals to bring HFCs, under the Protocol in a manner that would comple-ment existing efforts under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. HFCs do not deple-te the ozone layer but are highly potent greenhouse gases, and their consumption has been increasing rapidly as they are being used to replace HCFCs. I urge Parties and industries to seize the opportunity provided by the HCFC phase-out to leap-frog HFCs wherever possible.” www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39573&Cr=ozone&Cr1=#. The European Parliament approved on September 14, 2011 a resolution stressing that “the F-gas Regulation has fallen far short of expectations”. MEPs also said that the Commission should propose changes to existing rules to speed up the reduction in emissions of HFCs and the phasing out of HCFCs. www.europarl.europa.eu/en/pressroom/content/20110914IPR26626/html/Beyond-CO2-MEPs-demand-stricter-rules-on-greenhouse-gases

The HFC issue will be at the heart of dis-cussions during MOP23 in Bali and COP17 in Durban (see above), since the two pro-posed amendments to the Montreal Protocol designed to include HFCs through a phase-down of production and consump-tion – by the USA, Canada and Mexico and by the Federated States of Micronesia – will be discussed again.

New projections regarding F-gas emis-sionsA study recently published by Gschrey et al.(1) predicts that global emissions of Kyoto Protocol fluorinated gases (HFCs + SF6 + PFCs) will amount to 4 GT CO2 eq. in 2050 if no mitigation measures are taken, with HFC emissions only representing 3.65 GT CO2. This represents 5.9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 (67.7 GT CO2), with HFCs amounting to 5.4%. This figure is about half as high as HFC emis-sions projected by Velders et al.(2) in 2009. According to this study, most F-gas emis-sions in 2050 will be generated by commer-cial refrigeration (41%). The stationary

air-conditioning sector will account for around 21% and the mobile air-conditioning sector for about 13%. Developing countries will account for 75% of total emissions of F-gases. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20430779.2011.579352(1) High increase of global F-gas emissions until 2050, Gschrey et al.(2) The large contribution of projected HFC emissions to future climate forcing, Velders et al.

F-gas: new legislative measures next yearThe European Commission published on September 26, 2011 a report on the applica-tion, effects and adequacy of the F-gas Regulation. In its conclusion, the Commission points out that “If all its cur-rent provisions are fully applied in all Member States, the Regulation, together with the MAC Directive, would make it pos-sible to avoid almost half of projected emissions by 2050, stabilising EU-27 emis-sions at today’s levels of 110 million tonnes of CO2 eq. However, in the context of the overall EU objective to cut emissions by 80–95% by 2050, the stabilization of F-gas emissions at today’s levels is not adequa-te and the analysis shows that already available or emerging low-GWP technolo-gies are technically feasible and can be cost-effective in many application areas.” This report identifies options for additional cost-effective reductions of F-gases in the EU. The Commission has also launched a public consultation of stakeholders on these options. Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, said “It is clear there is considerable scope for cost-effective reductions in F-gas emis-sions and following the public consultation, I intend to propose new legislative measu-res next year." The IIR is participating in this consultation. http://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/articles/news_2011092602_en.htm

Unreported HFC-23 emissionsA report published in Geophysical Research Letters says that Western Europe's emis-sions of HFC-23 are around twice as high as the officially reported level within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. In parti-cular, Italy is found to be emitting 10-20 times more HFC-23 than it reports.HFC-23 is a by-product in the manufacture of HCFC-22 with a very high GWP (14 800) and long lifespan (270 years). Destroying HFC-23 is not currently mandated by the F-gas Regulation.The report is based on analyses by Empa – the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology – which use a special gas chromatograph mass spectrometer enabling the emission levels of more than 50 halogenated greenhouse gases to be precisely evaluated, making it possible to identify the emission sources regionally. w w w . e m p a . c h / p l u g i n / t e m p l a t e /empa/3/110820/---/l=2

Asda succesfully tests R407F refrigerantAsda has published test results following a trial of Honeywell’s Genetron Performax LT refrigerant (R407F) at its Hunts Cross store. According to Asda, so far, the refri-gerant has consumed an average of 6.7% less energy than R407A, and 13.4% less energy than R404A. Honeywell claims that this blend of R32, R125 and R134a refrige-rants (GWP=1824) can also reduce CO2

emissions compared with an R404A system

and can be used for new installations and to retrofit existing R404A, R407A and R22 installations.www.racplus.com/news/asda-succesfully-tests-honeywells-r407f-refrigerant/8617456.article

R32, a short-term candidate to replace R22 in China?HFC-32 attracted attention during ICR2011 in Prague: it was the subject of 12 papers. It is the main component of HFC-410A with which it shares similar thermodynamic pro-perties, but at a lower price and with a lower GWP (675). According to Xu et al (1), it could be an acceptable working fluid to replace HFCs in heat pumps.In China, it is listed as one of the main alter-natives to R22 in the HCFC phase-out mana-gement plan, especially for room air conditioners, despite its compressor dis-charge temperature that is too high in air conditioners, especially in heat-pump wor-king mode. However, its slight flammabi-lity (A2L class-ASHRAE) limits its application in many cases. Other Asian countries are turning to R32 as officials from Indonesian Ministries of Environment and of Economy, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); Daikin and Panasonic rea-ched an agreement to introduce high-effi-ciency HFC-32 air conditioners on the Indonesian market. (1) Experimental research on quasi-two stage compression heat pump using HFC-32, Xu et al.

JARN, June 25 and August 25, 2011

HCFC news HCFC phase-out at risk from illegal trade

The phase-out of HCFCs under the Montreal Protocol could be undermined by black market trade unless enforcement agencies are prepared, according to the report Risk Assessment of Illegal Trade in HCFCs, jointly produced by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Given the booming production of, and demand for, HCFCs in developing coun-tries, combined with on-going demand and limited supply due to the restrictions in place in developed countries, the market conditions appear to be in place for a pos-sible repeat of the wide scale smuggling seen during the CFC phase-out,” said EIA report co-author Julian Newman. The situation in Europe illustrates how illegal trade can arise as a result of a phase-out. As of January 2010, demand for HCFCs within the EU must be met by using either reclaimed or recycled chemicals; however, demand for HCFCs for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment servicing remains higher than legal supplies can satisfy.“In Europe, there’s a risk that such demand could undermine the ban on importation and use of virgin HCFCs which came into force at the beginning of 2010; with the cost of HCFC-22 in the EU ranging from € 18-30 per kilo and the chemical available from developing countries at about € 2 per kilo, excluding shipping, the incentive for smug-glers to step in to meet the demand is clear. There’s little doubt that the emer-gence of a global black market in illegal HCFCs is a very real and significant threat.” added J. Newman. “What’s different this time around is that we have the prior expe-rience gained in combating CFC smug-gling.”

www.eia-international.org/hcfc-phase-out-at-risk-from-illegal-tradewww.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/HCFC-illegal-trade-report-web-version.pdf

“Loophole” in the US HCFC-22 phase-out planFive of the leading US air-conditioning manufacturers - Carrier, Daikin/McQuay, Trane, Johnson Controls and Lennox - wrote on August 15, 2011 to the EPA calling for an amendment to the Final Rule published at the end of 2009 which "bans the sale or distribution of air-conditioning and refrigeration appliances containing HCFC-22, HCFC-142b, or blends containing one or both of these controlled substan-ces as the refrigerant". "While the Appliance Rule bans the sale and distribution of appliances that are precharged with HCFC-22 at the time they are manufactured or imported into the US, EPA did not apply the same prohibition to appliance components that are uncharged," say the companies. "Instead, the Appliance Rule allows major components of an air conditioner or refri-geration unit to be shipped "dry" or with a holding charge containing an inert gas and then charged with refrigerants on-site. This situation creates a gaping loophole in the Appliance Rule and allows the conti-nued widespread use of HCFC-22." According to industry estimates, the R22 units are being offered to homeowners and businesses with failed units as a low cost option to replacement. As a result, R22 units still account for 10-20% of all sales in the US.www.acr-news.com/news/news.asp?id=2567&title=Loophole+hits+US+R22+phase-out+planswww.eenews.net/assets/2011/08/17/docu-ment_gw_01.pdf

Natural refrigerant news Tesco opens its first CO2 refrigeration

store in China Early August 2011, Tesco opened its 97th store in China, yet this is the first to fea-ture a CO2 refrigeration system. The 8635-m² supermarket includes a fresh area of 2000 m² and is located in the Cloud Nine Shopping Mall in the Minhang district of Shanghai. The store is the first in China to adopt a CO2 refrigeration system. According to Tesco, the Shanghai store uses 25% less energy than standard store designs. Designed, installed and commissioned by Shanghai Fute Refrigeration & Electrical Engineering Co, Ltd., the system is a cas-cade CO2/R404A one, with a low-tempera-ture system capacity of about 60 kW at -33°C, and a medium-temperature system capacity of about 260 kW at -9°C. The exhaust heat from the refrigeration sys-tem is recovered and reused to meet the store’s hot water needs. The use of low outdoor temperatures in winter and in transitional periods will generate conside-rable energy savings. www.r744.com

Chinese manufacturer starts production of propane room ACsChinese air conditioner manufacturer Gree Electric Appliances Inc announced in July 2011 the official opening of a produc-tion line for room air conditioners running with propane (R290). The company will

manufacture approximately 100 000 units of room air conditioners per year. The product is claimed to comply with interna-tional safety standards and exceeds the minimum efficiency requirements for air conditioners within many countries and regions, including China, India, Australia, Europe and Brazil.www.hydrocarbons21.com

MAC news CO2 AC systems in

German busesDuring the 12th K a r l s r u h e r F a h r z e u g k l i m a S y m p o s i u m i n September 2011, new approaches in

mobile air-conditioning systems (MAC) in buses were presented and an overview of a number of CO2 MAC buses in Germany was given. Out of a total of 26 buses equipped with CO2 mobile air-conditioning systems (MAC) in Germany, 22 buses are still in operation today. The currently oldest bus belongs to Saar-Pfalz-Bus and has been using a CO2 MAC system since 2004. The good experien-ces have encouraged the regional trans-port company to acquire in total 5 buses with CO2 MAC in 2011, while the public trans-port company of Berlin (BVG) integrated 7 buses with CO2 MAC into their fleet in 2010. In 2010, the regional transport company of Kurhessen (RKH) introduced in Kassel for the first time a bus equipped with a rever-sible CO2 MAC, which not only cools but also heats the bus. The average COP of the system, calculated from the ratio of coo-ling/heating performance to motor out-put, was 3.54 (3.1 in A/C mode, 3.8 in heat-pump mode). www.r744.com

R1234yf tested for bus ACTests co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and run bus AC system company Hispacold suggest that HFO-1234yf is a near drop-in replacement refrigerant for HFC-134a in the tested Hispacold’s 12S roof top bus air-conditio-ning units. Performance results were not detailed but Hispacold reported a 99.77% reduction in direct emissions. www.rac-plus.com/news

R1234yf car AC launchedDelphi Automotive will introduce an air-conditioning system featuring one of the industry’s first uses of R1234yf. The system will be installed in a European vehicle and was unveiled at Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA). Delphi is supplying the compressor and condenser for the vehi-cle. To enable compatibility with R1234yf, Delphi is using a new compressor lubricant that improves performance and system durability and can also be used with R134a. www.greencarcongress.com

Briefs New Zealand: lessons learnt from cold

store explosionA recent coronial inquest into the explosion in April 2008 of a cold store in Tamahere, New Zealand, following a hydrocarbon refrigerant leak, has revealed a number of deficiencies. The incident, which caused the death of a fireman, was due to a pipe rupture provoking the leakage of some of

the 400 kg of refrigerant that was used in a direct exchange cooling system. Icepak Coolstore’s gas detection and ventilation systems were inadequate for the type of refrigerant used (95% propane) which is heavier than air. The plant’s refrigeration system was reportedly prone to leaks, nee-ded constant maintenance and experien-ced ongoing problems. Meetings which took place with industry bodies such as IRHACE during the inquest focused on the adequacy of the existing regulatory regime and training opportu-nities and could lead to the introduction of a new licensing scheme for refrigeration and air-conditioning contractors.www.acr-news.com www.hydrocarbons21.com

Soaring rare earth prices: impact on inverter ACsRoughly 100 g of rare earth elements are used in a 1.1 kW inverter compressor, and recycling of these elements is proving dif-ficult. In China, soaring rare earth prices are expected to raise the cost of inverter compressors by 30% (roughly USD 15). China currently produces over 90% of the world’s rare earth elements. However, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the USA are endeavo-ring to raise their production. JARN, August 25, 2011

Find out how efficient your cold store is!Perhaps you know how much energy your cold store uses each year, but have you ever wondered how your cold store ranks against other similar cold stores? Maybe you are throwing away money and wasting energy when your cold store could be more efficient? Now you can check how efficient your cold store is against hun-dreds of other stores across Europe thanks to the free ICE-E Energy Adviser! By entering your energy consumption data and information about your cold store, you can see how your cold store ranks against similar-sized stores with similar functions. The survey is totally confidential: no data will be divulged. Sign up for the ICE-E ben-chmarking survey: http://coldstoresurvey.teknologisk.dk The ICE-E EU project aims to reduce ener-gy consumption and greenhouse gas emis-sions from the European food cold storage sector through application of energy-efficient equipment choices in compliance with the EU’s energy and envi-ronmental policies.

The European Commission develops plan designed to slash food wasteThe European Commission (EC) intends to slash the 89 m tonnes (179 kg per person) of food currently wasted annually by consumers and the industry. Roughly 42% of total food waste is generated by consu-mers, 39% by food manufacturers, 5% by retailers and 14% by the catering sector. Waste slashing will be based upon optimi-zation of food packaging through bio-based, biodegradable, active and intelligent packaging will play key roles. www.foodproductiondaily.com

Chilled foods are not so wastefulThe UK Chilled Foods Association (CFA) has

responded to criticism that the manufac-ture and sale of chilled prepared foods is “incredibly wasteful” compared with fro-zen and ambient foods. CFA emphasizes that just-in-time ingredient sourcing manu-facture and distribution enables wastage in chilled food production to be tightly controlled. Moreover, Climate Change Agreement data demonstrate that the chilled food sector in the UK has reduced its carbon intensity by 22% since 1999. CFA data indicate that wastage of chilled foods has been reduced by 40% over the past 3 years. www.foodmanufacture.co.uk

Ammonia21.com community to be laun-ched soonAmmonia21.com, launched 3 years ago, is about to launch its community, a gateway to the first global online natural refrige-rants community. It will enable users to interact with peers around the world, find new business and project partners or set up meetings at upcoming events. www.ammonia21.com

The European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA) has appointed a new Secretary General: Frank O. Baumeister took over this role on September 1, 2011. www.ecsla.be

Out of the ordinary Panasonic and Accenture join forces to

create a smart city in Fujisawa, JapanPanasonic, Accenture and seven other companies are to develop a smart city, Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town intended to be a model for an environmentally-min-ded urban area. Fujisawa is located rou-ghly 60 km from Tokyo and has 400 000 residents. Fujisawa SST will gain its intelli-gence via infrastructure and services — from IT to energy — from the 9 companies. It will support 1000 households and is to open in March 2014. The focus will be on energy efficiency using measures such as solar power generation and battery sto-rage systems, and the aim is to replicate success elsewhere in Japan and overseas. The reason for the USD 742-million project is Asia’s booming population growth. Panasonic considers that the development of new cities will occur swiftly on a huge scale, and believes that the rolling out of a full-scale smart city is a good business move. The companies are measuring suc-cess by a targeted 70% reduction in CO2

emissions (compared with 1990 levels), and citizens’ acceptance.www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/panasonic-accenture-partner-on-smart-city-in-fujisawa-japan/16692

Technology

ICR2011 highlights During the IIR Congress in Prague, a com-

plete session was devoted to carbon cap-ture and storage (CCS).Berstad et al.(1) stressed that according to

IEA, out of the targeted global annual CO2 emissions reductions – 50% by 2050 com-pared to 2005 levels –, CCS from power generation and industry is estimated as being about 19% of the mitigation poten-tial. Nekså et al.(2) gave an overview of current and possible application of refri-geration technologies within CCS and chal-lenges encountered. Refrigeration technologies may play an important role in the major challenge of CCS which is to significantly reduce the related parasitic power consumption and costs.A wide range of CO2 capture technologies is currently being developed for short-, mid- and long-term deployment: chemical solvents, physical solvents, solid sorbents, membranes and low-temperature/cryoge-nic separation. The main CO2 capture rou-tes within power production can be divided into post-combustion, pre-combustion and oxy-combustion. Capture from industrial point sources may often be compared to the boundary conditions of post-combus-tion capture.Post-combustion capture from power pro-duction is associated with capture from flue gases containing relatively low concentrations of CO2 at pressures close to atmospheric. The most commonly eva-luated low-temperature technique for atmospheric flue gas is freezing out the CO2 from the flue gas at atmospheric pres-sure, often denoted anti-sublimation. Pre-combustion capture is related to cap-ture of the CO2 before combustion. H2 from a shifted synthesis gas is used as fuel in a gas turbine. The syngas is produced by gasification of coal or reforming of natu-ral gas. Gasification and oxygen blown reformers require oxygen from an air separation unit (ASU) as input. The conven-tional technology for air separation utilizes cryogenic separation. Separation of CO2 from the shifted synthesis gas is the other process step where refrigeration techno-logies may be utilized.In oxy-combustion, fuel is burnt with oxy-gen instead of air. In this way, high CO2 concentrations in the flue gas can be obtained. After condensing out the water content in the flue gas, CO2 is captured from the remaining flue gas mixture, main-ly CO2 and non-condensable gases, befo-re pressurization for transport in a compression and purification unit (CPU). The oxygen used in the fuel combustion is produced in an ASU. Low-temperature technologies are viable options for the ASU and for the CO2 purification of the CPU.Nekså et al. conclude that by adaption of improvement possibilities given by increased component efficiencies and better integration and gains made possi-ble due to plant scale-up, it should be pos-sible to retain and possibly improve the strong position of refrigeration technolo-gies. Several important RD&D tasks are still to be done in order to realize CCS in a cost-efficient way.(1) Potential for low-temperature concepts in different CCS applica-tions, Berstad et al.(2) Overview of current and possible applications for refrigeration technologies within CCS, Nekså et al.

Micro-refrigeration development was one of the important themes of ICR2011. It has been underway for a few decades, and is strongly associated with a progress in such technologies as autonomous power supply, integrated micro transportation and enhanced heat transfer techniques and the 21st century brought new possibili-ties thanks to micro-electric and mechani-cal systems (MEMS) technology.

Kosoy (1) suggests a microfluidic refrigera-tion platform approach, as a combinable set of refrigerant handling steps together with a suitable micro-fabrication techno-logy which could be selected by identifying imperative requirements of specific appli-cations e.g. portability, low power consump-tion, high coefficients of performance, etc. Examples of such devices can be found in microelectronics, nuclear tech-nology, aerospace, bioengineering, etc. Elbel et al.(2) focused on miniature vapour-compression technology and its achieva-ble cooling-output-to-system-mass ratio. However, their paper also gave a compa-rison of a variety of cooling approaches that could be used in autonomous (and mostly man-mounted) systems for cooling vests. These included the evaporative type, the most commonly encountered, mainly for reasons of simplicity and low cost. The approach chosen in the study was a direct-expansion system which requires a completely different evaporator design from those using vapour-compression technology to chill a secondary fluid such as water or glycol, circulated through loops inside the cooling vests. In this case, the pressurized primary refrigerant cir-culates directly through the cooling loops, thanks to tubing materials which combine suitable pressure resistance with a certain degree of flexibility so as not to hinder the user’s movements. With a system cooling output per unit mass ratio of 26 W kg-1

(including power source) at 35°C ambient temperature, it is claimed to be “one of the most compact and light weight systems ever reported in the open literature.”(1) Microfluidic refrigeration platforms: strengths and limi-tations, B.V. Kosoy(2) Development and analysis of miniature vapour compres-sion cooling technology, S. Elbel et al.

Improving insulation thanks to vacuumVacuum insulation panels (VIPs) are cur-rently being launched in many insulation applications: aeronautics, marine, buil-ding, domestic/commercial refrigeration and insulated containers for the transport of heat-sensitive products such as vacci-nes, blood and medicines.Conventional insulation materials rely on gas captured in very small closed cavities using a minimum amount of material (or very high porosity above 90%). The main contributor to heat transfer is the captu-red gas, generally air, which has a thermal conductivity of 0.025 W/m.K. Therefore the most efficient solution for reducing heat transfer is to remove the gas through a vacuum or by applying low pressure, as in the case of a Thermos flask. A VIP has a porous core material (fibrous filler, fibreglass, open polymer foams, pel-lets, “pyrogenated” silica which has the advantage of a certain amount of nanos-copic pores increasing the durability, etc.) wrapped in a water-tight film. VIPs are made by sealing the core material in a bar-rier film under vacuum. The film is gene-rally a polymer-aluminium-polymer multi-layer material which must prevent penetration of air components in the material, specifically nitrogen and oxygen and above all water vapour. In order to achieve and maintain low thermal conduc-tivity, the core material, the quality of the barrier film and the vacuum level are the main parameters. Containers should also be well designed so as to avoid thermal bridges. VIPs can increase the thermal performance of insulated containers (up to 240 hours) and/or

IIR conferences

IIR-co-sponsored conferences

Belgrade - Serbia - November 30-December 242nd International Congress on Heating, Air Conditioning and RefrigerationBranko Todorovic: todorob@eunet.rswww.kgh-kongres.orgCommissions B1, B2, D1, E1, E2

West Lafayette - USA - July 16-1914th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue 2nd International High-Performance & Green Buildings Conference at Purdue21st International Compressor Engineering Conference at Purdue herlcong@purdue.eduhttps://engineeringpurdue.edu/Herick/EventsCommissions B1, B2, E1, E2

Opatija - Croatia - September 18-20EuroSun 2012 hsse@riteh.hrCommissions B1, B2, E1, E2

Houston - United States - April 16-19LNG 17kprentice@lng17.org rclarke@etf.com.auwww.lng17.orgCommission A2

reduce their thickness. VIP refrigerated contai-ners allow for controlled-temperature shipping lasting 7-10 days as their performance is 3 times better than conventional polyurethane (up to 96 hours) and consequently

4.5 times higher then that of polystyrene (48 hours). According to Kacimi and Labranque (1), their success requires improvements in effi-ciency and lower costs, for instance simply thanks to a protective layer with a resistant material. The re-use of the insulated boxes will also make them profitable and justify their high price. (1) Vacuum insulated panels (VIP) in insulated packaging, Kacimi et al.

Briefs

Edible carrot films display food packaging potentialBarrier properties exhibited by carrot-based edible films demonstrate potential for their use as packaging for a variety of food types, according to recent research from China. The study performed at Jilin University aimed to produce composite edible film with carrot puree and to examine how levels of other components – i.e. carboxy-methyl cellulose (CMC), corn starch and gelatin – affected its mechanical and bar-rier properties. The research led by Xinwei Wang was based on carrots because of their nutritional value and the fact that few vegetable-based products had been developed. Carrots contain water, protein cellulosic substances and pectic – and adding these components could lead to the formation of a cost-effective and biodegradable film. “Obtaining films with good oxygen per-meability (OP) and desirable film mecha-nical properties would be an indication of the possible use of carrot as an alterna-tive source of packaging. Carrot films may have a potential to be commercial becau-se they can be used as food or food pac-kaging”, they added. The study was published in the journal Food and Bioproducts Processing. www.foodproductiondaily.com

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has developed a small, high-efficiency centri-fugal chiller that uses water as refrige-rant. www.ejarn.com

Watch a video showing cryoablation of a liver tumour at Fuda Hospital, China: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyaDCXL7isk&feature=related

Another video shows how cryosurgery relieves chronic foot pain: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fqalM4EjVE

Regulations-Standardization

Briefs Australia to set up a carbon price for HFCs

On September 13, 2011, the Australian Government introduced to the Parliament a set of Bills that aim to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 159 million tonnes CO2 eq. a year. Included are bills that will introduce a carbon charge on imports of synthetic greenhouse gases – including HFCs – and equipment containing such gases. The applicable carbon charge has been fixed at AUD 23 (about € 16.9) per tonne CO2 eq. from July 1, 2012 and will rise by 2.5% each year until July 1, 2015. The price mechanism will then become an emis-sions trading scheme, in which the price will be determined by the market. This would mean a charge of about € 22 per kg of HFC-134a by July 2012.The level of the Australian carbon charge is somewhat higher than the HFC tax level in Denmark (€ 17.5/kg of HFC-134a in 2011) but lower than the tax level in Norway (€ 39/kg of HFC-134a) or the proposed tax in Sweden that if introduced would result in a tax of about € 35/kg of HFC-134a.www.ammonia21.com www.acrnews.com/news

The Government of Argentina recently published the No. 98/2011 regulation speci-fying stricter energy efficiency standards for all freezers, refrigerators and other refrigeration appliances imported to or sold in Argentina. Under this regulation, all

freezers or refrigerators covered must meet the level C energy efficiency requi-rements or higher; the lowest efficiency standard was D in the past. This new regu-lation entered into force on September 1, 2011.www.ejarn.com/news.asp?ID=16278

New Chinese CO2 heat pump standardOn June 1, 2011 a new Chinese CO2 heat pump standard was formally implemented. Standard GB/T26181-2010 is for hermetic motor-compressors for household and similar-use heat pump water heaters using CO2 refrigerant, and is expected to acce-lerate the launching of new products on the Chinese market. The new standard defines requirements for compressor cooling capacity, the COP and noise levels, and is based on the characteristics of pro-ducts envisaged for the Chinese market. The standard has been developed in anti-cipation of the launching of CO2 heat pump water heaters on the Chinese market in 2012. www.R744.com

June25-27

Delft Netherlands

10th IIR-Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids (GL2012)Gerard Vos: info@gl2012.nlwww.gl2012.nl

IIR ConferenceCommissions B1, B2, D1, E1, E2

July 29August 1

KobeJapan

10th IIR International Conference on Phase-Change Materials and Slurries for refrigeration and Air ConditioningHiroshi Suzuki: heroc@kobe-u.ac.jpwww2.kobe-u.ac.jp/~komoda/pcms/index.html

IIR ConferenceCommissions B1, B2, D1

September 11-14

DresdenGermany

12th Cryogenics 2012Romana Kocova, Romana@icaris.czwww.icaris.cz/conf/Cryogenics2012

IIR ConferenceCommissions A1, A2, C1

2012

October 25-26

ValenciaSpain

3rd IIR Workshop on Refrigerant Charge Reduction in Refrigerating Systems - RCR 2012iir.rcr2012@gmail.comwww.imst.upv.es/iir-rcr2012

IIR ConferenceCommissions B1, B2with D1, D2, E1, E2

August 31Sept. 6

YokohamaJapan

ICR2015 – 24th International Congress of RefrigerationIcr2015@ics-inc.co.jp

IIR CongressAll commissions20

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2012

2013

International Institute of RefrigerationInstitut International du Froid177, bd Malesherbes - 75017 Paris, France

Tel.: 33 (0)1 42 27 32 35 - Fax: 33 (0)1 47 63 17 98

E-mail: iif-iir@iifiir.org

Web site: www.iifiir.orgThe Newsletter of the IIR is a quarterly publication of the IIRManaging Editor: Didier CoulombEditor: Jean-Luc DupontEditorial assistants: Susan Phalippou Mitchell, Gerard Vidal, Cornelia Keizer, Thomas MichineauGraphic Design: EdiConseil

Agenda