Refrigeration and refrigerants

Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, shares her reflections from the 21st Women in HVACR Conference in Dallas.

Lifecycle refrigerant management was the theme of the recent 36th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP36) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has implemented a new automated licence renewal process designed to reduce the amount of time required to complete a licence renewal application.

AIRAH’s Advocacy and Policy Manager Mark Vender muses on the exceptional treatment of pre-charged equipment in Australia’s HFC phase-down.

What are the big, overarching global influences that we are likely to see in the built environment, and particular in HVAC&R, in the lead-up to 2050?

On a remote farm in Far North Queensland, a family business overcame adversity to realise a “green dream” in the design of a 8,500m² mushroom production facility. Sean McGowan reports.

Australia’s largest international HVAC&R and building services exhibition is slated for Sydney from May 28–30.

Boasting 300 exhibitors and 9,000 visitors over three days in May, ARBS 2024 will be the gathering place for the Australian HVAC&R community.

As a result of the increased contribution of renewable energy for electricity generation and rising gas prices, there has been a shift from natural gas to electric-based heating in recent times. Commonly used electric heating technologies in the built environment include electric resistance, and air- or water-source heat pumps (hereafter known as “conventional heat pumps”). However, a key concern in the industry has been the use of refrigerants that have high Global Warming Potential (GWP) and other refrigerants that are flammable and/or toxic.  

Although the use of CO2 in refrigeration has become common in supermarket and retail applications, the misconception that it is limited to refrigeration alone is being undone with the trial of a direct–expansion CO2 HVAC system at Woolworths Gordon, on Sydney’s north shore.

M3 Melbourne is one of two data centres in the Victorian capital that are set to house Australia’s largest and most comprehensive cloud ecosystem.

What gets measured gets managed is a truism of our age. But in the case of refrigerant gases, could a heavy reliance on one specific measurement be concealing the full sustainability story? Mark Vender reports.

ARBS chair Professor Tony Arnel talks us through four consumer trends and what they mean for the future of the office.

When Ecolibrium last took a deep dive into the state of Australia’s HVAC&R manufacturing base, we discovered that contrary to negative commentary at the time, there was a strong beating heart. As Sean McGowan reports, the challenges may differ today but the same optimism and ingenuity remains.

ARBS 2022, Australia’s premier international air conditioning, refrigeration and building services trade exhibition, is slated for August 2022 in Melbourne.

The application of phase-change material thermal energy storage, with a state-of-the-art control algorithm has enabled the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium in Townsville to make full use of its onsite solar electricity generation. Sean McGowan reports on this AIRAH–Award–winning technology.

Australian refrigeration pioneer James Harrison has featured in an episode of ABC rural affairs program Landline.

The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) in the UK has released a new guide to refrigerant selection. It aims to provide an overview of the critical points that should be considered in selecting refrigerants.

The Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) is calling for consultation on two policy papers that address key aspects to support users of HVAC&R technologies in the pathway to net zero emissions.

A centralised dual-stage, low-charge NH3 refrigeration plant with batch blast freezing at a new refrigerated warehouse in Melbourne is believed to represent a world-first. As Sean McGowan reports, the project is a finalist in the Excellence in Refrigeration category at the 2021 AIRAH Awards.