R290 R D and products presented at&nbsp;2012 China Appliance World Expo

In the Shanghai 2012 Appliance World Expo (AWE), held on 20-23 March, several Chinese air conditioner and compressor producers including MIDEA, HIGHLY Group and Hisense presented their R&D activities as well as new products with R290 refrigerant to the Chinese media.

China Appliance World Expo (AWE), organised by China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA) is one of the largest and most influential home appliance exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific region. China’s major air conditioner and compressor manufacturers such as Midea, Gree, Hisense, Highly Group showcased their energy efficient products at the expo. MIDEA, HIGHLY Group and Hisense released information to the media on their propane (R290) products and research programmes.

Midea: R290 compressor ready for commercial production

In 2011, Midea’s GMCC R290 Compressor Line officially became a Montreal Protocol Implementation Demonstration Project funded by United Nations Multilateral Fund (MLF). It has also been supported by the Chinese 863 National High Technology R&D Programme that aims to boost innovation capacity and place China at the forefront of world technology development focusing on “leap-frog” development among other issues.

One of China’s leading AC producers, Midea has been working on the research and development with hydrocarbon refrigerants for many years now. At the China Appliance World Expo, they announced that they have completed the testing and research of their R290 compressor and that the technology is mature enough to be used in inverter air conditioner production. The company has commercial production capability for R290 compressors.

Highly Group: natural refrigerants are a key R&D field

Shanghai Highly Group Co., Ltd. is the world’s second largest air conditioner compressor supplier. Although the company’s compressor range at present still focuses on traditional refrigerants, the company is optimistic about the future of natural refrigerants.

Highly Group’s research on hydrocarbons and CO₂ compressors has been continuously developing. The company already has several patents regarding CO₂ and hydrocarbon technology in China. Its R290 compressor research already covers its G, L, H and TH series models. According to the Chief Technology Officer of Highly Group Mr Yang Jun, natural refrigerant has become their key field of research and development.

Hisense considers R290 adoption but challenges remain

Hisense Air-Conditioner Company is a Chinese manufacturer of home air conditioners. In line with the growing environmental concerns worldwide and especially after its main rivals Gree and Midea have both launched R290 compressor lines, Hisense is also considering to adopt R290 in its AC production.

According to Mr Wang Zhigang, the manager of Hisense, Hisense supports the application of R290 in air conditioner production, although they may probably not adopt the natural refrigerant until Hisense could solve industrialisation challenges as well as technical obstacles such as improving R290’s heating performance. In addition, Mr Wang Zhigang pointed out that Hisense is concerned with the impact of adopting new refrigerants on production costs, a concern shared by most AC manufacturers in China.