The latest developments in hydrocarbon technologies and their future market prospects was an important topic at the ATMOsphere Asia 2014 conference, which took place from 3-5 January in Tokyo. Presentations by Professor Kiyoshi Saito from Waseda University and Bill Ho from AHT Cooling Systems focused on R600a ejectors and air-conditioners as well as R290 commercial display cabinets.
Kiyoshi Saito, Professor in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering at Waseda University in Tokyo, provided the introduction to the second day of the ATMOsphere Asia 2014 conference. He outlined the most recent research conducted on natural refrigerants in Japan, which he identified as the country with the highest number of available natural refrigerant technologies, including hydrocarbon residential refrigerators.
One new Japanese technology presented by Professor Saito was a hydrocarbon ejector solar cooling system, which uses ejectors and generators instead of compressors. Since the ejector is a very small device, the total size of the system can be reduced. The system is driven by solar energy. After several simulations, ammonia and hydrocarbons have been found to be the most efficient refrigerants in this system. Only recently did researchers start analysing the use of natural refrigerants in this particular system and the development is ongoing.
Professor Saito also presented a simulation involving the use of an R410a air-conditioning system with hydrocarbon drop-in, calculating the performance of the system using R410a and R600a. He found that R600a is a very good refrigerant with an average COP that is 10% higher than R410a. However, the experiments following the theoretical calculation showed that while the COP for drop-in R600a is approximately the same as R410a, the cooling capacity decreases greatly. Therefore, Professor Saito concluded that R600a performs best when used in systems designed for hydrocarbons and not as a drop-in solution, which could also have safety implications. Current research is focused on optimising the air-conditioner with R600a through simulations.
Future research on the topic of natural refrigerants will include the development of a natural refrigerant map showing the most suitable application for each refrigerant, analysing its performance, safety and costs to help identify the most suitable refrigerants for different countries.
AHT brings R290 cabinets to Asia
AHT Cooling Systems produces a range of R290 cabinets. The company has supplied more than 530,000 of these cabinets all over the world. The R290 cabinets are not only environmentally friendly; they are also very low on energy consumption and low on capital costs. They provide significant energy savings compared to remote systems and offer up to a 60% reduction in running costs compared to open top freezers. Design benefits include a large volume capacity, high visibility due to the curved lids and lowered front edges, as well as flexibility within the store (plug-in solution).
Specifically in Asia, AHT has supplied 158 freezer cabinet units to a Korean supermarket. SIAM MAKRO Thailand has been using AHT units since 2007, and has installed 2,750 cabinets.
While hydrocarbons are flammable, Ho stated that there are many standards applied to HC systems to ensure their safety, such as the use of a hermetic compressor. Although hydrocarbons are not a widely known alternative for supermarkets, AHT aims to communicate to the market that these systems are available and it is a proven technology. According to Bill Ho, CO2 systems tend to have more technical requirements, unlike HC systems, which need care when discharging to ensure that it is not done in an enclosed space.
One new Japanese technology presented by Professor Saito was a hydrocarbon ejector solar cooling system, which uses ejectors and generators instead of compressors. Since the ejector is a very small device, the total size of the system can be reduced. The system is driven by solar energy. After several simulations, ammonia and hydrocarbons have been found to be the most efficient refrigerants in this system. Only recently did researchers start analysing the use of natural refrigerants in this particular system and the development is ongoing.
Professor Saito also presented a simulation involving the use of an R410a air-conditioning system with hydrocarbon drop-in, calculating the performance of the system using R410a and R600a. He found that R600a is a very good refrigerant with an average COP that is 10% higher than R410a. However, the experiments following the theoretical calculation showed that while the COP for drop-in R600a is approximately the same as R410a, the cooling capacity decreases greatly. Therefore, Professor Saito concluded that R600a performs best when used in systems designed for hydrocarbons and not as a drop-in solution, which could also have safety implications. Current research is focused on optimising the air-conditioner with R600a through simulations.
Future research on the topic of natural refrigerants will include the development of a natural refrigerant map showing the most suitable application for each refrigerant, analysing its performance, safety and costs to help identify the most suitable refrigerants for different countries.
AHT brings R290 cabinets to Asia
AHT Cooling Systems produces a range of R290 cabinets. The company has supplied more than 530,000 of these cabinets all over the world. The R290 cabinets are not only environmentally friendly; they are also very low on energy consumption and low on capital costs. They provide significant energy savings compared to remote systems and offer up to a 60% reduction in running costs compared to open top freezers. Design benefits include a large volume capacity, high visibility due to the curved lids and lowered front edges, as well as flexibility within the store (plug-in solution).
Specifically in Asia, AHT has supplied 158 freezer cabinet units to a Korean supermarket. SIAM MAKRO Thailand has been using AHT units since 2007, and has installed 2,750 cabinets.
They are happy with the system, because it is very easy to install and operate, is low maintenance, the temperature is maintained at a constant level, and the systems have a low failure rate, etc.,” said Bill Ho, Sales Director for AHT Cooling Systems Asia Limited.
While hydrocarbons are flammable, Ho stated that there are many standards applied to HC systems to ensure their safety, such as the use of a hermetic compressor. Although hydrocarbons are not a widely known alternative for supermarkets, AHT aims to communicate to the market that these systems are available and it is a proven technology. According to Bill Ho, CO2 systems tend to have more technical requirements, unlike HC systems, which need care when discharging to ensure that it is not done in an enclosed space.
Watch our exclusive video with Bill Ho, President, AHT at ATMOsphere Asia 2014We do not think we are the only solution, but we think we are part of the solution,” said Ho.
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Feb 11, 2014, 16:31
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