Contractors gear up for refreshed ATMOsphere Australia

By Eda Isaksson, Apr 23, 2019, 11:52 2 minute reading

The ATMOsphere Australia 2019 conference on natural refrigerants, now in its fourth edition, is returning to Melbourne on 8-9 May with a refreshed conference programme and several first-time speakers.

Melbourne's iconic Flinders Street Railway Station. Photo credit Fabian Mardi.

A new contractors panel is among the highlights of this year’s ATMOsphere Australia, the Australia and New Zealand edition of the global conference series on natural refrigerants.

For 2019 the conference – organised by shecco, publisher of this website – is returning to Melbourne where it was launched four years ago to promote energy-efficient HVAC&R practices.

The conference will once more serve as a meeting place for local and international HVAC&R stakeholders representing different interest groups who will gather to discuss the business case for natural refrigerants by disseminating knowledge, discussing lessons learned and exchanging best-practice examples. 

The 2019 edition features a refreshed programme structure focusing on panel discussions and the importance of contractors, whose role is highlighted in a dedicated session. The Contractors Panel features a keynote presentation by Baker Refrigeration, followed by presentations from MB Refrigeration, Coolphase, Degree C, Air Engineers and Cold Logic, and a panel discussion. 

The conference boasts over 33 expert speakers, most of whom are first-time speakers and almost half of whom represent end-user and contractor companies. 

The End User Panel will see Nestlé, Woolworths, Aldi, Ritchies Supermarkets, Emergent Cold and Link Logistics give their perspectives on the benefits, challenges and future potential surrounding the use of natural refrigerant-based technologies. 

The Policy and Energy Panel Discussion will see industry and government experts discuss Australia, New Zealand and global policy and regulatory issues and the impact of the HVAC&R sector on climate change. The Kigali Amendment, the transition to zero net emissions systems, and sustainability and renewables in integrated solutions are among the topics to be discussed. 

Looking to the future: Virtual Reality Training

TAFE SA, a vocational education and training school in South Australia, offers virtual reality (VR) refrigerant safety training where students are taught how to identify workplace hazards in real-world settings, without needing to step into a real machinery room. Shannon Baldock, a lecturer at TAFE SA, will hold a live demonstration of VR training for natural refrigerants on day one of the conference. The audience will see the virtual classroom on the big screen. 

Scantec showing market leadership 

Scantec Refrigeration Technologies Pty Ltd. ris supporting ATMOsphere Australia as Platinum Sponsor to demonstrate the company’s dedication to natural refrigerant-based technologies. 

Stefan Jensen, managing director of Scantec, said, “the current debate about the HFC phasedown is not about refrigerant substitution, it's about the technology transition that the phasedown will trigger and the fact that this transition has only just started – and only in selected jurisdictions globally." 

The company takes pride in helping customers to convert existing HFC-based systems to natural refrigerants. “For end users, the real challenge is not [necessarily] the cost of the refrigerant transition. The real challenge is maximising the benefits of the capital cost of the refrigerant change that ultimately becomes a necessity for all anyway,” said Jensen.

By Eda Isaksson

Apr 23, 2019, 11:52




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