Newly opened Danfoss laboratory allows testing of units with up to 10kg charge of flammable refrigerant

With space for the sales, marketing, engineering and R&D functions, the 1580 m² lab is expected to become a hub for knowledge sharing with customers and across the organisation.

Testing of flammable and new refrigerants

Being aware of the fast changing industry environment, the new laboratory will support the product development by facilitating testing of refrigeration and air conditioning components, including:

• zero leak technology
• expansion device characterisation
• materials and system chemistry

Alice Riemer, Director of Danfoss Automatic Controls laboratory, explains, “The lab is designed for testing flammable and new refrigerants, as well as high pressure CO₂ components. And because the lab has a large number of psychometric rooms and climate chambers, we can also conduct tests on a wide range of applications, such as heat pumps and air-conditioners”.

Regarding the flammable refrigerant testing, Ms Riemer adds: “In general these tests can be functionality and compatibility tests in small test circuits created for the specific task. The units charged with flammable refrigerants can be tested in the climatic chambers according to various international standards such as ARI and EN.”

Supporting use of low GWP refrigerants

The lab will play an important role in Danfoss’ commitment to supporting the use of low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, including hydrocarbons and CO₂ and it will help the company advance this technology.

With facilities for testing components used in environmentally friendly refrigeration systems, the Nordborg laboratory is unique. Ms Riemer explains, “The lab allows us to test and combine different types of equipment in new ways. And because it’s so flexible, the engineers and technicians can change setups and build new ones very quickly, which means they can test new products and ideas as soon as they’re ready. It’s an exciting work place.”

Danfoss global laboratory network

The lab is one of the first of its kind in the automatic controls industry – and it is part of Danfoss’ global laboratory network. “We also have labs in China, India and the US, so we can offer our customers testing facilities close to where they’re based. And we have systems in place to support knowledge sharing from project to project and between labs,” says Stefan Pietrek, Global Application Director at Danfoss,

Similar to most high-tech facilities, it is expected that the lab will constantly evolve, with plans to upgrade the lab already this year.

About Danfoss

The Danfoss group is one of the largest industrial companies in Denmark, with its business activities divided into three main areas: Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Heating & Water and Motion Controls. Its Refrigeration and Air Conditioning division employs around 9,000 staff worldwide and is specialized on automatic controls, compressors and electronic controls & sensors for hydrocarbon refrigerants.

Contact information

If you would like to contact Danfoss for any enquiries, you may send a request to Torben Funder-Kristensen directly.