Conference Agenda

As global temperatures rise, the RACHP (refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump) sector faces unprecedented challenges in meeting cooling demands while minimizing environmental impact The increased reliance on cooling systems in Europe and worldwide intensifies greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants.

This presentation will address the critical need for transitioning to low GWP refrigerants as a sustainable solution for the RACHP sector, focusing on technical and regulatory considerations. A shift to the ultra-low GWP refrigerant R-474A can significantly reduce the sector’s environmental footprint. While there are some technical challenges and market needs to be considered, the study will discuss the performance, safety, and availability of R-474A as ultra-low GWP refrigerant. Possibilities of retrofitting and adopting of new systems in different applications will conclude the presentation.

The urgency of climate change requires the adoption of alternative refrigerant with reduced GWP. R455A, a blend of R1234uf. R32 and CO2 met the sub-150 GWP requirement of EU-zone F-gas regulation and is considered for long-term alternative working fluid. For system design, pressure drop data is required, therefore, in this work the pressure drop is measured inside multiport mini-channel at different working condition with a newly assembled experimental system. Result shows an increase of pressure drop with mass flux and vapor quality. Data is compared against correlations of pressure drop in literature and a correlation is proposed with fitting experimental data for engineering purposes

Thermochemical storage based on the reversible solid-gas sorption process is a technical solution that can be relevantly applied in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump to meet the growing energy demand in buildings and industry. The “ThermoStore” process developed by Coldway© is a breakthrough innovation to accelerate the decarbonisation of industry. It allows for the valorisation of waste heat sources available in different temperature ranges or the storage of renewable energy. Such a process enables energy to be stored in the form of chemical potential with a high energy density, without losses and storage duration limitation, and provides simultaneous production of cold and heat. A demonstration of such a concept is currently being carried out as part of the Horizon 2020 project, MiniStor, “Thermal and electrical energy storage system for on-site residential installation”, that aims to provide both heating and cooling through an integrated, flexible unit exploiting low temperature solar energy (60 to 70 °C).