SightGlass

A line on page 38 of the fourth Cold Hard Facts report, commissioned by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, sums up six years of lost opportunity: “The service usage for small MAC is significant and represents almost 19% of all HFCs consumed on RAC equipment in 2022.” That year, 644.6 tonnes … Continue reading Cold Hard Facts and uncomfortable truths about Australia’s HFC phase-down

The European Union’s ambitious HFC phase-down continues to yield unintended consequences, with the lucrative black market for R134a and other regulated high global warming potential (GWP) products showing no signs of slowing down as smugglers capitalise on sky-rocketing prices caused by legislated quotas that restrict supply.  Quota System Creates a Perfect Storm The EU’s fluorinated … Continue reading Unintended consequences: Europe faces endless whack-a-mole against refrigerant smugglers

Bus air-conditioning efficiency boost

Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have devised a new approach to air-conditioning that is far more compact and lightweight than traditional equipment while promising to consume 10 to 30 times less energy by effectively removing humidity before cooling. Licensed to Montana Technologies, the ‘AirJoule’ system uses a unique adsorption-based process that is … Continue reading Bus air-conditioning efficiency boost

The European rail industry is embracing R290, a hydrocarbon refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) of 3 for train HVAC systems. As well as aligning with the European Union’s F-Gas regulations and potential restrictions on PFAS substances, this shift marks a significant departure from high-GWP HFCs like R407C and R134a. Liebherr Transportation Systems, a … Continue reading Hydrocarbon-based railway HVAC does without secondary loop

Early hybrid cars first started using DC-DC converters to take power from the traction battery pack and convert run 12-volt components such as lights, infotainment and control electronics while the internal combustion engine is off, while also keeping the 12-volt battery charged, in some cases when the vehicle is parked and not in use. Now … Continue reading Liquid-cooled 4kW DC-DC converter launched

HKUST Cooling Device Team

Researchers are developing new, environmentally friendly refrigerants and finding more ways to recycle or break down harmful ones as the need to mitigate the potential of ecological harm from rapidly growing global demand for air-conditioning and refrigeration technologies becomes increasingly urgent. HKUST: Engineers Set New Benchmarks in Eco-Friendly Cooling Technology Engineers at the Hong Kong … Continue reading Science to the rescue: Environmentally friendly refrigerants and safe ways to dispose of the harmful ones

From the skies above to the roads below, hydrogen is gaining momentum as a clean fuel source across different sectors in the global shift towards a cleaner energy future. Flying Towards Greener Aviation London Gatwick Airport is partnering with Airbus, Easyjet, and global hydrogen producer Air Products, to develop hydrogen infrastructure to fuel short and … Continue reading Hydrogen takes flight as aviation fuel as Brisbane H2 hub gets underway

The ability of owls to glide silently makes them a formidable predator, which inspired automotive supplier Mahle to design a ‘bionic’ cooling fan for electrified vehicles that is quieter and more efficient, using artificial intelligence to develop fan blades that mimic the wings of nocturnal birds of prey. Mahle analysed parts of the animal kingdom … Continue reading Silent flight inspires quieter cooling fans

Nissan, in collaboration with Malaysian radiative cooling specialist Radi-Cool, has developed a revolutionary paint technology and proven it can significantly reduce vehicle interior temperatures, reducing the load on cabin comfort air-conditioning with the potential for other applications such as transport refrigeration and other thermal management solutions. “This is especially important in the EV era, where … Continue reading Radiative cooling paint could reduce air-con load