A new approach to refrigeration known as ionocaloric cooling takes advantage of how heat is stored when a material changes from a solid to a liquid and could spell the end of refrigerants as we know them. When a material melts it absorbs heat from its surroundings, when it solidifies it releases heat. In the … Continue reading Ionocaloric cooling: The end of refrigerants?
A UK-based company that has been developing a revolutionary type of refrigeration has secured a £1.3 million ($AU2.4m) investment, with the purpose of bringing to market a new technology which does away with refrigerant gas. Barocal Ltd, a spin-out from Cambridge University’s Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, is developing a cooling and heating method … Continue reading Disruptive solid-state refrigerant tech firm secures £1.3m investment
Koura is about to produce a lower global warming potential (GWP) automotive refrigerant alternative to R134a as countries like Australia drag the chain on banning imports of equipment charged with high-GWP HFCs despite having ratified a phase-down schedule under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Koura’s R456a (branded Klea 456a) is an alternative to … Continue reading R456a joins R513a as possible A1-rated drop-in for automotive R134a systems
Thermo King has made R452A standard on single- and multi-temperature truck refrigeration units manufactured in North America from January 2023. R452A has been used in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by Thermo King for several years as well as on selected products in Asia Pacific and North America, where the refrigerant’s temperature control performance … Continue reading Thermo King the first in North America to make reefers with R452a as standard
Daikin, the only company globally to manufacture both air-conditioning systems and refrigerants, has developed a low-GWP refrigerant designed for electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with heat pumps. R474A (D1V-140) has been developed as an alternative to R1234yf for improved heat pump performance in EVs, particularly in colder climates, where they can lose up to 20 per … Continue reading Daikin R474a (A2L) approved for EV heat pumps
Some car-makers are banking on combining plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell technologies to create plug-in fuel cell electric vehicles (PFCEVs) as a way to partially meet their carbon neutrality goals. Why the shift towards PFCEVs? Put simply, they address the elephant in the room of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure – specifically the lack of it. … Continue reading Hydrogen hybrids: Best of both worlds or flash in the pan?
Although hydrogen is the most abundant molecule in the universe, it only exists combined with other elements, for example in water (H2O). Not only does it have to be extracted using energy-intensive processes, 98 per cent of hydrogen produced today is extracted from fossil fuels. All this results in a large carbon footprint. Continue reading Australia makes ‘green hydrogen’ breakthrough
Just as the adoption of R1234yf is slowly gaining traction in Australasia after car-makers dragged the chain for far too long, the ultra-low global warming potential refrigerant could be banned due to its classification as a PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance). Known as ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS – found in many everyday products including refrigerants – … Continue reading European PFAS laws may kill R1234yf before it reaches widespread uptake Down Under
A new green technology opportunity has arrived with the electric vehicle (EV) conversion market, potentially worth billions a year to the global automotive aftermarket. This has given rise to multiple independent startups – such as Australian company Jaunt which recently merged with British outfit Zero EV to create multinational conversion specialist Fellten – as well … Continue reading ‘Engine Swap’ market hots up with battery electric and hydrogen driveline conversions
After a tough 2021 due to multiple COVID restrictions, 2023 promises to be business as usual at the Brisbane Truck Show (BTS). Longstanding exhibitors are eager to return and showcase their new developments at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday 18th until Sunday 21st of May. Plenty of manufacturers, driven by record demand, … Continue reading Electrifying 2023 Brisbane Truck Show line-up looms
