Rise in licensing and levy costs mooted, but no alternative refrigerant controls Despite the regulation of all refrigerants under the review of Australia’s Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management (OPSGGM) programme being unanimously desired by industry, the review options paper and supporting documents published by the Department of the Environment in October 2015 give … Continue reading Ozone review: Options paper falls short
Lead chemist in the development of new industry-standard automotive refrigerant R1234yf Mario Nappa has been awarded the 2015 Winthrop-Sears Medal for entrepreneurial achievement. Dr Nappa, who worked with Wire & Gas 2015 keynote speaker Barbara Minor on the R1234yf project, already has quite a collection awards for technical achievement, invention and engineering excellence to go … Continue reading R1234yf boffin wins Chemists’ Club medal
The Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTAQ) has launched a ‘pre-vocational’ nine-week course designed to give youngsters aspiring to an automotive career the basic knowledge, technical and life skills to boost their confidence and ready them for the job market. A five-week practical element includes safe work practices, the use and maintenance of tools and … Continue reading MTAQ’s Auto Initiation training program
The Antarctic ozone hole reached 28.2 million square kilometres in October this year, the third largest observed after 2000 and 2006, according to NASA data. However rather than being a result of huge ozone depletion in the last 12 months, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says we are not seeing a reversal of the good … Continue reading Ozone hole one of the biggest ever – but don’t worry
Of nine refrigerant samples from eight brands of R134a refrigerant sold for automotive use in the Chinese city of Guanzshou in Guangdong province, four were found to contain unacceptable levels of contaminants such as chlorine, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and water. In another Guangdong province city, Zhuhai, 900 cylinders of fake refrigerant plus associated packaging, documentation … Continue reading More fake refrigerant in China
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating (AIRAH) is searching for a new CEO as current leader Phil Wilkinson steps down. Part and parcel of VASA’s extensive activities within the air conditioning industry includes associating and interaction with AIRAH through our membership of Refrigerants Australia, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, the Australian Refrigeration Council and our … Continue reading AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson steps down
The University of Michigan has opened what it claims to be the world’s first controlled environment specifically designed to test self-driving cars, while Apple has reportedly been seeking a secure proving ground in California for its much-rumoured car project. It seems that barely a week passes without autonomous cars making the headlines, a strong sign … Continue reading World-first autonomous car test environment
Australians have known it for years, but it has taken San Francisco based environmental consultancy EOS Climate to alert the rest of the world that refrigerant reclamation and recycling is an important strategy for reducing the impact of high global warming potential gases on Earth’s atmosphere. “With relatively small changes in practices and little if … Continue reading US report highlights importance of refrigerant recycling
In 2013, MACS (the US-based Mobile Air Conditioning Society) conducted a field survey to profile the work being done and the vehicles serviced by independent service facilities within their membership. This survey has been repeated over a number of years, during which time the survey data has been expanded. As part of the close ties … Continue reading NZ Automotive AC field survey, summer 2014-2015: Part 1
The July 2015 Open-Ended Working Group (OWEG) of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol meeting in Paris came agonisingly close to setting the mandate to commence negotiations for a global phase-down of HFCs like R134a under the Montreal Protocol. Proceedings were adjourned as time ran out in the French capital, meaning the talks are likely … Continue reading World edges closer to HFC phase-down
