Naturally good: eurammon symposium presents the latest trends in the field of natural refrigerants

Frankfurt  (Main),  August  2015  –  The  eurammon  symposium  2015  was  held  in

Schaffhausen (Switzerland)  on 25 and 26 June. Under the  slogan  "Be Smart, Go Natural", 

 

nine international speakers illustrated current trends in the field of natural refrigerants and presented pioneering application examples. Once again, eurammon's lecture event was fully booked with more than 60 participants from 10 countries. "We are very pleased  about the high  level of  interest",  said  Mark Bulmer,  member  of the  eurammon board. "Manufacturers and operators have started to change their approach. And natural refrigerants have become increasingly  more  significant  since  the  new  EU  F-Gas Regulation  came  into  effect.  We expect this trend to continue, not only in Europe, but also on a worldwide scale." After all - as illustrated by the motto of this year's symposium "Be Smart, Go Natural" - the decision to use natural refrigerants makes both economic and ecologic sense.

 

The EU F-Gas Regulation presents the industry with new challenges

The  new  regulations  which  plant  operators,  investors  and  planners  are  facing  since  early 2015  were  illustrated  by  Elisabeth  Munzert  from  the  German  Federal  Ministry  for  the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. "A change of approach is needed particularly  in terms of  engineering:  From now on, planners and system engineers will no  longer have to think in metric tons and kilograms, but in tons of CO2  equivalent  in order  to  take  into  account  the  global  warming potential",  said  Munzert.  Climate-friendly refrigerants will therefore become increasingly relevant. The European  regulation is  merely a first  step  towards  a  global  reduction  of  F-Gas  emissions.  There  is  already  plenty of discussion about how this can be expanded on an international scale. During the second day of the symposium, Lambert Kuijpers illustrated the progress achieved in restricting the use of F-Gases through the Montreal Protocol.  In 2015 alone, there have been four new proposals for  corresponding  legislative  amendments  from  North  America,  the  European  Union,  India and  the  Pacific  Island  States.  An  outlook  on further  regulations,  particularly  with  regard to energy  efficiency,  was  given  by  Herrmann  Renz  from  the  eurammon  member  company BITZER  Kühlmaschinenbau  GmbH.  In  his  lecture,  he  emphasised  the  significance  of  the planned Ecodesign Directive that is currently being negotiated at EU level.

 

 

Focus on safety

The specific properties of natural refrigerants mean that their use is subject to special rules –but these can easily be implemented, according to Carsten Hoch from TÜV SÜD. The biggest challenge at present consisted in finding qualified installation and maintenance staff for the systems. In his lecture on safety aspects, Hoch compared the properties of F-Gases with those of the natural refrigerants ammonia, CO2 and propane, indicating the main uses of the individual substances. His conclusion: "Natural refrigerants will assume a crucial role in the future – all parties involved should prepare for this.” The issue of "Operational Health and Security" was then taken up by the symposium participants during an intensive group discussion chaired by David Blackhurst, Director of Star Technical Solutions. Here, among many other things, the international experts took a look at the safety regulations in different countries and drew up proposals for improving the existing standards.

 

Trend topic: air-conditioning 

This year's lecture event also focused on using natural refrigerants in air-conditioning 

systems. The eurammon members Detlef Lukas from SSP Kälteplaner AG and Karl Huber from HKT Huber-Kälte-Technik GmbH showed where natural refrigerants are already being used in air-conditioning systems today. They presented current examples of applications at Zurich Airport and the public utilities company Stadtwerke Lübbecke. The two-day event was rounded off by presentations featuring a combined refrigerating and heating system in a milk processing company, HVAC systems running on propane, and the current situation on the European market for heat pumps.

 

Pioneering research projects

An  additional  highlight  of  the  eurammon  symposium  2015  was  the  presentation  of  the Natural  Refrigeration  Award  for  three  outstanding  academic  dissertations  in  the  field  of natural  refrigerants.  The  prize  winners  were  honoured  by  Monika  Witt,  Chairwoman  of eurammon  and  were  given  an  opportunity  to  present  their  abstracts  to  the  international expert audience. 

 

The lectures are available for download on the eurammon website www.eurammon.com.

 

 

Pictures:

Picture 1:

Following the first day's lectures on the premises of Georg Fischer Piping Systems AG, the Klostergut  Paradies  near  Schaffhausen  served  as  the  venue  for  the  next  day  of  the eurammon symposium. 

 

Picture 2:

More than 60 participants from 10 countries  attended  this year's eurammon symposium to find out about the latest developments and trends in the field of using natural refrigerants. 

 

Picture 3:

David  Blackhurst from  Star  Technical  Solutions  chaired  a group  discussion  on  operationalsafety aspects for the use of natural refrigerants. 

 

 

Picture 4:

The  event  was  rounded  off  by  an  evening  boat  trip  on  the  river  Rhine  where  participants used the relaxed atmosphere to share technical issues and to cultivate contacts.

 

 

About eurammon

eurammon is a joint initiative of companies, institutions and individuals who advocate an increased use of natural refrigerants. As a knowledge pool for the use of natural refrigerants in refrigeration engineering, the initiative sees as its mandate the creation of a platform for information sharing and the promotion of public awareness and acceptance of natural refrigerants. The objective is to promote the use of natural refrigerants in the interest of a healthy environment, and thereby encourage a sustainable approach in refrigeration engineering. eurammon provides comprehensive information 

about all aspects of natural refrigerants to experts, politicians and the public at large. It serves as a qualified contact for anyone interested in the subject. Users and designers of refrigeration projects can turn to eurammon for specific project experience and extensive information, as well as for advice on all matters of planning, licensing and operating refrigeration plants. The initiative was set up in 1996 and is open to companies and institutions with a vested interest in natural refrigerants, as well as to individuals e.g. scientists and researchers.

 

Internet URL: www.eurammon.com