■Carrier (Amsterdam) : Combining sustainability with even more exceptional performance, Carrier Transicold has deepened the frozen range of its NaturaLINE® container refrigeration unit to achieve and maintain a temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius. Carrier News Release 20171127
〇Fujitsu General : Fujitsu General and G.I. Holding S.p.A. (hereinafter “GIH”), an Italian air conditioning equipment manufacturer, made a basic agreement for the comprehensive tie-up including joint development related to commercial air conditioners. In the future, Fujitsu General and GIH will jointly develop efficient and comfortable air conditioning units by combining technologies in which both companies excel, and are planning to sell the products under the brand names of both companies. Fujitsu General Press Release 20171121
■Panasonic (Shanghai): For China International Industry Fair 2017 , Panasonic has chosen "Smart Factory Solutions" as its theme and reproduced the production process so that visitors can experience manufacturing "automation," an "unmanned factory," and "standardization." Panasonic News Release 20171111
■Trane (USA): Trane has acquired the New-Jersey-based ice storage company CALMAC. CALMAC ice storage tanks have previously been employed by Trane for integration in its commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to take pressure off of the energy grid. More than 4,000 businesses and institutions in 60 countries are said to be using CALMAC’s thermal energy storage to cool their buildings. These include some prominent US buildings in the US, including the Rockefeller Centre and the Credit Suisse Building in New York City and an Ingersoll Rand North America headquarters building in Davidson, NC. Cooling Post 20171108
■Fujitsu (UK): Split system air conditioners using lower GWP refrigerant R32 are amongst a new wave of products being introduced by Fujitsu UK. Four models are available with capacities from 2kW to 4.2kW cooling and 2.5kW to 5.4kW heating. Other refinements include occupancy sensors and wi-fi adaptor enabling to operation and control by smart-phone or tablet PC. Cooling Post 20171108
■Armec (Italy): Aermec is introducing its new range of air-cooled and water-cooled R1234ze chillers at this week’s Interclima exhbition in Paris. Aermec is the latest manufacturer to offer chillers designed for use with the HFO refrigerant R1234ze(E), which boasts a GWP of less than 1. Cooling capacities range from 228kW to 1578kW. The water-cooled chiller designed for R1234ze is the WMG. This modular chiller has a single internal circuit and employs Turbocor high efficiency, two-stage magnetic levitation centrifugal compressors. Each module is capable of 280kW or 312kW depending on the compressor used. Cooling Post 20171108
■Panasonic (Germany): Panasonic has once again been awarded an international iF Design Award for its Etherea range of air conditioners. Having previously been successful with this product range in 2013, the latest award recognises the high-quality design of Etherea and its advances in technology, which has included the adoption of the lower GWP refrigerant R32. Cooling Post 20171106
■Danfoss : Danfoss has announced the opening of a new Application Development
Center (ADC) for its Power Solutions businesses, and the inauguration of
its first Turbocor® assembly line in China. Danfoss News Release 20171102
■Chemours: The Chemours Company is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement to build a state-of-the-art research and innovation facility on the University of Delaware's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. Construction on the new 312,000-square-foot facility, representing an investment of approximately $150 million, is expected to begin this year; plans call for it to be completed by early 2020. Chemores Press Release 20171030
■Refrigerant (R290): The AHRI is to begin leak and ignition tests on propane in commercial and residential air conditioning and refrigeration applications. Cooling Post 20171027
●MHI：Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) is integrating two of its Group companies - MHI Thermal Systems, Ltd. and MHI Automotive Thermal Systems, Ltd. (MCCJ) - effective January 1, 2018. Through consolidation of technologies and resources in air-conditioning & refrigeration (AC&R) and automotive air-conditioning systems, MHI looks to strengthen its global competitiveness while also focusing on building more resilient management. MHI News Release 20171023
■Panasonic: Panasonic Corporation donated 1,200 solar lanterns in Vietnam. The program is under Panasonic's "100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project" that aims to donate 100,000 solar lanterns to people living in off-grid areas by its 100th anniversary in 2018. The ceremony was held at the People's Committee of Long Son Commune, Minh Long district in the cooperation with World Vision International Vietnam. Panasonic New Release 20171016
■Carrier: Carrier China recently signed a service agreement with China Unicom to ensure the stable operation of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in its Guyi Internet Data Center, which houses over 30,000 servers. Located in Xiaoshan District, Guyi Internet Data Center is a subsidiary of the Hangzhou branch of China Unicom, one of the largest telecommunications operators in China. For more information, visit www.carrier.com.cn. Carrier News 20171009
■Embraco: A new technology center has started operation on Embraco Europe premises in Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia. The new R&D and innovation hub will focus on development of commercial compressors. There, compressors will be tested for use with propane or isobutane, the hydrocarbon refrigerants with low Global Warming Potential (GWP) index. Embraco News Release 20171004
■Danfoss : Danfoss gives you their predictions at Technomania 2017, MCH
Messecenter Herning, Denmark, Hall F, October 4-5 - experience how present
technological solutions will influence life in 100 years. This year’s biggest
event of its kind - TECHNOMANIA 2017 takes you into a universe with new
experiences with the latest technological inventions. Danfoss 20170929
■Carrier : Carrier is introducing a suite of digital solutions that will improve engagement and remote management of commercial heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Customers with Carrier® SMART Service will now have visibility into their system’s performance and energy usage through a new equipment dashboard and mobile application. Carrier News Release 20170928
■Danfoss : China, Tianjin has awarded its highest honor, the Haihe Friendship Award, to Danfoss. Over the past 20 years, China has developed into Danfoss’s second largest market in terms of net sales. Out of Danfoss’s 25,800 employees, more than 4,000 are employed in China. This is more than the number of employees at headquarters. Danfoss News Release 20170920
■Carrrier: The Carrier AquaForce® 30XV Air-Cooled Screw Chiller with Greenspeed® intelligence has been voted the Gold award winner in Consulting-Specifying Engineer® magazine’s “Product of the Year” competition. Carrier News Release 20170918
■Carrier: PT Berca Carrier Indonesia convened more than 100 building professionals this week in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss trends in global urbanization and the connection between green building and cognitive function. PT Berca Carrier Indonesia is a joint venture between Carrier Corp. and PT Berca Indonesia (CCM Group). Jakarta has recently undertaken several steps to advance green building in Indonesia, having enacted policies to reduce water and energy consumption and to reduce carbon emissions up to 30 percent by 2030. Carrier. Com. Press Release 20170914
■Midea : Berlin, Germany, 1st September 2017 – Midea Home Aplliances, part of Midea Group Co Ltd has doubled its booth size at IFA Berlin to unveil all of its new categories at the same time and location. Midea offers a vast portfolio in all possible home appliance categories – from air treatment to refrigeration, laundry, large cooking appliances, small kitchen appliances, water appliances, floor care and lighting.Midea.com News Release 201709006
■Beijer (Sweden): Beijer Ref is acquiring the assets of DX Por, the main Portuguese distributor of Toshiba air conditioning equipment. Cooling Post 20170904
●MHI: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd., has relocated its air-conditioning & refrigeration (AC&R) systems operations, which covers products like centrifugal chillers and heat source controllers, from Takasago to Kobe. MHI News Release 20170904
■Friedrich: San Antonio, TX, 200 Friedrich Chill room air conditioners, totaling 10,400-pounds of window A/C units worth an estimated $55,000, will be loaded up for delivery to Rockport devastated by Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey. Friedrich News Release 20170901
■Panasonic (Japan): Panasonic Corporation announced that it has completed the acquisition of A.M.P. Air Conditioning Ltd (AMP), one of the largest independent air conditioning distributors in the UK. The acquisition is part of Panasonic's overall strategy to expand sales to the market. Panasonic Corporation 20170901
■Carrier : The company introduces New Pairing for Higher HVAC Efficiency.
This new pairing is available in a kit from Carrier that includes the 24-volt
interface as well as detailed instructions on how to install the pairing.
The pairing can significantly increase the efficiency of the fan coil,
with ratings reaching up to 18 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
and up to 12 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor). Carrier Com. 20170830
■Emerson: Groundbreaking for the expansion of Emerson North American Compressor Headquarters-the project with estimated of $100 million investment which includs an upgrade to the existing facility and the addition of nearly 20,000 square feet of office and engineering space. achrnews.com 20170814
〇GDP(2017 April-June): Government data showed, gross domestic product expanded an annualized 4.0 percent in April-June. Compared with the previous quarter, the economy expanded 1.0 percent. The Japan Times 20180814
■ebm-papst: The company received the renowned “Red Dot Award 2017: Product Design” for its AxiBlade axial fan. Press Release 20170811
■Emerson(USA): Emerson has marked the 150th anniversary of its industrial refrigeration business Vilter. Vilter’s VMC 440 reciprocating compressor, developed in 1945, is still considered the refrigeration industry standard. Cooling Post 20170801
■Nidec/Secop (Japan/Germany) Nidec sees the acquisition of Secop as a part of a global strategy of pursuing strategic acquisitions in the appliance industry. It will become part of Nidec’s Global Appliance Division, which mainly focuses on the production and sales of motors for wet appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. Cooling Post 20170801
■Asercom: Over 12 pages in total, ASERCOM’s new white paper details five uncertainties in the measurement of performance data for refrigerant compressors. The white paper can be downloaded in English, German, French and Italian from ASERCOM’s website at www.asercom.org/guides. ACR News 20170726
■Arkema (Japan) :Arkema has entered into an alliance with Japanese company Central Glass to sell HFO1233zd(E) in the Japanese market. Cooling Post 20170725
■Refrigerants (USA): The US EPA has added new lower GWP refrigerants and expanded the acceptable uses of others in latest changes to the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. Cooling Post 20170722
■Daikin (USA): Daikin America has announced the availability of test samples of new refrigerant blend R407H for OEMs and R404A and R22 retrofits in the United States. Cooling Post 20170715
■Emerson (USA): Emerson has announced plans for a $100m renovation and expansion of the labs and offices at its existing 1million ft² cooling and heating product facility in Sidney, Ohio. Construction is slated to be completed by 2021. Cooling Post 20170714
■Daikin (UK)： Daikin’s heat recovery Conveni-Pack and Zeas condensing units are all now available through Hubbard Products, along with technical support. Cooling Post 20170712
■Panasonic (UK): Panasonic has announced the European launch of its latest generation gas-driven VRF heat pump offering increased efficiencies. Panasonic, Cooling Post 20170712
■Tecumseh (USA): USA: Compressor manufacturer Tecumseh is to proceed with its trademark infringement action. Cooling Post 20170711
■CO2 compressors (Japan): Sanden is now supplying compressors for use in Daimler’s CO2 car air conditioning systems. Cooling Post 20170708
■Trane (Brazil): Trane has opened a second training centre for its VRF air conditioning systems in Curitiba. Cooling Post 20170704
■Hitachi (UK) : Hitachi is delighted to be sponsoring ‘Air Conditioning Ancillary Product of the Year’.The 2018 ACR News Awards are set to take place on Wednesday 24th January in London. ACR News 20170704
■London fire (UK): The examination of the fridge freezer confirmed as the source. Cooling Post 20170623
〇Daikin (Japan): Daikin’s purchase of Airmaster for AUS$100m (JPY8m) through its subsidiary Daikin Australia Pty heralds an expansion of the Japanese manufacturer’s service network. Daikin entered the Australian air conditioning market in 1969. The air conditioning market in Australia totals approximately JPY270bn (US$2.4bn) in equipment sales and sales for services and solutions. Cooling Post 20170622
■Bitzer (Germany): Bitzer has updated its BEST service tool to include a more extensive range of data log functions for device logs. Cooling Post 20170614
■HFC (Europe): A fall in HFC emissions in Europe in 2015, halting huge
increases since 1990.While overall EU greenhouse gas emissions increased
by 0.5 % in 2015, the latest figures from the European Energy Agency reveal
a drop in fluorinated gas emissions amongst the 28 EU member states. Cooling
Post 20170611
■IAQ (UK): Clean Air in London says more than 1,000 deaths in the capital
so far this year are attributable to exposure to dirty air. ACR News, Building
Engineering Services Association (BESA) 20170607
■Fujitsu General: New 2-pipe VRF Heat-Pump outdoor units designated J-IIIL,
these stand-alone non-modular side-discharge fan models are available in
three sizes: 22.4, 28.0 & 33.4kW sizes (8, 10 & 12HP). They can
also be connected to other manufacturer’s AHU’s via Fujitsu’s DX AHU kit.
ACR News 20170605
■Trane: The Trane portfolio featuring R1234ze refrigerant now consists of a full range of screw and high speed centrifugal chillers designed for medium capacity applications between 240kW and 1670kW. Cooling Post 20170605
■Daikin (Europe): The EWWH-VZ water-cooled 50Hz R1234ze version will be available in cooling capacities from 340 to 1600kW, the Cooling Post has discovered. Like the R134a versions, the R1234ze models are fully inverter-controlled and incorporate Daikin’s latest screw compressor technology and new generation high efficiency flooded-type heat exchangers. Single- and twin-compressor versions will be offered. The single compressor, single cooling circuit models will cover the range from 340 to 800kW, with two compressor, two circuit models available from 870 to 1600kW. Cooling Post 20170603
■Haier: Haier has acquired a 51% stake in Austrian company Greenonetec, the world’s largest manufacturer of thermal flat plate collectors. Cooling Post 20170530
■Daikin (UK): They will launch chillers with R1234ze later this year. Cooling Post 20170529
■Fujitsu General: New 2-pipe VRF Heat-Pump outdoor units designated J-IIIL,
these stand-alone non-modular side-discharge fan models are available in
three sizes: 22.4, 28.0 & 33.4kW sizes (8, 10 & 12HP). They can
also be connected to other manufacturer’s AHU’s via Fujitsu’s DX AHU kit.
ACR News 20170605 ■Trane: The Trane portfolio featuring R1234ze refrigerant
now consists of a full range of screw and high speed centrifugal chillers
designed for medium capacity applications between 240kW and 1670kW. Cooling
Post 20170605 ■Daikin (Europe): The EWWH-VZ water-cooled 50Hz R1234ze version
will be available in cooling capacities from 340 to 1600kW, the Cooling
Post has discovered. Like the R134a versions, the R1234ze models are fully
inverter-controlled and incorporate Daikin’s latest screw compressor technology
and new generation high efficiency flooded-type heat exchangers. Single-
and twin-compressor versions will be offered. The single compressor, single
cooling circuit models will cover the range from 340 to 800kW, with two
compressor, two circuit models available from 870 to 1600kW. Cooling Post
20170603 ■Haier: Haier has acquired a 51% stake in Austrian company Greenonetec,
the world’s largest manufacturer of thermal flat plate collectors. Cooling
Post 20170530 ■Daikin (UK): They will launch chillers with R1234ze later
this year. Cooling Post 20170529
■Daikin (UK): They will launch chillers with R1234ze later this year. Cooling Post 20170529
★Bluon Energy (USA): Marketed as Bluon TdX 20, and designed as a replacement for R22, R404A, and R507A refrigerants in existing equipment, this blend of R32, 125, 134a, 227ea and 236fa was SNAP-listed for use in the US last year. Cooling Post 20170522
■Fujitsu General : The company announced new 2-pipe VRF Heat-Pump outdoor units. Designated J-IIIL, these stand-alone non-modular side-discharge fan models are available in three sizes: 22.4, 28.0 & 33.4kW sizes (8, 10 & 12HP).They can also be connected to other manufacturer’s AHU’s via Fujitsu’s DX AHU kit. ACR News 20170518
■Mitsubishi Electric (UK): The company has launched of R32 versions of its Mr Slim at the same price as current R410A models. Cooling Post 20170519
●Daikin (Japan): The deal announced in Japan, will see Daikin acquiring around 5% of shares in Osaka-based Sinko Industries, with Sinko buying an equivalent value of Daikin shares.Under the deal, the companies say they will jointly develop “a mutual technology” central heat pump air conditioner, and will collaborate on expanding sales of heat pump chillers. Cooling Post 20170517
■Honeywell (USA): Honeywell has started commercial production of the refrigerant R1234yf in Louisiana. Cooling Post 20170516
■Carrier (USA/Canada): Over 25,000 Carrier and Bryant heat pumps have been recalled over concerns of a potential fire risk. The units were sold at Sears stores and HVAC dealers nationwide from June 2011 to August 2016. About 23,300 have been sold in the USA and around 2,000 in Canada. Cooling Post 20170513
■Carrier (China): Carrier China has supplied mini VRF units to Chengdu CapitaLand Century Mansion, a high-end residential building in Southwestern China. Cooling Post 20170512
■Air conditioning Market : According to BSRIA, 2016 was generally a good year in Europe and South East Asia region. Split systems account for 80% of the market – by far the largest segment of the global market, and valued at $70bn in 2016. Multi splits account for 3% and VRF accounts for 14% in value terms. The total splits market has reached just over 100 million units, a 1% drop compared with 2015. China, the world’s biggest market, recorded a 5% drop, restricting global growth. Cooling Post 20170509
■Panasonic (Japan): Panasonic has supplied its first CO2 refrigerant-based condensing unit to a Malaysian supermarket. The first Panasonic CO2-system in Europe was initiated for the first time in Europe last year at the Kvickly COOP grocery store in the Danish town of Randers. Panasonic’s CO2 cooling units are designed for smaller installations such as gas stations, supermarkets and bakeries and are available in sizes from 1.6 kW to 14.6 kW. They are said to be 20% more energy efficient than products using R404A. Cooling Post 20170509
■Carel (Italy): The Italian controls manufacturer has been involved in new CO2 systems installed in Finland and Iceland in recent weeks. In Iceland, Carel Nordic helped develop the first fully CO2 supermarket with CAREL solutions. Cooling Post 20170509
■Daikin (UK): Daikin UK has opened a new office in central London. The
new offices features an open ceiling showcasing the latest in Daikin VRV
technology. Cooling Post 20170508
■LG (Turkish): Arçelik and LG are to invest a further $57m in their joint venture factory in Kocaeli, near Istanbul. Cooling Post 20170505
■GE (USA): GE Appliances (GEA) is looking to move its Zoneline air conditioning production from its Loiusville, Kentucky, facility to an alternate GEA site in the US. If the decision proceeds, production of the commercial Zoneline PTAC units would be relocated in December. Cooling Post 20170502
■Copper Tube (USA/German): German copper tube manufacturer Wieland-Werke has bought US manufacturer Wolverine Tube. Cooling Post 20170503
■Refrigerants (USA): UL has adopted a new safety standard, UL 60335-2-24 Edition 2, that will allow domestic fridges and freezers to use up to 150g of hydrocarbon refrigerants like propane and isobutane. Cooling Post 20170501
■Toshiba (UK): According to Toshiba, which led the industry with the first seven-year warranty, the new tool will deliver significant cost and time benefits to end users, installers and service companies. Cooling Post 20170502
●Daikin (Japan) : According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the Japanese manufacturer will report a JPY230bn ($2.06bn) operating profit represents a 5% increase on the year, topping the projected 2% growth. Sales are estimated at around JPY2.04tn yen ($18.3bn)。Cooling Post 20170430
●Daikin: The pioneer of the switch to lower GWP refrigerant R32 in air conditioners, claims to have sold a landmark 10 million units in 52 countries since its introduction. Daikin also estimates that, in total, more than 27 million R32 units were sold worldwide as of the end of March. Cooling post 20170428
■Honeywell (Japan) : Marketed as Solstice N40, Honeywell promotes R448A as a near drop-in replacement for R22 and R404A. R448A is a blend of R32, R125, R134a, R1234yf and R1234ze(E). Its GWP is around 1300 and is classified A1 by ASHRAE – non-toxic and non-flammable. Cooling Post 20170428
■ZoomLock : Braze-Free copper fittings for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry. ZoomLock uses concentric crimping to join refrigeration copper tubes – removing the need for a flame, gas, nitrogen purging or hot work permits. ACR News 20170428
■Midea (USA): Chinese air conditioning manufacturer Midea is to use R452B, a lower GWP alternative to R410A, in its unitary air conditioning units designed for the North American market. Cooling Post 20170425
■Nidec (JAPAN): Japanese electric motor company Nidec is set to acquire hermetic compressor manufacturer Secop for €185m. Formerly Danfoss Compressors GmbH, the company was renamed Secop when it was acquired by German industrial holdings company Aurelius in 2010. Cooling Post 20170425
●Nidec ( KYOTO, Japan): Nidec Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has approved a resolution to acquire 100% equity shares of Secop Holding GmbH, Secop s.r.o., Secop Compressors (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. and Secop Inc. (“Secop”), and shareholder loans from Secop Beteillingungs GmbH, a portfolio management company owned by AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co KGaA (“Aurelius”) (the “Transaction”). For this purpose, Nidec entered into a stock purchase agreement on April 25, 2017. Nidec Corpration 20170424
●Nidec (Osaka, Japan) -- Japanese motor giant Nidec plans to fully acquire the Secop group, a German refrigerator components maker, in a play to capture demand generated by tightening environmental regulations worldwide.The deal seen at around 25 billion yen ($227 million) would turn Secop into a subsidiary by the end of the year. Secop manufactures compressors for household and commercial refrigerators, supplying such heavyweights as Sweden's Electrolux, South Korea's Samsung Electronics and Haier of China. A German investment fund bought Secop from Denmark's Danfoss group in 2010. The parts maker rings up sales of about 43 billion yen and employs more than 2,000. Nidec targets sales of 2 trillion yen in fiscal 2020, in part by actively pursuing acquisitions. Secop marks its 53rd M&A deal. Nikkei 20170425
■Aermec (Italy): Italian air conditioning manufacturer Aermec has acquired its German distributor Novatherm. Manufacturing its first air conditioner in 1961, Aermec is considered one of the first air conditioning manufacturers in Europe. Cooling Post 20170420
■Toshiba UK): Toshiba’s new SHRM-e 3-pipe heat recovery VRF air conditioning system was named Commercial HVAC Product of the Year at last night’s H&V News Awards. Cooling Post 20170421
■Ashrae: ASHRAE and the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising the organisations’ relationship, which dates back more than a century.The new MoU outlines how the two groups will work together more closely and with more defined parameters to continue furthering and promoting the advancements of cooling and heating related technologies. These include but are not limited to research; joint conferences and meetings; training and education programmes; publication distribution and chapter collaboration. ACR News 20170419
■Haier (China): Haier has developed a magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller with what it claims is the world’s largest cooling capacity. Debuted at last week’s China Refrigeration Expo in Shanghai, the 4200RT unit is said to take the application of magnetic levitation technology in the refrigeration sector to an entirely new level. According to Haier, the product achieves an IPLV of 13.18. The 4200RT unit sets a new world record, the company claims. In the Chinese market, Haier has so far built and installed 539 magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers. Although Haier considers the installations part of a pilot programme in a nascent industry, it claims an 81% share of the market leadership for five consecutive years. Cooling Post 20170417
■Bitzer (Germany): Bitzer is debuting a new range of compact screw compressors for R134a, HFO/HFC blends and HFOs at this week’s China Refrigeration show in Shanghai. The CSW105 series is the latest addition to Bitzer’s existing range of CSW compact screw compressors for use in liquid chillers. They were specially developed for low liquid temperatures and meet the energy-efficiency grade 1 requirements of the Chinese regulation GB19577:2015 as well as the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) of the EU. While designed for operation with R134a, these compressors are also suitable for the HFO substitutes R1234ze(E) and R1234yf and the HFO/HFC blends R513A and R450A. Cooling Post 20170414
■Trane (Belgium): Ingersoll Rand has added a further Trane water-cooled chiller using the low GWP HFO refrigerant R1234ze. The new XStream eXcellent chiller joins Ingersoll Rand’s EcoWise portfolio of low environmental impact products. With capacities ranging from 290kW to 2600kW, the XStream eXcellent is said to be suited to critical environments such as a data centre, hospital, large office building or industrial process applications. Cooling Post 20170405
■Mueller (Bahrain): Copper tube manufacturer Mueller has begun construction of a copper tube manufacturing facility in Bahrain. The Mueller Middle East plant, situated on the Bahrain International Investment Park, is expected to open in January 2018 and will produce commercial copper tubes to serve regional air conditioning and refrigeration OEMs. Cooling Post 20170405
■ebm-papst : ebm-papst Group has acquired Lae Srl, a specialist in fan guard grills for an undisclosed sum, retroactively effective from 1st January 2017. The move means that ebm-papst has increased the vertical range of manufacture for its safety-relevant components used in ventilation, cooling and air conditioning applications. ACR News 20170405
■Copeland (USA): Emerson has updated its Copeland X-Ref compressor database app to include improved product information and barcode scanning. The new Version 4.0 of the app includes extended functionality for quick and convenient access to its database of air conditioning and refrigeration compressor product specifications. The updated Copeland X-Ref mobile app works offline and includes capacitor specifications, and performance, mechanical and electrical information. Cooling Post 20170404
■Refrigerants (UK): With the pressure on to switch to low GWP refrigerants, A-Gas is offering advice and assistance via its website. Finding the right low GWP alternative can be a challenge for even the most experienced refrigeration specialist, so A-Gas’ online selection form Refrigerant Suggestions is intended to make the switch as easy as possible. Cooling Post 20170405
■Air Filter: The Air Filters product group within the Eurovent Association has released the first edition of its guidebook ‘Air Filters for General Ventilation’. Over 28 pages, the document provides for a hands-on introduction to all-important aspects related to air filters. Specific attention is given to the new global ISO16890 air filter standard, as well as the importance of air filters in ensuring a healthy indoor climate. The Eurovent Product Group ‘Air Filters’ is the largest grouping of air filter manufacturers worldwide, and home to more than 30 manufacturers. ‘Air Filters for General Ventilation’ is available free-of-charge at www.eurovent.eu. ACR News 20170402
■Chemours (Europe): Refrigerant manufacturer Chemours has announced price rises of 30% on high GWP refrigerants in Europe – its second big increase in consecutive months. After announcing increases of 25% on R404A and R507 from April 1, Chemours has today announced a further 30% price rise on these high GWP refrigerants from May 1. The company has also announced further increases of 10% on refrigerants R134a, R410A, R407A and R407C on top of last month’s 20% price hikes. The increases on R404A and R507, relating to a combined increase of over 62% in just one month, come amidst fears of severe shortages of the higher GWP refrigerants next year. Other suppliers announced similar increases last month and more are expected.Cooling Post 20170403
■Cooling Post： The Cooling Post passed a milestone 40,000 visits for the first time in March, underlining its position as a major global source of air conditioning and refrigeration news and information.The Cooling Post received 41,656 visits last month, up over 22% on the previous best in February. Unique visitors totalled 28,527, up over 23% on February, and the number of page views at 68,472 was 18% up on previous best in October 2016. Cooling Post 20170402
■Ingersoll-Rand (Ireland): Ingersoll-Rand, owner of US HVAC manufacturer Trane, has completed the acquisition of Italian manufacturer Thermocold. Cooling Post 20170403
■Carrier (UK): Carrier’s split and multi-split air conditioners are now available across the UK and Ireland from Beijer Ref companies Dean & Wood, HRP, RW and DWG Ireland. The Carrier product has previously been available through RW Refrigeration Wholesale, after Beijer Ref and Carrier signed a distribution agreement in 2015. That agreement extended the link with Carrier formed in 2008 when Beijer Ref acquired Carrier’s refrigeration wholesale distribution operations in Europe and South Africa. Cooling post 20170331
■Carel (Italy) : Carel has developed a new version of its Heos water loop system for refrigerated display cases that is compatible with both “natural” and synthetic low-GWP refrigerants. Heos is the Carel high-efficiency solution for managing refrigerated showcases that, rather than the classic architecture with a compressor rack serving the showcases via long refrigerant distribution lines, offers a solution comprising plug-in cabinets fitted with variable-capacity DC inverter compressors cooled by a water loop. Heos includes DC compressors specifically designed to maximise energy efficiency at partial loads, while providing a wide range of speed modulation that facilitates better temperature control with less fluctuation. Cooling Post 20170328
■Paris climate agreement (Europe): Only three countries in Europe are on track to deliver on the Paris climate agreement, a new ranking published today reveals. Carbon Market Watch and Transport & Environment’s new climate leaderboard looks at the position of each European government towards the EU’s largest climate law, the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR). Sweden tops the list, followed by Germany and France. At the other end Poland, Italy, Spain and Czech Republic push to weaken the Commission proposal, countering Europe’s efforts to comply with the Paris agreement. Cooling Post 20170327
■Phase-down HFCs (USA): California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) has approved strategy on short-lived climate pollutants outlines essential measures to reduce HFCs by 40% below 2013 levels as part of new regulations to meet the state’s 2030 emission targets. Cooling Post 20170327
■Climaveneta (Finland) : Climaveneta heat pump chillers using low GWP,
HFO refrigerant R1234ze are to reclaim waste heat from a data centre for
one of Finland’s largest district heating networks. The data centre in
Kirkkonummi, southern Finland, is operated by telecommunications company
Ericsson. The data centre currently generates between 10,000 to 15,000MWh
of waste heat annually. The centre’s planned capacity growth in 2017-2018
will nearly double the amount of waste heat to be recovered with heat pumps.
The waste heat from Ericsson’s data centre covers about 20% of the Kirkkonummi
district heat network’s annual heat demand, enough to meet the annual heating
needs of about 1,000 single-family homes. Cooling Post 20170325
■Refrigerant (USA): The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided that US industry is being materially injured by cheap imports of refrigerant R134a from China. Yesterday’s decision follows a year-long investigation by the US Department of Commerce, which found that imports of R134a from China were being dumped in the US market at prices below fair value. On February 22 this year the US Department of Commerce announced that Chinese R134a imports were being dumped and prescribed antidumping duties ranging from 148.79% to 167.02%. Cooling Post 20170324
■Daikin (Japan): Daikin has launched the refrigerant blend R407H as its lower global warming potential replacement for R404A. The non-ozone depleting A1 refrigerant has a GWP of 1495 – 62% lower than R404A – and is considered by Daikin as an economical retrofit with limited modifications. Daikin is better known for its air conditioning products, but it is also a major manufacturer of fluorochemicals, including HFC alternatives. In 2015 it purchased Solvay’s refrigerant business in a deal reported to be worth around €22m. The deal gave Daikin its first refrigerant manufacturing base in Europe. Cooling Post 20170322
■EUROPE: The European Parliament and the Council has agreed to a revised energy efficiency label, replacing the current A+++ to G labels by easier to understand A to G labels. The present best performing products in the A+ to A+++ categories is considered misleading and hides potential substantial differences in energy performance. Cooling Post 20170322
■Refrigerant (Europe): Refrigerant users face new price increases of as much as 30% as Europe transitions away from high GWP HFCs. The UK’s leading refrigeration wholesaler and one of the world’s main refrigeration manufacturers have both announced large increases in the price of refrigerants from next month. Cooling Post 20170322
■Ashrae (UK): ASHRAE president Tim Wentz will formally inaugurate the new ASHRAE Scotland Section in Glasgow next month. Cooling Post 20170322
■Carrier (Germany): Carrier’s latest transcritical CO2 refrigeration system – CO2OLtech Evo – features the newly developed adjustable modulating vapour ejector technology. This smart technology adjusts to capacity variation and provides increased energy savings, making the system a viable alternative in warmer climates as well as providing heat reclaim opportunities in cold and mild climates. Carrier has developed the technology in co-operation with Carel, and both companies hold patents on some of the technology. Carel had a range on display on its stand, which vary in capacity from 20-135 kW. Cooling Post 20170319
■Yanmar (UK): Yanmar, the Japanese diesel engine manufacturer, has teamed up with the Cross Group to supply a range of gas engine heat pump products in the UK & Ireland. Established in 1912 and based in Osaka, Yanmar is a family-owned business which, in addition to advanced performance diesel engines and final equipment, its business includes marine propulsion systems, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, industrial engines and energy systems.Group sales total more than €6bn with a global workforce of more than 18,000 employees. The company began sales of its first gas engine air conditioners in 1987 and to date has over 260,000 GHP units installed around the world. Yanmar’s European head office, near Amsterdam, was established in 1988. It began sales of GHP products in Europe in 2013. Yanmar Energy Systems, Cooling Post 20170317
■Ciat (France) : Ciat is to take its HVAC solutions on the road, visiting more than 70 cities across three continents over the next nine months. The Ciat roadshow truck is currently greeting visitors at this week’s ISH 2017 in Frankfurt where visitors are invited to climb aboard and discover Ciat’s latest innovations. After the show the truck will embark on a 30,000km tour of 20 countries, from Europe to North Africa and Central Europe, including such destinations as Russia and Turkey. The truck will showcase the ClimaCiat and Floway air handling units, AquaCiat packaged chiller and heat pump, Ereba packaged reversible air/water heat pump, as well as split and multi split air to water heat pump. Cooling Post 20170316
■Trane (Saudi Arabia): Air conditioning manufacturer Trane has formed a joint venture manufacturing agreement with its Jeddah-based distributor Dallah Trading Company. The agreement includes the development of a new manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) to serve heating, ventilation and air conditioning customers in Middle East and Africa markets with standard and custom-designed air handling units and fan coils. The new facility is expected to be completed in late 2017. Cooling Post 20170316
■HVAC&R Exhibition (Spain): The organiser of this month’s Climatizacion Refrigeracion 2017 exhibition has reported an attendance increase of nearly 12%, compared to the 2015 event. The total attendance of 49,935 visitors from 82 countries to Spain’s major air conditioning and refrigeration show marked a significant increase in interest in this biennial event. The show, held in Madrid from 28 February to 3 March, featured around 700 companies from 24 countries. Cooling Post 20170315
■HVACR future (Belgium) : A new paper released today by EPEE and ventilation group EVIA attempts to predict the HVAC and refrigeration needs of future generations.
Jointly developed by the two associations, the Visionary Paper is based on the discussions held during Eureka 2016, a collective industry event that took place in December in The Hague. “The Visionary Paper aims to provide an outlook to 2030 based on what future customers will want and expect,” said EPEE. The Visionary Paper illustrates the future trends as seen through the eyes of the actors in the HVACR sector today, and presents their applications in the key areas addressed during EUREKA 2016. Cooling Post 20170315
■Patent (USA): Carrier and Goodman Manufacturing are reported to have settled a US patent infringement lawsuit involving Goodman’s ComfortNet products and Carrier’s Infinity technology. The case, filed by Carrier in 2012, concerned alleged infringements by Goodman, the US Daikin subsidiary, of two controls and communication patents in Goodman’s ComfortNet range of products, including at least thermostats, air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and air handlers under the Goodman and/or Amana trade names. Goodman counterclaimed citing misrepresentations and omissions in the prosecution of the two US patents concerned: 7,243,004 Self-Configuring Controls for Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Systems and 7,775,452, entitled Serial Communicating HVAC System. The agreement resolves litigation pending in the US District Court for the District of Delaware. The specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Cooling Post 20170315
■Schneider Electric (UK) : Schneider Electric is using a polymer heat exchanger in its new Ecoflair Indirect Air Economiser cooling solution for data centres. Ecoflair is said to address the challenge of maintaining optimum operating temperatures in data centres while, it is claimed, reducing operating costs by over 60% compared to traditional cooling systems. Available in 250kW and 500kW modules, Ecoflair is said to be particularly suited for colocation facilities rated between 1 and 5MW (250kW modules) and large hyperscale or cloud data centres rated up to 40MW (500kW modules). Cooling Post 20170315
■Smart home (UK) : BSRIA is forecasting a total global growth of 20 per cent in the Smart Home/light commercial market in 2017, with the largest growth being predicted for the UK market at a rate of 29 per cent. The total value of the global market is forecast to be $15.8 billion in 2017. The US market remains the largest single market forecast at 29 per cent of the total market value. Cooling Post 20170315
■Hoshizaki (UK): Hoshizaki UK has appointed Simon Frost CFSP as director, sales and chain accounts. He will work closely with Steve Loughton who was recently appointed as director, UK & Ireland. Simon has more than 30 years of industry knowledge and a significant network of industry contacts with distributors, chain accounts and the cost sector.Simon is the immediate past Chairman of CESA and played an integral role in launching the CFSP scheme in the UK. ACR News 20170314
■Euro Event (Italy ): Against a background of a global HFC phase down, this year’s European Conference on the latest refrigeration and air conditioning technologies takes on greater significance. Taking place on June 9-10, 2017, at the Polytechnic University of Milan, the 17th European Conference on the latest Technologies in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning will focus on F-gas rules and regulations and the latest eco-friendly refrigerant alternatives. The first session of the conference will focus on “natural” refrigerants and HFOs, in addition to discussions about the growing necessity for energy efficiency. Cooling Post 20170313
■Danfoss (Denmark): Danfoss has added four new Turbocor compressors for use with the HFO refrigerant R1234ze, and updated its existing TG310 model. The new compressor models TG230, TG230 MT, TG390, and TG520 are designed for standard temperature ac applications. Similar to the current TT series compressors, the TG series compressors are oil-free, variable-speed, magnetic bearing centrifugal compressors. Cooling Post 20170312
■Ventilation (Belguium): The European Ventilation Industry Association (EVIA) and the Eurovent Association have released a new FAQ on ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for ventilation units. The document aims to provide answers to the many questions the market still has concerning EU Regulations 1253/2014 and 1254/2014 to ensure their proper implementation. Cooling Post 20170312
■Daikin (USA): Daikin Applied has won a Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing Leadership award for its Variable Volume Ratio (VVR) technology. The new VVR technology, incorporated in in Daikin’s new Pathfinder air-cooled chiller, enables the compressor to sense the amount of lift needed in any given moment, and adjusts the compression ratio automatically. The result is that the compressor works only as hard as it needs to, and customers don’t pay for over-compression which is likely occurring 95% of the time. Cooling Post 20170312
■Carrier (Germany): Carrier and Gram are amongst the winners of a European energy efficiency award for commercial refrigeration cabinets using “natural” refrigerants. Common to all winning products is their use of “natural” refrigerants and their high energy efficiency compared to others, confirmed through independent tests based on the latest standards. The Carrier Optima 0948LG won the vertical supermarket refrigerated display cabinet category. Using R290 (propane), it is said to consume 3,030kWh per year, 10,000 kWh less than an inefficient model. Cooling Post 20170311
■Ashrae (USA) : Now available for free download is the latest ASHRAE/UN Environment fact sheet on new refrigerant designation and safety classification. Updated twice a year, after the ASHRAE winter and summer conferences, the fact sheet provides an update on ASHRAE refrigerant standards and introduces the new refrigerants that have been awarded an “R” number over the last few years. The document describes ASHRAE’s Standard 34, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, what the R-numbers mean and explains the hazard classifications. Cooling Post 20170310
■UL (USA): UL, the American safety consulting and certification company, is holding a series of webinars on flammable refrigerants. The series of four one-hour webinars is organised against a background of global moves to phase down HFCs and the adoption of lower GWP flammable alternatives. UL says the webinars will be of interest to anyone involved in refrigeration and air conditioning keen to keep abreast of latest codes and standards. The first webinar – an Introduction of the 2017 updates to the white paper Revisiting Flammable Refrigerants, has already taken place but can still be listened to here. The next webinar is on March 29 and is entitled An Overview of Codes and Standards Activities. This will be followed by An Overview of the Science of Flammable Refrigerants on April 26 and a panel discussion on Uncertainty, Gaps, and What’s Needed to Continue the Implementation on May 17. All take place at the same time of 14.00 EDT. Cooling Post 20170310
Ashre (USA): Bookings are now being taken for a major conference in Bangkok next month on sustainable refrigeration technologies in the marine industry. The Sustainable Management of Refrigeration Technologies in Marine and Off-Shore Fisheries Sectors Conference, taking place from April 6-8, will look at a sector heavily reliant on refrigeration but where 80% of mobile marine refrigerated systems still use R22. The conference is co-organised by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ASHRAE, the International Institute of Refrigeration and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) with support from the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Department of Industrial Works. For the list of speakers and for more information, visit www.ashrae.org/marine2017. Cooling Post 20170310
■Top sellers: commercial refrigeration 2017. Log on to the website to download. www.lfspareparts724.co.uk - See more at: http://www.acr-news.com/Product?cid=2111&cptid=200217#sthash.PJdE8djy.dpuf. ACR News 20170310
■Carrier (Singapore): Container shipping line Maersk has ordered 100 of Carrier Transicold’s refrigerated containers using “natural” refrigerant CO2. This is the first shipment of a total of 200 of Carrier Transicold’s NaturaLINE containers ordered by Maersk Line for operational testing.The NaturaLINE units, the first to use CO2, are being installed on 40ft high-cube containers with anticipated delivery in the first quarter. Maersk Line will initially deploy the units on closed-loop routes between Europe and the Americas. Crew and landside training on unit operation and service is already underway. Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company, and boasts a fleet of 260,000 refrigerated containers. Cooling Post 20170308
■Bitzer (Germany): Bitzer has followed up the launch of its six-cylinder Ecoline+ transcritical CO2 compressor at last year’s Chillventa with a four-cylinder version at this week’s Euroshop exhibition.
Like the rest of the series, the four-cylinder Ecoline+ offers high efficiency at both full- and part-load and also benefits from a number of improvements to the series. The Ecoline+ reciprocating compressors are now equipped with new line-start permanent magnet motors (LSPM), an enhanced motor technology offering greater efficiency and mechanical capacity control for transcritical CO2 applications. Cooling Post 20170308
■Danfoss (Saudi Arabia) : Danfoss has announced the opening of its first technical support office in Saudi Arabia. The Danish HVAC manufacturer has been operating in Saudi Arabia for over 50 years through distributers and agents. Offering local customer service and technical support, it will also help Danfoss support Saudi efforts to reach its 2030 vision through providing innovative and sustainable solutions for the cooling, heating and industrial sectors. Cooling Post 20170305
■UTC (USA): UTC Climate, Controls & Security, which includes Carrier’s air conditioning business, has completed the acquisition of the energy services business of Indian IT company Wipro. Cooling Post 20170305
■Marshall Islands: The Marshall Islands has become the first country to ratify the Kigali agreement to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. A chain of low-lying volcanic islands and coral atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and the Philippines, the Marshall Islands in a coalition led by Micronesia was the first country to propose an HFC phase down. Cooling Post 20170303
■Cooling Post: The Cooling Post achieved a new record of over 34,000 visits in February and confirmed its leading role as a source of air conditioning and refrigeration news and information. The total of 34,086 was over 8% up on the previous best in August 2016 and over 25% up on the corresponding month last year. Cooling Post 20170301
■Daikin (UK): Daikin Applied (UK) has launched a new remote monitoring system for its entire chiller portfolio and its modular AHU range. Daikin on Site provides a browser-based, real-time view of a site’s chiller operation. The cloud-based IoT solution is designed to be both easy to setup and to meet the widest range of customer demands. All Daikin Applied chillers now have Daikin on Site software embedded into the unit controller. The client only has to connect a LAN or 3G/4G modem solution to enable the web data transfer. New Daikin on Site is also said to allow integration of chiller plant room systems on the new cloud-based platform. Cooling Post 20170227
■Systemair (Sweden): Systemair is to supply 531 air handling units and 5,630 fan coils to the world’s largest airport currently under construction in Turkey. The €9.5m order, which includes Systemair’s FL NG air handling units, is destined for Istanbul’s third airport under construction in Arnavutköy district of Istanbul. One of the largest ever infrastructure projects in the Turkish Republic, it will be the largest airport in the world, with six runways and the capability to handle 150 million passengers per year. The project will be staged in four phases and the first new airport phase will be opened during 2018. Cooling Post 20170226
■ACREX (India): The growing importance of India in the global refrigeration and air conditioning sector is reflected in the 500 exhibitors and 50,000 visitors expected to participate in ACREX India which opened today. The Indian air conditioner market is highly fragmented, with over 20 competitors. Indian manufacturers include Voltas, Videocon, Blue Star, Fedders Lloyd and Godrej. Japanese competitors include Daikin, JCI-Hitachi, Panasonic, Fujitsu General, Toshiba Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Korean multinationals LG and Samsung are also large players in the country and Chinese majors Midea and Haier also have a presence along with US companies Carrier, Trane and Whirlpool. The Indian air conditioner market grew an estimated 19% in 2016 from 4.3 to 5.1 million products. Highly India is the major Indian manufacturer for both inverter and non-inverter rotary compressors. In addition to compressors suitable for R22, R134a and R410A, it is also shipping R32 compressors. Air conditioner manufacturers also import large quantities of rotary compressors from Chinese manufacturer Guangdong Meizhi, as well as Hitachi, Rechi and smaller quantities from Samsung, Panasonic, LG and Toshiba. R22 and R410A are generally the preferred refrigerant for non-inverter and inverter air conditioners, respectively. Daikin uses R32 in all wall-mounted split air conditioners, and has developed a 4TR cassette operating on R32. Blue Star and Fedders Lloyd are also moving towards R32. Godrej is the only manufacturer of R290 air conditioners, and has sold about 120,000 units so far. Organised by NürnbergMesse India and the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), ACREX India 2017, claims to be South Asia’s leading HVACR industry trade show. Cooling Post 20170302
■Hitachi (Europe): Hitachi has become the latest major air conditioning manufacturer to announce the European launch of units operating on the lower GWP refrigerant R32. Following this month’s R32 launch announcement by Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi has released details of the availability of a new R32 wall-mount amongst its RAC products for 2017. The new R32 units in four sizes from 1.8kW to 5kW are being added to Hitachi’s Summit range. The new 2017 RAC product ranges will be available from April. Cooling Post 20170227
■Europe: EPEE and Eurovent, two of the main associations representing European HVACR manufacturers, have joined with over 120 other associations calling for an ambitious EU industrial strategy. With Europe seeing a decline in manufacturing, the associations are calling on the European Commission to commit to tackle the challenges that the industrial sectors are facing. Between 2000 and 2014, the share of manufacturing in total EU output fell from 18.8% to 15.3%, while 3.5 million manufacturing jobs were lost between 2008 and 2014. Meanwhile, countries around the world are putting industry at the top of their political agendas. The associations point to India’s Make in India strategy to ensure India is “the next manufacturing destination” and China’s Made in China 2025 programme to turn China into the “leading manufacturing power”. There are also concerns that the recent US shift towards America First will inevitably have a strong impact on their industrial policy. The signatories to the declaration point out that European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker had identified the reindustrialisation of Europe as one of his top. Cooling Post 20170227
■Haier (Europe): Chinese air conditioning manufacturer Haier is looking to make major inroads into the European market by relaunching the product in the UK, Benelux and Germany. For the UK, this will be third attempt by the leading Chinese air conditioning manufacturer to establish itself but Haier’s recently appointed European general manager for HVAC, Bob Cowlard, promises that things will be different this time. Haier’s already established air conditioning markets in Southern Europe, have brought sales of €42m in Italy, €18m in Spain and €8m in France. Sales in Central Europe are €15m per year and the product is no 2 in Russia. The Haier product first appeared in the UK in 2001 through New Century (Haier) Air Conditioning Ltd, but was beset with reliability issues. After a break of three years it re-entered the UK market briefly in 2009 with no greater success. Bob Cowlard insists that the company has learned its lesson from those failures and the quality and reliability of the product now bears no resemblance to those former times. Although accepted as a major player in the Far East, its presence and standing in the West has been bolstered by last year’s purchase of US manufacturer General Electric. Haier RAC range boasts the second largest choice of R32 air conditioners behind Daikin. “We recognise that the market is not yet fully prepared for R32, so this year we will have both R410A and R32 units available.”When the infrastructure is in place, next year will see the launch of Haier’s “hero” products, lead by its latest MRV 5 VRF system, screw chillers and oil-free centrifugal chillers using Turbocor compressors. Cooling Post 20170301
■LG (USA): Feb. 28, 2017 – LG Electronics Inc. today announced plans to construct a new 829,000-square-foot home appliance manufacturing facility near Clarksville, Tennessee. The project, in the heart of Montgomery County, is expected to bring at least 600 full-time jobs to the area. LG’s new Tennessee facility is expected to be the world’s most advanced production plant for washing machines. Starting in 2019, the factory will initially produce front- and top-load washing machines. Longer term, the 310-acre site offers the potential to expand for production of other home appliances. LG 20170228
■Carrier (USA): Carrier has expanded the recall of certain models packaged terminal air conditioners and heat pumps to more than 500,000. About 285,000 units were recalled in December 2015 and 185,000 in November 2007 due to the potential for the power cord plug to overheat and catch fire. Manufactured in Mexico, the recalled units were sold at HVAC dealers and factory-direct sales nationwide from January 2002 to December 2009 for between $425 and $675. Cooling Post 20170224
■Kirloskar (India): Kirloskar, the Pune-based chiller manufacturer, is the first company in India to announce the use of low GWP refrigerant R1234ze(E). Kirloskar new air conditioning chillers using Honeywell’s Solstice ze refrigerant are now available for installation in India, Middle East, South East Asia and Europe. Established in 2008, Kirloskar Chillers operates from a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Saswad near Pune. The factory has the first AHRI-certified test bed in India. Cooling Post 20170223
■Mitsubishi Electric (UK): Mitsubishi Electric has released a free, CPD-accredited guide to working with the F-gas regulations. The guide looks at the background to the regulations and why they have come about; how the phase down is planned to operate and what this means for both air conditioning systems and their owners. Cooling Post 20170222
■Mitsubishi Electric (UK): Mitsubishi Electric has released a free, CPD-accredited guide to working with the F-gas regulations. The guide looks at the background to the regulations and why they have come about; how the phase down is planned to operate and what this means for both air conditioning systems and their owners. Cooling Post 20170222
●MHI (Japan): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has extended its range of chillers running on new low GWP refrigerant R1234ze(E) to cover capacities from 150 to 5,000TR. The range is expanded by the announcement of the new constant speed GART-ZE and inverter-driven GART-ZEI series in a range from 300 to 5,000TR. With availability from April in Japan, the new series, along with the ETI-Z series of small-capacity R1234ze(E) models launched in 2015, gives MHI a full line-up of low-GWP refrigerant models. The new series includes improvements to the heat exchanger and the shape of the compressor impeller blades compliant with the R1234ze(E). As well as offering higher performance (the COP of the constant-speed 2,000TR model is 6.9), components have been made devices smaller and arranged in a way to ease installation. The adoption of the latest board in the new series’ control panel is said to have increased the speed of the CPU, resulting in more precise control and greater energy-savings. Cooling Post 20170220
●MHI (Japan): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has extended its range of chillers running on new low GWP refrigerant R1234ze(E) to cover capacities from 150 to 5,000TR. The range is expanded by the announcement of the new constant speed GART-ZE and inverter-driven GART-ZEI series in a range from 300 to 5,000TR. With availability from April in Japan, the new series, along with the ETI-Z series of small-capacity R1234ze(E) models launched in 2015, gives MHI a full line-up of low-GWP refrigerant models. The new series includes improvements to the heat exchanger and the shape of the compressor impeller blades compliant with the R1234ze(E). As well as offering higher performance (the COP of the constant-speed 2,000TR model is 6.9), components have been made devices smaller and arranged in a way to ease installation. The adoption of the latest board in the new series’ control panel is said to have increased the speed of the CPU, resulting in more precise control and greater energy-savings. Cooling Post 20170220
■MHI (Japan): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is to introduce a commercial refrigeration condensing unit using CO2 refrigerant. The HCCV1001, due to go on sale in April, is aimed at the cold storage and retail refrigerated and frozen food markets. The new 10hp condensing unit employs MHI’s proprietary two-stage GSR compressor, which integrates a scroll compressor and a rotary compressor. The rotary compression mechanism, which offers advantages at low-pressure ratios, is operated at the first stage compression. The scroll is adopted at the second stage compression for the high-pressure ratios. Gas injection, featuring a gas-liquid separator in the intermediate-pressure vessel, is designed to ensure refrigerating capacity and high efficiency throughout the HCCV1001’s operating range. Suitable for operating in an ambient range of -15°C to +43°C and an operating temperature range of -45°C to -5°C, the HCCV1001 can accommodate diverse refrigeration and freezing needs. The HCCV1001’s maximum pipe length is set at 100m, which allows for the convenient replacement of existing units. In addition, it also facilitates mixed installations through the use of the same external dimensions as outdoor units of MHI’s multi system air-conditioners for commercial applications. Cooling Post 20170219
■Toshiba (UK): Aiming to build on the success of its award-winning SMMS-e, Toshiba’s new SHRM-e 3-pipe heat recovery VRF air conditioning system boasts ESEERs above 7 on all models. SHRM-e is said to deliver a number of improvements made possible by developments in key technologies such as the compressor and intelligent control system, supported by a variety of incremental improvements in almost all system components. A new rotary compressor, developed and manufactured by Toshiba, uses a two-stage compression process for improved efficiency and performance. Wear surfaces on compression vanes are treated with a diamond-like carbon coating to improve wear-resistance and reliability. This enables a higher duty to be obtained from a smaller compressor, with less power. According to Toshiba, the displacement volume is up to 50% greater than for the previous generation of VRF systems. The SHRM-e is also said to be able to provide continuous heating. This is made possible by the use of a new hot-gas bypass control, which simultaneously defrosts outdoor heat exchanger coils, while allowing the indoor unit to continue operating in heating mode. Maximum total pipe work length for SHRM-e is 1000m, double the previous allowable length, with the maximum actual length between an FS unit and a fan coil unit now 50m – versus 15m for the previous model. The operating temperature range has also been extended, and is now -10ºC to 46ºC for cooling operation and -25ºC to 15.5ºC in heating mode. Cooling Post 20170217
■Refrigerant (USA): A search of more than 60 million chemicals to find a replacement for R410A in air conditioning systems has found just 27 suitably-efficient fluids – but all are at least slightly flammable. R32 has been introduced by Daikin and others for use in small splits and propane is also being considered in similar applications in some Far East markets. However, their flammability precludes their use under current national and international safety standards in all but the smaller systems. The report focuses on single-component refrigerants (that is, pure fluids) but recognises that refrigerant blends offer additional possibilities, although the trade-off to reducing flammability will be higher GWPs. Cooling Post 20170218
■AHR Expo2017 (USA): The 2017 event, held in Las Vegas from January 30 to February 1, attracted 48,568 visitors, an increase of over 13% on the previous best attendance set in 2014 in New York. When stand personnel numbers are included the figure was 68,615 visitors, another record. The show, itself, was also the largest ever, with its 1,968 exhibitors occupying a total of 500,159ft² (46,466m²). This beat the previous best set by the 2015 Chicago event of 486,600ft² (45,207m²). The next AHR Expo will be held from January 22 to 24, 2018 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Cooling Post 20170218
■Daikin (USA): Daikin Applied has renamed its systems and controls businesses to reflect the move towards intelligent equipment. Intelligent Solutions is the new business name for Systems and Controls within the Daikin Applied portfolio. In addition, Daikin Applied’s MicroTech Integrated Systems now becomes Intelligent Systems. Both offerings in the Intelligent Solutions portfolio address unique HVAC management needs. Intelligent Equipment works at the HVAC unit level, giving customers with packaged rooftops and air cooled chillers unprecedented visibility into their HVAC unit performance. With Intelligent Systems working at the system level, customers who operate small-to-mid-sized buildings gain the power of intuitive and easy-to-use system controls without the cost of a full building automation system. Cooling Post 20170218
■IAQ (UK): Proposals for a new Clean Air Act should include measures supporting the role of buildings as “safe havens” from pollution, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). Cooling Post 20170219
■Daikin (USA): Daikin Applied has renamed its systems and controls businesses
to reflect the move towards intelligent equipment. Intelligent Solutions
is the new business name for Systems and Controls within the Daikin Applied
portfolio. In addition, Daikin Applied’s MicroTech Integrated Systems now
becomes Intelligent Systems. Cooling Post 20170217
■Trane (USA): The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) has become the first establishment in the USA to install a Trane chiller using the new refrigerant R1233zd(E). The 3,700 ton Trane chiller was installed in early December in the facility’s central utility plant. The chiller was factory tested, shipped, tested again, disassembled into four pieces, and then craned into the plant room – which had a section of roof removed to provide access and special support structures in place to move the chiller to its permanent home inside the building. Cooling Post 20170215
■Honeywell (India): Honeywell has opened a new state-of-the-art refrigerant laboratory in India to support local oems in transitioning to lower GWP refrigerants. Cooling Post 20170213
■EU strategy (Belgium): Eurovent and the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) are co-signees of a declaration by 92 sectoral associations calling on the EU to implement an ambitious industrial strategy. Cooling Post 201702010
■Mitsubishi Electric (Europe) ： The company has announced the introduction of its first R32 air conditioners into Europe. The Japanese manufacturer’s M Series MSZ-LN range, first previewed at Italy’s Mostra Convegno show last year, will the first to offer the new lower GWP refrigerant. The launch of further R32 units are promised throughout the year. Last year the UK company revealed plans for R32 in its residential M Series and commercial P Series air conditioning ranges and Ecodan heat pumps. An R32 version of the company’s City Multi HVRF water/refrigerant hybrid this year was also hinted at. It features a built-in Wi-Fi interface enables full control and monitoring via the company’s MELCloud app, and an i-see Sensor, which automatically monitors room occupancy, position and body temperatures to deliver customised comfort. Double vanes on the indoor unit operate independently to distribute airflow evenly throughout the room and the MSZ-LN offers a whisper-quiet operation as low as 19 dB(A). A Plasma Quad Plus filter also uses powerful plasma technology to filter out even microscopic particles, whilst the dual-barrier coating on the heat exchanger, fan and air duct prevents dust and grease accumulation. Cooling Post 20170214
■Film for Cooling (USA): Scientists have developed a material which is said to be capable of cooling objects even under direct sunlight. Described as a metamaterial – a synthetic composite material with properties not usually found in nature – it has been developed by a team from the University of Colorado Boulder. When applied to a surface, the metamaterial film cools the object underneath by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space while simultaneously allowing the surface to shed its own heat in the form of infrared thermal radiation. Cooling Post 20170210
■Ashrae (USA): In total, 3,579 people attended the Conference at Caesars Palace, making it the most well attended Winter Conference in recent years. The attendees represented 58 countries and included 537 first-timers, ASHRAE reports.The 2017 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from June 24-28 in Long Beach, California, with the 2018 Winter Conference scheduled for January 20-24 in Chicago. Cooling Post 20170210
■Danfoss (USA）: The growing acceptance of CO2 refrigeration as a mainstream technology amongst both OEMs and end users in the USA is highlighted in a new study by Danfoss. According to the new survey of over 1,000 individuals with an interest in commercial and industrial refrigeration in North America, 82% of OEMs and 91% of consultants said they saw CO2 as a viable mainstream refrigeration technology. However, OEMs and contractors do not see CO2 becoming a significant part of their business in the near future. OEMs and contractors identified the removal of ammonia, in terms of improved safety and reduced ammonia charge, as key drivers in using CO2. Cooling Post 20170209
■Panasonic: The company has announced an expansion of local room air conditioning
capabilities in Asia with the start up of production in Thailand. The Japanese
manufacturer commenced production at the end of January of room air conditioners
at Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices (Thailand) Co Ltd, an existing
factory producing heat exchangers for cooling and air conditioning. Originally
established in 1988, the Thailand factory is based in Khlong Nung, approximately
50km from Bangkok. Production of air conditioners at the Thai facility
for 2017 is expected to be about 500,000 units, which could be expanded
in the future depending on market demand. In what it describes as “local
production for local consumption”, the Thai production is part of a move
by Panasonic designed to meet rapidly increasing demand in Asia. Panasonic
has been producing air conditioners in Asian countries, with Panasonic
Appliances Air-Conditioning Malaysia positioned as the global mother factory
for the air conditioning business in Asia. Cooling Post 20170208
■Bitzer (Senegal): German compressor manufacturer Bitzer has opened an office in Senegal to support its presence in West Africa. The new Bitzer Senegal branch in the capital Dakar is structurally and legally connected to Bitzer France. The German compressor specialist has been represented by local company sales partner ICE since 2004 and is looking to reinforce that collaboration to expand into various West African markets from its new location. Cooling Post 20170208
■Ingersoll-Rand (Ireland): Ingersoll-Rand, owners of HVAC manufacturer Trane, is set to acquire Italian manufacturer Thermocold. Established in 1995, Thermocold produces a wide range of conventional chillers and heat pumps as well as special units for Atex and marine cooling applications, along with close control, free cooling and inverter screw chillers.Thermocold operates from one location in Bari, Italy. The acquisition is expected to close subject to certain closing conditions and third party approvals. Cooling Post 20170208
■Beijer (Chile): Beijer Ref’s Italian manufacturing subsidiary SCM Frigo has supplied the equipment for Chile’s first ever transcritical CO2 supermarket refrigeration system. The project was implemented by the Ministry of Environment’s Ozone Unit and was funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The project aims to highlight ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and introduce environmentally friendly technology. It also has economic benefits with approximately 20% in energy savings. Established in 1979, SCM Frigo became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beijer Ref in 2014. Cooling Post 20170206
■Carrier (USA): AHR Expo in Las Vegas provided the platform for the official launch of Carrier’s new AquaEdge 19DV centrifugal chiller using low GWP refrigerant R1233zd(E). The AquaEdge19DV was first revealed at last year’s China Refrigeration Expo in Beijing and launched there in December. The launch at AHR Expo now brings Carrier’s version of the breakthrough technology to North America for the first time.R1233zd(E) is a single component, non-flammable A1, fourth generation HFO refrigerant alternative to R123. The refrigerant was first adopted by Carrier’s US rival Trane was the first to adopt the refrigerant when it launched its Series E CenTraVac water-cooled centrifugal chiller in 2014. The AquaEdge 19DV is said to provide COPs of up to 7.0 COP full-load and 11.8 IPLV.IP as rated in accordance with AHRI 550/590-2015 at standard rating conditions. Cooling Post 20170205
■Chemours (USA): Refrigerant manufacturer Chemours has broken ground on
a new R1234yf production facility at its Corpus Christi plant in Ingleside,
Texas. The new $230m plant will triple Chemours’ capacity to produce R1234yf,
the refrigerant being introduced to replace R134a in vehicle air conditioning
systems. An HFO, R1234yf is also a component in a number of lower GWP refrigerants
developed for use in a range of refrigeration and air conditioning applications.
It’s said that the new plant will be the world’s largest HFO manufacturing
facility and will serve the growing market in North America and Europe,
as well as the rest of the world. Start-up is expected in the third quarter
of 2018. Cooling Post 20170202
■Refrigerants (EU) : Ratification of the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol could be virtually assured following proposed backing from the European Commission. The European Commission today adopted a proposal for the EU to ratify the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol on a global phase-down of HFCs – the majority of which are used as refrigerants in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Cooling Post 20170202
■Emerson (USA): Emerson is to launch the latest generation of its Copeland Scroll two-stage compressor at the AHR Expo in Las Vegas today. The new compressor will include an expansion in the capacity range up to 10hp. It is said to have been redesigned for improved performance and reliability in residential and commercial air conditioning systems with an offering to support 1.5 to 10 ton systems. These improvements are enabling affordable solutions for OEMs in 15/16 SEER applications allowing OEMs to more easily meet CEE tiers, while also providing additional comfort benefits such as better humidity and temperature control. Cooling Post 20170130
■ZoomLock Brazefree system now approved for Ministry of Defence use...Braze-Free copper fittings for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry. Greenmill Air Conditioning and Ventilation Materials has been appointed by Parker as the UK’s distributor of ZoomLock, which connects copper tubes without brazing. ZoomLock uses crimping to join refrigeration copper tubes – removing the need for a flame, gas, nitrogen purging or hot work permits. The ground breaking brazefree system for ACR pipework has now been codified by Ministry of Defence. ZoomLock is a great way to eliminate fire risk in flame sensitive environments. ACR News 20170201
●MHI (Japan): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is expanding production at its joint venture air conditioning factories in Thailand. The $26m investment will include the expansion of its two existing factories in Ladkrabang Industrial Estate in the suburbs of Bangkok and the construction of a third factory. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Mahajak Air Conditioners (MACO) was established in 1988 with the local firm Mahajak Industry Co to manufacture household and commercial-use air conditioning systems. MHI says the aim of the expansion is to allow for a flexible response to the rising global demand for comfort air conditioning, as well as growing robust demand and market needs for household and commercial air conditioners, mainly in Asia. The new facilities are scheduled to begin operations in early 2018, with an expected 30% increase in production volume to 2.7 million boxes (1.7 million units) by 2020.The current plants manufactures components and assembles domestic and commercial air conditioners. The new third factory will manufacture plastic and sheet metal parts. Construction is scheduled to start in the first half of this year. Cooling Post 20170125
■Germany : Sales of heat pumps reached record levels in Germany last year on the back of high subsidy rates and more stringent energy policies. According to the trade association Bundesverband Wärmepumpe (BWP), sales rose rose by 17% last year to 66,500 and beating the previous best year of 2008. Ground-source heat pump sales increased by 21.8% to 20,700 units, while sales of air-source units increased by 14.5% from to 45,800 in 2016.Although a heat pump is used in one-in-three newly built houses, market share remains below 5%. Cooling Post 20170124
■Emerson (USA): Emerson has announced the launch of higher efficiency fractional horse power hermetic compressors for low, medium and high temperature applications. Designed for R134a and R404A as the primary refrigerants, Emerson is also qualifying these compressors for the A1 non -flammable lower GWP alternatives R448A, R449A, R450A, and R513A. The entire product performance, electrical, and mechanical information can be accessed online at Emerson.com/OPI. Cooling Post 20170125
■Ziehl-Abegg : Fan and motor manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg has seen its sales grow for 2016 to €482m, compared with €447m a year earlier. The significant growth was facilitated by new products, improved logistics and a greater commitment to sales and service. The company also opened a new branch in Dubai last year and increased staff numbers to more than 3550. Cooling Post 20170123
■Eurovent (Dubai): Brian Suggitt, Middle East md of Systemair, has been elected as the first chairman of Euorvent’s newly formed Middle East group. The new group, comprising more than 25 member companies, was formed during a meeting at The H Hotel in Dubai, UAE. Cooling Post 20170122
■Danfoss (Denmark): Danfoss is using the upcoming Euroshop exhibition to promote its Smart Store next generation food retail solutions.“With smart and integrated solutions for compressors, refrigerated display cases, cold rooms, HVAC, lighting and connections to external grids we can prove energy savings of up to 50%,” commented Henrik Schurmann, VP Danfoss Food Retail.Cooling Post 20170122
■Overheated houses (UK): Modern UK building standards are said to be leading to an increased incidence of problems of overheating in buildings without air conditioning. According to a new study overheating is a nationwide, growing problem that can render buildings uninhabitable and potentially lethal in summer months. Cooling Post 20170122
■Bitzer (Germany): Compressor manufacturer Bitzer has updated its BEST software electronics service tool. The BEST software enables refrigeration and service engineers to quickly and easily operate all Bitzer IQ products from their PC. It provides users with a complete overview of the operating status of Bitzer compressors and condensing units, showing their configuration and permitting troubleshooting. Cooling Post 20170120
■Daikin (USA): The first VRV unit has rolled off the production line of Daikin’s new 370,000m² manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas.The $417m facility consolidates four Daikin and Goodman manufacturing plants into one, and will employ around 5,000 workers. It manufactures both traditional US ducted products as well as split/VRF technologies. The same type of equipment is planned for Daikin’s new Vietnamese factory and has been used as a model for the company’s second Indian facility, currently under construction in Rajasthan. It has been suggested that all future plants will use a similar approach and, if effective, the company may also re-examine existing plants in Japan and elsewhere. Cooling Post 20170119
■Eurovent (Belgium): A speech reflecting on the challenges and opportunities faced by small and medium-sized enterprises has been deemed the best from last year’s Eurovent Summit. The five speeches presented at Eurovent’s Innovation/Hub event at September’s Eurovent Summit in Poland were subsequently uploaded to YouTube, with viewers being invited to vote on which one they considered the best. Cooling Post 20170118
■2016 Warmest Record (USA): 2016 has been confirmed as the warmest since modern records began, according to separate reports by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The planet’s long-term warming trend is seen in this chart of every year’s annual temperature cycle from 1880 to the present, compared to the average temperature from 1880 to 2015. Record warm years are listed in the column on the right. Cooling Post 20170118
■ACR Show (UK): The organiser of the HVAC & Refrigeration Show is looking to attract larger stands to the event when it moves to London in 2018.Formerly known as ACR Show, the event changed its name after the last event at the NEC in 2016 and announced a move to ExCel to take advantage of the perceived commercial opportunities in the South of England, London and the Home Counties. Cooling Post 20170118
■Ziehl-Abegg :Fan and motor manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg has seen its sales grow for 2016 to €482m, compared with €447m a year earlier. The significant growth was facilitated by new products, improved logistics and a greater commitment to sales and service. The company also opened a new branch in Dubai last year and increased staff numbers to more than 3550. Exports account for a more than 75% of the company’s sales. Business in Germany has risen slightly but the bulk of the increase has come from other European countries. Sales in the countries on the American continents also have reported above-average increases. ACR News 20170119
■BIM (Building Information Modelling) UK: As one of the world’s leading educational establishments, it is perhaps appropriate that Cambridge University should be at the centre of a project integrating cutting-edge building information modelling (BIM). As the UK construction industry moves towards ever-greater integration of BIM, the new international hq for Cambridge Assessment, the University of Cambridge’s international examinations group, offers an example of how the effective use of BIM can benefit all parties, and deliver top-quality outcomes. Called the Triangle, the new building is scheduled for occupation in 2018. This new international headquarters will bring together all Cambridge Assessment’s Cambridge-based staff, currently based in 11 different offices across the city, under one roof. It will ultimately house up to 3,000 employees. Cooling Post 20170108
■Haier (UK): Former Airedale md Clive Parkman has been named as md of Daikin Applied (UK) Ltd following Bob Cowlard’s move to Haier Europe. Bob Cowlard had been with Daikin Applied – the former McQuay chiller business – for just a year but has long experience of the air conditioning and refrigeration market at both manufacturing and distribution levels. Following Sanyo’s subsequent acquisition by Panasonic, he joined Italian controls manufacturer Carel as UK md in June 2013. In his new role, Bob Cowlard will report to Yannick Fierling, the Paris-based CEO of Haier Europe’s white goods and ac interests. Cooling Post 20170106
■ASHRAE (USA): The 2016 editions of ASHRAE’s major refrigerants-related standards have been published as a package with 30 new refrigerants and refrigerant blends added. ANSI/ASHRAE 15, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, and its sister standard, ANSI/ASHRAE 34, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, constitute a complete set of requirements for the safe design, construction and application of refrigeration systems used in a wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications. The cost of ASHRAE Standards 15 and 34, which are packaged together, is $95 for ASHRAE members ($112, non-members). To order, visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore. Cooling Post 20170104
■ASHRAE (USA) : A new ASHRAE duct sizing calculator enables air distribution system designers to accurately size ducts, especially flex ducts, under varying amounts of compression. The calculator includes fields for 4, 15 and 30% compression in flexible ducts. The cost of the calculator is $34, ASHRAE members ($40, non-members). To order, visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore. Cooling Post 20170102
■Euroklimat (Italy): Euroklimat SpA, a leading manufacturer of propane chillers, has opened a Middle East regional office in Dubai. Cooling Post 20170102
■Daikin (UK)：Daikin Applied has launched the EWAD-TZ B chiller range, an upgrade to its existing TZ and CZ ranges.The TZ B is Daikin Applied’s next generation of air cooled chillers with inverter screw compressor technology. the TZ-B covers cooling capacities from 170kW up to 1.1MW, with EER values up to 3.9 and ESEER values of up to 5.7. The microchannel condenser coils are said to be typically 50% lighter and use, on average, 50% less refrigerant when compared to a traditional copper-tube/aluminium-fin coil design. Cooling Post 20170104
■Ziehl-Abegg ：Two apprentices from Ziehl-Abegg, the German fan and motor manufacturer, are sponsoring two children in Swaziland to pay for their food, healthcare and education. The young Ziehl-Abegg employees chose Swaziland because English is one of its official languages besides Swazi. ACR News 20170104
■Mitsubishi Electric (UK) : Mitsubishi Electric has linked up with a leading work-based learning company, JTL, to train 50 air conditioning apprentices for its partners in a national scheme to encourage more apprenticeships in the building services industry. ACR News 20170104
●Daikin (Japan): Daikin is reported to be negotiating the purchase of a
US-based filter supplier.Nikkei’s Asian Review is reporting that Daikin’s
bid for unnamed air filter supplier in California could be confirmed as
early as next month. Daikin has been expanding its commercial filter business
through its group subsidiaries AAF and Nippon Muki. In April, Daikin acquired
major US air filter company Flanders and acquired Swedish filter company
Dinair last month. Cooling Post 20161227
■Samsung (South Korea): Samsung says it will unveil its first ever, “wind-free” wall-mounted air conditioner at CES 2017, the forthcoming consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. The AR9500M air conditioner is said to provide a cooler indoor climate and optimal energy efficiency without the discomfort of direct cold airflow. The Samsung technology gently disperses cold air through 21,000 micro air holes. Cooling Post 20161225
●Panasonic (Europe): The new Panasonic ECOi EX 7 Series ME2 VRF is said to to achieve market-leading performance in more extreme climate conditions. Three sizes of inverter-driven outdoor units are available ranging from 8hp to 20hp and capable of being combined up to 80hp. High European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios can be achieved. In the case of the 8hp unit this can reach 9.33 even at partial loads. The Panasonic AC Smart Cloud allows businesses to centralise control of Panasonic heating and cooling installations – using a tablet, smart phone or computer – to manage and schedule heating and cooling activities across entire networks of commercial buildings at unit level. Cooling Post 20161224
■Linde (Germany): Linde has announced it is to resume merger negotiations with US industrial gas company Praxair. A tie-up between the two companies would give a combined market value of around $60m. Cooling Post 20161225
■LG (South Korea): Air conditioning capable of analysing and reacting to the behaviour of occupants is to be featured by LG at CES, the US consumer technology show, in January. Cooling Post 20161221
■LG (USA): The US arm of Korean manufacturer LG has recalled over 500,000 portable air conditioning units after reports of fire. The recall involves 466,000 models sold in the USA and 36,000 sold in Canada between February 2011 and August 2016. LG Electronics USA is said to have received four reports of fires that have caused $380,000 in property damage. No injuries have been reported. The models involved are 7,000 and 8,000 BTU models with model numbers LP0711WNR, LP0813WNR, and LP0814WNR. Consumers have been advised to stop using the recalled portable air conditioners and contact LG to schedule a free repair at an authorised service centre. Cooling Post 20161220
●Daikin (UK): “The Government response to the consultation on the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (dRHI) is a positive development for the renewable heating sector and Daikin UK welcomes the reforms.
“The tariffs for air-source heat pumps have been increased by 35.8% from the previous level of 7.51p/kWh to 10.02p/kWh, with the tariff for ground-source heat pumps increasing 1.1%. These changes will be applicable to those participants who made an application on 14th December or afterwards. ACR News 20161219
■Refrigerants (Netherlands): Despite figures that suggest Europe is within the F-gas phase down limits, concerns remain that industry is failing to switch fast enough to low GWP refrigerants.Key speakers at last week’s first Eureka 2016 conference in The Hague repeated calls to act now and warned that we may already be too late to avoid major refrigerant price increases and shortages. The conference organised by EPEE in association with EVIA covered a range of topics. In addition to the impact of the F-gas rules, the conference also looked at the role of refrigeration in reducing food waste, indoor air quality and energy efficiency in buildings. Cooling Post 20161219
■Shecco (Belgium): The “natural” refrigerants media group Shecco has called for a far more stringent agreement on HFC refrigerant phase downs than that achieved at Kigali. In a recently published position paper, Shecco, the media group behind the successful series of Atmosphere conferences, called the Kigali amendment a step in the right direction, but falling short of the high level of ambition boasted of in the run-up to the meeting. “The pace of the Kigali HFC phase-down is slow – almost too slow,” the company says in a statement. It claims that with the technology solutions available now, developed countries could achieve their phase down of 15% of their baseline far more quickly than the Kigali agreement date of 2036. Cooling Post 20161219
●Mitsubishi Electric (Italy): Following news of Mitsubishi’s intended integration
of its Climaveneta and DeLclima businesses, the company has revealed further
details of the new group structure.In a statement the company says that
the move is aimed at simplifying the legal structure, reducing unnecessary
costs for the corporate bodies and their relative administrative tasks,
and streamlining and strengthening business support services. As first
revealed by the Cooling Post last month, the merger involves three companies
– Climaveneta SpA, RC Group SpA, and DeLclima Finance Srl. The new company
will be called Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems SpA
(MEHITS) and will become operational from January 1, 2017. The new company
will also integrate the entire staff of MELCO Hydronics and IT Cooling
SpA, the former corporate operational entity, previously known as DeLclima
SpA. RC and Climaveneta will remain as divisions and product brands but
supported by the centralised administration, finance, HR, health-environment
and safety, IT, quality, and purchasing. The full-time members appointed
to the board of directors, who will serve in key organisational roles in
MEHITS, are Carlo Grossi (CEO and general manager), Yoshiomi Araki (vice
president, sales and marketing and deputy GM), Hidekazu Tani (vice president,
technology and quality) Vincenzo Maragliano (CFO), and Kotoku Nakauchi
(corporate officer). The chairman will be Yasumichi Tazunoki (senior general
manager of Mitsubishi Electric Co, Living Environment & Digital Media
Equipment Group). The Board of Directors will also include Tadashi Matsumoto
(group senior vice president of Mitsubishi Electric Co, Living Environment
& Digital Media Equipment Group) and Masahiko Konishi (product marketing
director of Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV). Cooling Post 20161216
■Danfos (USA): Danfoss has opened the first test chamber at its new Engineering Tomorrow Application Development Centre in Tallahassee, Florida. The new chamber, which can accommodate air conditioning systems up to 12.5 tons, is the first of three psychrometric rooms which will provide testing air conditioning systems, including residential equipment and rooftop units from 2.5 to 50 tons and air-cooled chillers up to 150 tons. The Application Development Centre is expected to be fully operational in early 2017. Cooling Post 20161214
■Price Increase: UTC Climate, Controls & Security (Jupiter, Florida), which manufactures products under the Carrier, Bryant, Payne, and International Comfort Products brand names, announced a price increase of up to 5 percent on its residential and commercial HVAC equipment, effective Jan. 1, 2017. ACHR News 20161212
■Carrier: The eyes of the political world were on the HVACR industry as Carrier and President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 1 an agreement to preserve 1,100 jobs at the Indianapolis factory. The agreement will see Carrier receive $7 million in tax breaks over 10 years in exchange for the manufacturer investing $16 million into the plant. While the move benefits many Indianapolis workers, Carrier still intends to send some jobs to Mexico. In February, Carrier Corp. announced plans to relocate its Indianapolis manufacturing operations to a location near existing Carrier manufacturing facilities in Monterrey, Mexico. The move would have occurred over the course of an estimated three-year period and would have cost 1,400 American workers their jobs. The American people voted for change, and, even before taking office, our president-elect provided real leadership that made a difference. Trump did exactly what he said he would. He picked up the phone and talked from one American to another and discussed our plans to make America more competitive, reduce taxes, roll back regulations, and put American workers first again. He made the case for America and Carrier elected to bet on a brighter future for the American people. ACHR News 20161212
■Ashrae(USA): Guidance on low GWP refrigerants will be one of the main topics for discussions at the forthcoming ASHRAE Winter Conference. The news that industry experts will share their knowledge of the new refrigerants comes following recent agreements to amend the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs. The 2017 ASHRAE Winter Conference takes place from January 28 to February 1 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in conjunction with the co-sponsored AHR Expo. Cooling Post 20161210
■AHR2017(USA): The air conditioning and refrigeration sector makes its way to Las Vegas at the end of January for the US industry’s major exhibition and seminar event – AHR Expo. Around 60,000 visitors are expected to view the products of more than 2,000 exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Centre for the event’s three-day run from January 30 to February 1. The 2017 event will showcase three distinct product sections within the show floor – the Building Automation and Control Showcase, the Software Centre, and the Indoor Air Quality Association Pavilion. In addition, over 75 seminars, technical sessions and certifications will be offered at the Convention Centre. Cooling Post 20161211
■HFC (USA): Refrigerant manufacturers have appealed against the US International Trade Commission decision not to apply antidumping duties on imports of HFC components from China.In July, the USITC voted to impose anti-dumping duties on HFC refrigerant blends containing one or more of the HFC blend components R404A, R407A, R407C, R410A, and R507A. As a result, US imports of HFC blends from China are now subject to antidumping duties ranging from 101.82% to 216.37% but the individual components are excluded from any duties. The American HFC Coalition comprises refrigerant producers Honeywell, Chemours, Mexichem and Arkema, along with US refrigerant repacker Hudson Technologies and cylinder manufacturers Amtrol and Worthington Cylinders. Cooling Post 20161210
■LG (UK): The company launched the Multi V 5, its latest Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) solution, equipped with a host of technological advancements, in the UK this month. These include a ‘Dual Sensing Control’ system, which monitors both temperature and humidity levels, reacting to both sensible and latent heat loads. The new Multi V 5 features LG’s own 5th generation ultimate inverter compressor and a larger system capacity offering, along with improved seasonal efficiencies, making Multi V 5 the ultimate climate control solution. ACR News 20161208
●GDP：Japan’s economy grew much slower than initially estimated in the third quarter, revised data showed, as capital expenditure dried up and companies ran down inventories — renewing concerns about Japan’s growth prospects. The Cabinet Office said the economy grew at a 1.3 percent annualized rate in July-September, a severe revision from the 2.2 percent annualized growth first estimated.The new calculation method, which will include research and development as capital expenditure for the first time, has been applied to GDP data going back to 1994.Reuters 20161208
■Bitzer (Iran): German compressor manufacturer Bitzer has established a subsidiary company in Iran. Bitzer has been represented by a number of agents in the Iranian market for decades. Now the long-standing company is establishing its own subsidiary that will report to its Middle East site in Dubai.The announcement follows the recent establishment of an office in Kenya last month and adds to the German compressor manufacturer’s worldwide representation. The Bitzer Iran facility will provide a service tailored to Iran’s specific requirements. Its reciprocating, screw and scroll compressors and condensing units are already used in various applications in the country, with up to 500,000 compressors now in use. Cooling Post 20161205
■LG (UK): LG has continued the European roll-out of its fifth generation VRF air conditioning system with its official launch in the UK. The Multi V 5 is said to boast a host of new features These include a ‘Dual Sensing Control’ system, an advanced design of inverter compressor, large capacity condensing unit, improved seasonal capacities and anti-corrosion coating.The technologies are said to guarantee heating performance at -25°C and maintain 100% heating capacity at -7°C. Heating operation is extended by 11% per day with what is claimed to be a 7% reduction in power input when compared to conventional VRF systems. Cooling Post 20161206
■Daikin: Daikin Plzen plant is BES 6001 certified. It’s Ostend plant became the first factory to achieve the standard (BES 6001) in March of this year. Hailing the award as a significant endorsement for Daikin products, Daikin Europe NV, said.Cooling Post 20161203
■CO2 (USA): A CO2 industrial refrigeration system is key to the research
and development work being carried out by Emerson at its Helix Innovation
Center.The facility opened at the end of last year in Dayton, Ohio, features
full-scale, simulated environments, including a working commercial kitchen,
a two-story residential home, a grocery store, a data centre and the whole
facility as a commercial building. Teams are using the facility to generate
new ideas and then test them under real-world conditions. Cooling Post
20161201
■Rifrigerant (USA): A number of common refrigerants, including R134a, R410A and R407C, will be banned from use in new chillers in the USA from January 1, 2024. The bans are one of a number of changes to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Significant New Alternatives Policy programme (SNAP) regulations, published today in the Federal Register. The gases affected are the higher GWP HFCs and the higher GWP blends, originally designed as interim retrofit gases. Carrier, Johnson Controls and the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) had all argued for a date no earlier than 2025. Cooling Post 20161201
■UTC Climate, Controls & Security has announced that its India affiliate has entered into an agreement with Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, to acquire EcoEnergy, Wipro’s energy services business division. Based in Bengaluru, India, EcoEnergy is a leading provider of energy management services for commercial customers in North America, Europe, and Asia. UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a leading provider of heating, ventilating, air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration systems, is a unit of United Technologies Corp. ACR News 20161130
■Climaveneta (Italy): The board of Climaveneta, RC Group, and DeLclima finance has approved the merger of the three companies into a single entity. The Italian air conditioning companies, purchased by Mitsubishi Electric at the beginning of this year, will become operational as MELCO Hydronics & IT Cooling SpA from January 1. Cooling Post 20161129
■Ruskin (UK): Ruskin Air Management has been renamed Swegon Air Management Ltd (SAML) following its acquisition last month by the Swedish manufacturer Swegon. The former Ruskin brands – Actionair; Air Diffusion; Naco; and Airolution – will now operate alongside Swegon’s existing UK businesses creating a combined operation with a £43m turnover and a workforce of 330. Swegon AB is owned by the engineering investment group Latour and is one of Europe’s largest energy efficient ventilation and climate systems manufacturers – best known for its acclaimed Gold air handling units. Its 12 current production plants are in Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Italy, India, North America and Germany.Cooling Post 20161128
●Fujitsu General : Solution Center has officially opened on 1450 Broadway Avenue in New York City. Located on the 42nd floor, overlooking Times Square and just a short walk from the Empire State Building, the 1,600 square foot location has also been designed as an elegant showroom where Fujitsu displays its energy efficient commercial and residential heating and cooling systems. The company entered the VRF market in 2001, and has been growing quickly in the United States since introducing its technology here in 2012. Facility Executive 20161125
■Airedale (UK): Airedale International has produced a video spotlighting how a few relatively simple upgrades can improve the energy efficiency of air conditioning and refrigeration systems.These include swapping from AC to EC fans, retrofitting electronic expansion valves and variable speed drives, reviewing refrigerant charge levels and implementing submetering. Cooling Post 20161127
●Daikin (Portugal): Daikin is involved in an automated demand response (ADR) project in Portugal. The trial project, which runs to December 2019, aims to stabilise the use of renewable energy by building a system to meet the peak use of air conditioning and adjust the balance in electricity supply and demand, even in the summer. Air conditioning currently accounts for around 40% of electrical power consumption in Portugal.The project, based in Lisbon, is a collaboration between Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) and the National Energy Institute of Geology of Portugal (LNEG). Local electrical power retailers, together with virtual power plant vendors, managing groups of multiple small-to-medium power generation facilities of renewable energy will adjust the supply of electricity. Cooling Post 20161125
■Swep (Sweden): Heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP is to close its manufacturing plant in Tentlingen, Switzerland, moving production to factories in Slovakia and Sweden. SWEP is one of the world’s leading suppliers of compact brazed plate heat exchangers. It has approximately 850 employees and representation in more than 50 countries. In addition to Sweden and Slovakia, SWEP also has factories in the USA, Malaysia and China. Cooling Post 20161125
■Ziehl-Abegg (Germany): Fan and motor manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg has finally broken ground on its new €28m expansion of its Kupferzell production plant. The relocation of the existing production facilities from Künzelsau will now take place at the end of 2017. This will be accompanied by the transfer of 140 jobs to the new building. Cooling Post 20161124
■Danfoss (USA): Danfoss’ new US air conditioning development centre in Florida is on course to be fully operational from January. The centre, which is due to open within the next couple of weeks, will test split system air conditioners, roof top units and chillers, specifically designed for the North American market.The 2,000m² facility is based at the Tallahassee, Florida, site of Danfoss’ Turbocor compressor factory. The Application Development Center includes three psychrometric rooms with the capability of testing air-conditioning systems, including residential equipment and rooftop units from 2.5 to 50tons and air-cooled chillers up to 150tons. Significantly, the laboratory will be prepared for test of units charged with flammable refrigerants. Cooling Post 20161123
■Danfoss (USA): Danfoss’ plan to take CO2 refrigeration technology on the road in the US could be extended to markets in Europe and Asia.With US supermarkets following Europe in looking at CO2 as an alternative to high GWP HFCs in retail refrigeration, Danfoss sees a need to increase competences in its use. “Technology and components for CO₂ refrigeration are available today,” says Danfoss, “but there is a need for system builders, refrigeration contractors, service technicians, installers, and the technical departments of food retailers to raise their level of know-how in order to harvest the full potential of these CO₂ systems.” Cooling Post 20161123
■Ashrae (USA): USA: An update for the reference book Refrigeration – Solved Examples is now available from the ASHRAE bookshop.The 280-page book by Risto Ciconkov of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Skopje university provides a summary of useful formulae for practicing engineers. This latest edition includes new examples with CO2 refrigerant, and various modifications in order to improve the transcritical cycles. Ejectors as expansion devices are included too; new tables for thermodynamic and physical properties for CO2, propane, R32 and R1234ze(E).Cooling Post 20161123
■EEA (Europe): The EEA is to report that the amount of HFC refrigerant placed on the market in 2015 – the first year of the phase-down mechanism – was within the quota allowance. The full report, which is yet to be published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), will indicate that the total amount of compliance-relevant HFC refrigerant placed on the market in 2015 amounted to 168Mt CO2eq, and within the cap amount for the year of 183Mt CO2eq. However, that figure, is already being challenged by Honeywell. The refrigerant producer recently claimed that over 10Mt of CO2 equivalent HFCs were illegally imported into the EU in 2015. Cooling Post 20161123
■Trane (Belgium): Trane is now offering its Airfinity rooftop air conditioners as a package with compatible photovoltaic solar panels. Introduced in July, the Airfinity rooftop units are available in capacities from 40 to 250kW. Their tandem multi-scroll compressors with capacity modulation provide SEERs up to 3.5. According to Trane it will also be easy to upgrade already installed Airfinity rooftop units to the solar system. Cooling Post 20161122
●Fujitsu General：New range of Circular Airflow split system Cassettes. This new range of 5.6, 7.1, 8.0, 10.0, 12.5, and 14.0kW full size (840 x 840mm chassis) cassette models will feature an all new circular airflow grille with lattice style return air detail. The UK models will use R410a refrigerant. ACR News 20161122
●Daikin (USA) : Daikin America, Inc. announced a price increase today that will go into effect on January 3, 2017. DAI will increase prices on all fluoropolymer products by up to 10% as contracts allow. Daikin America, Inc., headquartered in Orangeburg, New York, is one of the largest fluoropolymer suppliers in the world. Daikin provides molding resins, fine powders, aqueous dispersions, melt processable fluoropolymers, and fluoroelastomers for many critical applications. Daikin America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd of Osaka, Japan. Daikin is Japan’s leading manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and fluorochemical products. (PRWEB) November 18, 2016
■Europe (Belgium): The Thai Refrigeration Association (TRA) is to become a member of the European contractors’ association, AREA. TRA is expected to formally become a member of AREA as an international observer at the next general assembly meeting in Amsterdam in the spring .The new category of membership was created by AREA in June for non-European contractor groups. Cooling Post 20161121
■Siemens: Siemens AG agreed to buy Mentor Graphics Corp. for $4.5 billion in its biggest acquisition since 2014 as the German engineering company extends its industrial software capability. Bloomberg 20161114
■Bitzer (Kenya): German compressor manufacturer Bitzer has opened an office in Nairobi to support growth in East Africa.In addition to the new office, Bitzer is also planning to build a certified service centre within a year, giving users access to Bitzer service, maintenance, spare parts and training. Cooling Post 20161117
●Fujitsu General (Thailand): Fujitsu has opened a new JPY2bn (€17m) air conditioning R&D centre in Chonburi province, Thailand. The thee-storey, 10,000m² facility has been built on land adjacent to the company’s existing factory. It can accommodate more than 200 engineers and complements Fujitsu’s product development facilities in Japan and China.As well as R&D responsibilities, the new building will also function as the verification test facility for large-size commercial air conditioners.The new facility supports Fujitsu’s aim to double the number of development models and make a similar increase in local engineers in the next five years. Coolinng Post 20161116
■Air Filter (Sweden): AAF Europe has acquired Dinair, one of Sweden’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of air filters.Established in 1982, Dinair has 350 employees and its own production and product development. Cooling Post 20161115
●Daikin (New Zealand): Daikin has established a new subsidiary company based in Auckland, New Zealand. Daikin sees immigration from Asia and a high birthrate driving growth in the air conditioning market in New Zealand. The company also expects its energy efficient inverter and heat pump technologies to gain wider acceptance in a country where the utilisation rate for renewable energy exceeds 80%. Cooling Post 20161115
■Emerson (USA): Recent changes to the US EPA’s SNAP programme, which will see the phase-out of certain HFCs, will be explained by Emerson in a free webinar later this month. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, November 29, at 2 pm EST. Cooling Post 20161115
■Shecco (Belgium): “Natural” refrigerant group Shecco has announced its timetable for five Atmosphere conferences across four continents next year. The year starts with Atmosphere Japan on February 20 in Tokyo. This takes place just a few days after Tokyo’s SMTS Supermarket Trade Show. Cooling Post 20161115
■According to a recent survey, air conditioning makes homes more attractive to potential buyers. The survey asked more than 2000 people which features would make a property more (or less) desirable to buy. Air conditioning in sleeping/living areas was highly desired, with 57% of respondents saying that it would make a home more attractive. ACR News 20161114
■Fujitsu General: Available throughout UK and Ireland. They have just refurbished their Training rooms and now they have so much more to show. This seasons training room and course content is going to be the best they have ever offered, with the likes of;New Split Models Installed, including wall mounts, cassettes and ducted units. ACR News 20161110
■Clivet (Europe): Italian air conditioning equipment manufacturer Clivet is behind the development of a new process for the rapid detection of legionella. Backed by over €4m of European Commission funding, the new photonics technology employs surface plasmon resonance, a procedure that reads information from a refracted laser beam to provide fast, accurate and inexpensive detection. Cooling Post 20161109
■On 4th of November 2016, Paris Agreement entered into force in time for the UNFCCC Marrakech Climate Conference begins in Morocco on 7th of November where the first Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement would open on 15 November. With the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world has the plans we need to make the shift to a low-emission, climate-resilient path”, the UN Secretary-General said on Friday. UN News Center 20161107
■EPA：Chiller manufacturers are facing a Jan. 1, 2024, implementation date to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) R-134a, R-410A, and R-407C in new liquid chillers, despite Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI’s) efforts to change the proposed effective date to Jan. 1, 2025. Starting in 2024, the three HFC refrigerants will be deemed “unacceptable” in new liquid chillers under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. ACHR News 20161107
■Daikin (Europe): Daikin’s next generation EWAD-TZ B chiller is available as a single- or dual-circuit unit, with cooling capacities from 170kW up to 700kW. Building on its predecessor – the EWAD-TZ launched in 2013 – the latest model combines a screw compressor design and integrated inverter technology with Variable Volume Ratio technology (VVR). Three efficiency levels are offered with ESEERs from 4.4 to 5.5 and three sound levels: standard; low, with special connections at the suction of each compressor to reduce vibration transmission; and reduced with the special compressor connections and the compressors enclosed in a soundproof cabinet. The EWAD-TZ B chiller incorporates a new epoxy-coated microchannel condenser coil, using R134a and operating with a two-pass process. Daikin Cooling Post 20161106
■Alfa Laval (Sweden): Alfa Laval has sought to clarify its position following the announcement that it is to separate some of its heat exchanger products in a company reorganisation. The Swedish manufacturer had previously announced that its commercial/industrial air heat exchangers, commercial tubular heat exchangers and heat exchanger systems businesses were to be managed separately in a new divisional structure. The company defines heat exchanger systems as satellite systems and domestic hot water systems.Cooling Post 20161106
■Carel (Croatia): Italian controls and humidification company Carel officially opened its new plant in Croatia yesterday. The 7,000m² Carel Adriatic factory in Labin, Croatia, commenced production at the end of last year. It produces inverters, electronic boards and valves for the European market.Carel recorded sales of €203.5m in 2015, an increase of 12.8% over 2014. Exports accounted for 80%. Cooling Post 20161104
■EUROPE: Mexichem has been the first manufacturer to announce further price increases on its high GWP refrigerants from next year. Under pressure from the European F-gas regulations, Mexichem’s highest GWP Klea-brand refrigerants R404A and R507 will be subject to a 20% increase as of January 1, 2017. R134a, R410A and R407C will increase by 15% and R407A by 10%. Cooling Post 20161106
■Natural Refrigerant (HVAC&R industry awaits impact of U.S. election): Clinton would continue Obama policies like the Climate Action Plan that support natural refrigerant adoption, while Trump would rescind them. The HVAC&R industry in the U.S. and globally – including makers and end users of natural refrigerant systems – will be impacted by the results of the U.S. presidential election taking place next Tuesday, November 8. That’s because two major-party candidates have radically different policies on climate change, energy policy and environmental regulations. Here is a breakdown of these policies. Most notably, in his public statements, Republican Donald Trump has taken a dismissive tone towards the threat of climate change, while promising unrestrained production of fossil fuels. By contrast, Democrat Hillary Clinton has committed to continuing the efforts of the Obama administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and head off the worst effects of climate change.r744.com 20161102
■Alfa Laval (Sweden): Alfa Laval has announced that three of its heat exchanger
product groups are to be separated from the rest of the business as part
of a major restructuring. Alfa Laval has included its commercial/industrial
air heat exchangers, commercial tubular heat exchangers and heat exchanger
systems businesses in an initiative it is calling the Greenhouse, which
will be managed separately from the new divisional structure. Cooling Post
20161102
■Compressor (UK): An innovative UK-based company has developed a new design of oil-free compressor that is said to overcome many of the drawbacks of conventional technology. Business Edge Ltd provided a glimpse of the new patented centrifugal vapour compressor (CVC) for air conditioning and refrigeration applications.The technology and fundamental design has been independently evaluated which confirmed the design as being technically sound within an extensive due diligence process. Accordingly, CVC is said to be ideally suitable for water chillers using either R134a or HFO1234ze but can be readily adapted to other refrigerant fluids. Cooling Post 20161102
■Danfoss: From 1st November 2016, all models of Danfoss Optyma Plus INVERTER packaged units have been approved for ECA allowance. The adaptive package offers maximum energy efficiency and is suitable for medium and high temperature applications in the range of 2kW to 9kW at -10 C° evaporating, 32 C° ambient with R407A/R407F and R404A. ACR News 20161102
■Emerson (USA): Emerson Climate Technologies has updated its X-Line Copeland Scroll outdoor refrigeration condensing unit. Available for both cooler and freezer applications, the updated units are said to be ideal for convenience store and other small-format stores as well as foodservice operation. Ranging in size from 1.5 to 6hp, the units are now being produced in Sidney, Ohio. This move will help better adapt to the regional requirements of North American customers, including product options and customer lead times, says Emerson. Cooling Post 20161101
■Hitachi (UK): In changes at the top of Hitachi Air Conditioning Products Europe, Gboyega “Femi” Obafemi has been appointed managing director. He is best known in this industry for his time spent at Carrier, Toshiba Carrier UK and Johnson Controls. He was appointed managing director of Toshiba Carrier UK and general manager of Carrier Building Systems and Services in 2007, based at the companies’ UK office in Leatherhead. Cooling Post 20161031
■Samsung (Korea): Samsung Electronics has launched a new DVM Mobile app, developed for air conditioning dealers, contractors and installers. Engineers benefit from access to advanced user functions with essential installation information and details on the range of advanced controllers. Tools such as instant clarification on error codes, capacity corrections and product and system analysis are effectively managed through the app. These tools enhance consultants’ and engineers’ offerings, by allowing them to deliver answers and solutions quickly. Cooling Post 20161030
■Midea( Italy): Midea’s acquisition of 80% of Italian air conditioning manufacturer Clivet was completed today in a special ceremony at Clivet’s factory in Feltre, Belluno, northern Italy. Paul Fang, Midea chairman and president, said, “We believe our continuous investment in the brand, technology, marketing and people and unwavering commitment to product quality will enable us to serve our customers better and create more value for the society.” Cooling Post 20161031
■UTC (France): UTC has invested over €7m in a new r&d centre at the Culoz site of Ciat, the French manufacturer it acquired last year. The new Centre of Excellence, opened last week, includes two research and development facilities and a test laboratory, which focus on product innovation to shorten new product development and improve energy performance and user comfort. Cooling Post 20161030
■UK/Malaysia: A joint UK and Malaysian consortium has been awarded a Newton Fund grant to develop the next generation of green data centres.The award forms part of an investment of up to £14.4m in collaborative research and development in the region. Cooling Post 20161030
■EPA (USA): The US EPA is to host a webinar on Tuesday (Nov 2) to explain the new revisions to the Section 608 Refrigerant Management Regulations. The new rules, which come into effect on January 1, lowers the leak rate thresholds that trigger the duty to repair refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment containing 50lb or more of refrigerant. Cooling Post 20161030
■Eurovent (Belgium): The Eurovent association has announced the launch of a Middle East group to represent Eurovent members in the region. More than 15 manufacturers and related organisations are said to make up the founding group.Cooling Post 20161030
■UK: Authors of potential papers for the next International Conference on Compressors and their Systems are invited to submit abstracts by December 2. All papers should be written and presented in English and should not have been presented or published at previous events. Authors are required to attend the Conference to present their work. Cooling Post 20161030
■Ashrae (USA): Numerous energy savings measures resulting from industry input are contained in the newly published energy efficiency standard from ASHRAE and IES. This 2016 version is the 10th edition published since the original standard was first published in 1975 during the energy crisis of the United States. Cooling Post 20161025
■Mitsubishi Electric: The winners of the HVR Awards 2016 were announced at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel. London last night, with Mitsubishi Electric scooping the Commercial Air Conditioning Product of the Year for its City Multi Hybrid VRF. ACR News 2-161028
■Ecodesign (Belgium): Leading European industry bodies have called on the
European Commission to strengthen its ecodesign and energy labelling policies.
A letter, co-signed by eight Industry associations representing the heating,
cooling, refrigeration, ventilation, home appliance and ICT/consumer electronic
sectors, was published in advance of today’s ecodesign orientation debate
in Brussels. Those involved – ASERCOM, CECED, Digital Europe, EHI, EHPA,
EPEE, EuroACE, Euroheat & Power – have urged policymakers to help European
industry contribute to the EU’s energy goals through the deployment of
energy efficient products without endangering innovation and competition.
Cooling Post 20161025
■Green Building (USA): Workers in green-certified buildings have higher cognitive functions, fewer sick building symptoms and higher sleep quality scores, according to a new study.Researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and SUNY Upstate Medical University studied 109 workers at 10 buildings in five cities across the US. They found 26% higher cognitive function test scores for office workers in a simulated green building environment with enhanced ventilation compared to a conventional building environment. Cooling Post 20161026
■Kelvion (a GEA,Germany): Kelvion has announced it is to wind down production and close its Kelvion Refrigeration GmbH factory in Baierbrunn. The former Küba refrigeration factory produces a range of Küba-branded air coolers, air cooled condensers and dry coolers. Established in Munich in 1927, the former Küba business has been based in the Munich suburb of Baierbrunn since 1954. The company was acquired by GEA in 1987, becoming part of the group’s heat exchanger division, which included fellow German manufacturer Goedhart and UK companies Searle and Denco. Two years ago the heat exchanger business was sold to private equity firm Triton for €1.3bn, and the name changed to Kelvion. Cooling Post 20161025
●Daikin (Japan): Daikin has announced a tie-up with Japanese IT multinational NEC to develop air conditioners with artificial intelligence. The joint research is expected to optimise and control the indoor environment to improve occupant comfort and increase productivity. Based on its monitoring information of space usage, the research aims to produce air conditioners capable of learning and predicting the temperature and humidity in the room. NEC’s artificial intelligence technologies are expected to enable Daikin to produce air conditioners capable of recognising workers and their physical and mental state through facial and voice recognition. Cooling Post 20161025
●Daikin (UK): Daikin UK has introduced a range of flexible leasing options on its air conditioners and heat pumps. “One of the biggest barriers to growth for companies within the HVAC industry is cash flow,” said Daikin UK. “This finance facility reduces the stress and offers tangible benefits to both the installer and the end user. Our installers can now offer upfront and affordable finance for their customer to acquire high-quality HVAC systems.“All the lease payments are fixed which enables the end user to forecast and budget more accurately, spreading the cost of the capital investment and potentially enjoying the tax relief associated with lease payments,” Daikin UK added. Cooling Post 20161025
■Toshiba (UK) : Toshiba has organised training courses to help this year’s competitors prepare for the national SkillFridge finals, which take place at the Skills Show in November. The programme covers technical knowledge and practical skills in relation to residential and light commercial air conditioning, including installation, servicing and maintenance. Cooling Post 20161025
■Copeland (USA): Emerson Climate Technologies has finalised a national distribution agreement with North American wholesaler United Refrigeration. This agreement gives United Refrigeration access to Emerson’s full line of Copeland products.United Refrigeration is a leading wholesale distributor of refrigeration, HVAC and food retail products with over 400 locations throughout North America. Cooling Post 20161024
■Emerson (USA): Robert T (Bob) Sharp has been appointed executive president of Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions. He was appointed vice president of the newly formed Commercial & Residential Solutions business in February. Sharp joined Emerson in 1996 and has served in a variety of corporate and business unit roles, most recently as business leader of Emerson Climate Technologies. He now reports directly to chairman and CEO David N Farr. Cooling Post 20161023
■Hydrocarbon (UK): Commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer Precision has employed hydrocarbon refrigerants in its redesigned cabinets to meet the new EcoDesign standards. Following the introduction of energy labelling for professional refrigeration, Precision redesigned its cabinets to conform to the European EcoDesign Energy Labelling Standard. The new propane refrigeration system used in the cabinets enables Precision to offer the best in energy efficiency and environment protection. Cooling Post 20161023
■Australia: In addition to being part of the global agreement to phase
down HFCs, Australia has also now adopted international refrigeration safety
standards. Strong industry and government engagement is said to have been
behind Australia’s adoption of ISO standards to supersede the AS/NZS 1677
series. Cooling Post 20161021
■Lennox (USA): HVAC manufacturer Lennox International has reported an alleged bribe of $475 to a Russian customs broker or official to release a shipment of goods. Cooling Post 20161021
■F-Gas (Europe): Refrigerant manufacturer Honeywell has repeated claims that European HFC imports are increasing despite the F-gas phase down.Earlier this year, Honeywell claimed that over 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent HFCs were illegally imported into the EU in 2015 – the first year of the phase down when the allocation was 182.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This year is supposed to see a 7% reduction but Honeywell claims some countries are now importing as much as 2.5 times as much as they were pre-phase-down. Cooling Post 20161019
■Armacell (Luxembourg): Insulation manufacturer Armacell has acquired Polipex, a leading Brazilian manufacturer of extruded PE insulation foams. The addition of the PoliPex plant in Florianopolis in Southern Brazil (above), will also expand Armacell’s manufacturing footprint in Latin America. Cooling Post 20161019
■Beijer (Sweden): Beijer Ref’s acquisition of UK refrigeration wholesaler HRP contributed to a 5.4% increase in third quarter sales, the company reports. Net sales for the third quarter of 2016 increased to SEK2,461m (€254m), up from SEK2,335 (€241m) in the corresponding period in 2015. Operating profit, however, was down by 4.5% to SEK173m (€17.85m). Cooling Post 20161019
■Panasonic (Tokyo) — U.S. electric car maker Tesla says it plans to start working with electronics company Panasonic Corp. on solar energy.Tesla’s said on its corporate blog Monday that the companies have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to begin collaborating on Panasonic’s production of photovoltaic cells and modules at a facility under construction by San Mateo, Calif.-based solar-panel company SolarCity Corp. in Buffalo, N.Y. Panasonic confirmed it was studying a collaboration with Tesla to make solar products at SolarCity’s Buffalo facility, but declined to give details. The collaboration extends the partnership between Tesla and Panasonic, which includes the production of electric vehicle and grid storage battery cells at Tesla’s Gigafactory. The Yomiuri Shimbun 20161018
■Thailand : Japanese companies operating in Thailand, while expressing their sympathies for the death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, are carefully assessing the impacts on their businesses in the Southeast Asian country. Economic activities in Thailand are expected to slow, as the death of the world’s longest-serving monarch saddened people in the country and could put a brake on consumption and corporate capital spending. With Japan having close relations with Thailand in trade and investment, Japanese companies could be forced to review their business strategies in the country and other Southeast Asian nations if the Thai economy’s possible stagnation becomes prolonged, analysts say. When Thailand was hit by massive flooding in 2011, many Japanese manufacturers suspended their local factories due to damage from the disaster and the disruption of distribution systems, leading to supply shortages for automobiles, cameras and other finished goods as well as parts and components. Jiji Press 20161014
■HFC (USA/Europe): Leading manufacturers groups on both sides of the Atlantic have welcomed the Kigali amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants.While describing the freeze dates and step-down levels as ambitious, Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the influential US Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), said “Our industry is hard at work doing the research on the HFC alternatives that will be used in the world’s air conditioners, heat pumps, and refrigeration equipment, and getting that right is certainly as important as reaching agreement. Also very important are the education and training initiatives that will have to occur to ensure safe, efficient installation of the equipment that will contain these new refrigerants,” he added. Cooling Post 20161018
■HFC : The landmark HFC phase-down agreed this weekend is expected to avoid more than 70 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent HFC emissions. The most important observation is that both the Montreal Protocol and European figures are all based on CO2 equivalents. In practice this is designed to encourage the take-up of lower GWP refrigerants. Obviously, as the phase-downs kick-in, refrigerant manufacturers will have the incentive of producing far more of the low GWP refrigerants than the higher GWP gases. Cooling Post 20161016
■HFC (Rwanda): Almost 200 nations reached agreement this morning on a complex phase down of HFC refrigerants.The historic Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol finally adds HFCs to the process which so successfully administered the global phase-out of HCFCs.It creates three categories of countries. Developed countries will cap and phase down HFCs staring in 2019. The developing countries, including China – by far the largest HFC consumer and producer – freezing HFC consumption in 2024 and start making cuts in 2029. A third deal was struck for a small number of countries including India, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. They will cap consumption in 2028, beginning cuts in usage in 2032. Cooping Post 20161015
■HFC (Europe) : The European Commission is to provide €3m in aid for early action to replace climate-warming gases in Latin America and the Caribbean. The announcement, made prior to this morning’s landmark decision on a global phase down of HFCs, is in addition to €8m the EU is already providing for similar projects in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Cooling Post 20161015
■HFC (India) : In addition to agreeing an HFC phase down, India has also decreed that its chemical industry must collect and destroy emissions of its most potent greenhouse gas, HFC23.The Indian Environment Ministry calculates that the move could save as much as 444 million tonnes of CO2e emissions. Cooling Post 20161015
■Bitzer: The company offers compressors for an extensive range of refrigerants
and aims to set a good example in the refrigeration and air conditioning
industry, particularly when it comes to using alternative refrigerants.
The most recent issue of the refrigerant report reflects this approach,
focusing on refrigerants with low direct global warming potential (GWP).
It also includes a detailed description and list of current and upcoming
HFC substitutes as well as information about their potential applications.The
Bitzer refrigerant report can be downloaded free of charge from www.bitzer.de.
ACR News 20161011
■Bitzer (Germany): Bitzer has increased the capabilities of CO2 as a future-compliant refrigerant with a new compressor development launched at Chillventa 2016. Cooling Post 20161011
●Panasonic: Air conditioning manufacturer Panasonic and controls firm Schneider Electric have formed a partnership marrying VRF with building management. The joint Panasonic/Schneider Electric solution can be installed wirelessly – making it ideal for retrofits of older buildings – or it can be wired. The solution takes full advantage of plug-and-play technology which simplifies system configurations for extensive VRF systems – or it can be installed as a part of a stand-alone system. The deal, announced on the first day of Chillventa in Nuremberg, is said to integrate Schneider Electric’s SmartStruxure solution and intelligent room controller with Panasonic’s VRF smart connectivity offering. Cooling Post 20161011
■Honeywell : The refrigerant, which blends an HFO and an HFC with CO2, is designed for medium- and low-temperature stand-alone applications such as hermetically sealed systems in refrigerated plug-in-type cabinets. In these applications, Solstice L40X is said to provide up to 3% higher capacity and up to 6% better efficiency at low temperature than R404A. Honeywell says that Solstice L40X can be used across many segments of the HVACR industry, including small charge, plug-in type cabinets, condensing units and monoblocks for cold rooms and freezer rooms, small chillers, heat pumps, and chillers. Cooling Post 20161011
■Bitzer (Germany): Bitzer has updated its free refrigerant app with a new user-friendly and straightforward interface. The 2016 Bitzer refrigerant app will be available shortly for download from all stores. Cooling Post 20161011
■Sauermann (France): Sauermann has followed up its acquisition of instrument maker Kimo, last year, by buying two of its Southern European distributors. Condensate pump manufacturer Sauermann says the acquisition provides it with a strong base in the region with established offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Bologna and Milan. The Spanish subsidiary will be renamed Sauermann Iberica Pumps and Instruments. Cooling Post 20161011
■Mostra Convegno (Italy): The dates of the next Mostra Convegno in 2018 have been changed to 13-16 March. Mostra Convegno 2016 attracted over 155,000 visitors, similar to the 2014 event but with an 8% increase in international visitors. Cooling Post 20161010
■MHI: Heatcraft branches will now stock MHI’s standard SRK-ZMA range, with the SRK-MXA high-efficiency range and other MHI units available on request. ZMA cooling capacities range from 2kW to 9.2kW cooling capacity. Cooling Post 20161007
■Mitsubishi Electric: One of the leading French players in the distribution of refrigeration equipment, the agreement expands Le Froid Pecomark’s diversification into air conditioning. The Mitsubishi Electric products join the company’s existing Fujitsu, Atlantic and CoolSmart ranges. The company operates 47 branches across Europe, with warehouses in Lyon and Barcelona and 40,000m² of storage.Cooling Post 20161006
■Systemair (Sweden): Ventilation equipment manufacturer Systemair has acquired German commercial air curtain company TTL Tür + Torluftschleier Lufttechnische Geräte GmbH. Systemair has well-established operations in growth markets. The Group’s products are marketed under the Systemair, Frico, VEAB, Fantech, Menerga and Holland Heating brands. Cooling Post 20161006
■HFC (France): HFC refrigerants are said to be rising at an annual rate of 16% in developing countries, according to a new report.The report by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the UN Environment OzonAction Branch, entitled National Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Inventories: A summary of key findings from the first tranche of studies, summarises the findings from Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia and Nigeria. Cooling Post 20161005
■Beijer : Refrigeration wholesaler Beijer Ref is to use next week’s Chillventa show to officially launch a propane heat pump boasting COPs as high as 10.Beijer Ref became involved in the development of the new propane-based technology through its Dutch subsidiaries Coolmark and Uniechemie last year. It is said to be capable of achieving savings of up to 50% on commercial building heating and cooling costs. The system is said to use only a few kg of propane in the high-efficiency heat pump installed outside the building. Only water flows through the pipelines inside the building. Cooling Post 20161005
■Burr Oak Tool (USA): Coil machinery manufacturer Burr Oak Tool has formed a partnership with Tubex Technology Machinery to better serve its Canadian customers.Montreal-based Tubex is a provider of tube forming, bending, and cutting machines that serve the HVAC, steel fabrication, and sheet metal industries. By joining with Tubex, Burr Oak says it will be able to offer customers expanded representation and support to better meet and anticipate customer needs. Last month Burr Oak Tool entered into a similar partnership with Italian tube machine firm Sistemi Meccanici Industriali (SMI).Cooling Post 20160104
■Fujitsu General America (USA): The appointment, following the retirement of Tedd Rozylowicz, sees Peterson leading Fujitsu General’s heating and cooling business, including both split system heat pump and VRF systems, throughout North America. Peterson comes to Fujitsu General after long tenures at Whirlpool Corporation and, more recently, Johnson Controls.Tedd Rozylowicz, outgoing president, joined Fujitsu General America in 1999 and served as the company’s president since 2004. Cooling Post 20161004
■Emerson (USA): Emerson has created an ice machine simulation model to support development of more efficient equipment capable of meeting new US energy targets.The new commercial ice machine computer simulator, tested to be within 5% accuracy of actual machines, is the result of collaboration with the University of Dayton and work and testing completed at Emerson’s Design Services Network and The Helix Innovation Centre on the university’s campus. Cooling Post 20161002
●MHI Thermal Systems : Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd is the new name for MHI’s air conditioning and refrigeration business.The new business, a 100% subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, commenced operations on October 1 with former general manager of the AC&R division Kaoru Kusumoto as president and CEO.The company’s AC&R product range covers centrifugal chillers, heat pumps, transportation refrigerant units, and residential and commercial air conditioners. Cooling Post 20161003
■Daikin (Dubai) : Daikin Reefer, the Japanese manufacturer’s container refrigeration equipment subsidiary, has opened a new spare parts centre in Dubai.The new facility, in Jebel Ali Free Zone, will be managed by long-term partner and leading reefer servicing operator IRS International (IRSI). It is believed to be the first such official manufacturer’s parts centre in the region. Daikin Reefer has previously been reliant on 20 Daikin authorised repairers located across the 15 main ports of the Middle East. Cooling Post 20161001
■Carrefour (France) : Leading French retailer Carrefour is to test magnetic refrigerated display cabinets in its stores.The fully equipped magneto-caloric display cabinet developed by Cooltech Applications uses water as the coolant instead of a refrigerant gas. It is said to cut energy consumption by up to 50% and is also said to be quieter in operation than conventional cabinets. Cooling Post 20160928
■Refrierant (USA): The leading US HVACR manufacturers’ association claims that the EPA’s early ban on higher GWP refrigerants in chillers will have an adverse effect on the industry. In a number of changes to its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme, announced yesterday, the US EPA banned higher GWP refrigerants including R134a, R407C and R410A in new chillers from January 1, 2024. The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) today expressed disappointment at the decision after earlier calling for a year’s extension on the proposed ban. Cooling Post 20160927
■Refrigerants (USA) : The US EPA is to ban a host of high GWP refrigerants including R404A, R134a, R407C and R410A in certain new products from as early as January 1, 2021. The bans are part of wide ranging new rules finalised by the US Environmental Protection Agency yesterday, that will see bans on a number of existing refrigerants and a tightening of leak rate rules to reduce HFC emissions. R134a is one of a number of common refrigerants that will be banned from use in new centrifugal and positive displacement chillers as of January 1, 2024. Others include R407C and R410A, as well as a number of interim “drop-in” blends. The new rules will also see R134a being banned in new domestic fridges and freezers from January 1, 2021.It also requires quarterly/annual leak inspections or continuous monitoring devices for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment that have exceeded the threshold leak rate. Plant owners/operators must submit reports to EPA if systems containing 50lbs or more of refrigerant leak 125% or more of their full charge in one calendar year.Cooling Post 20160927
■Embraco : Embraco’s extensive investment in innovation has led to the launch of Wisemotion, which it claims is the first oil-free compressor for household appliances in the world. In the same way that the Fullmotion VES compressor paved the way for a more efficient use of space in fridge design, the linear architecture of the Wisemotion means it is half the size of traditional compressors. Wisemotion was launched in Barcelona in April at ATMOsphere and is currently undergoing the definitive test and development phase to ensure the very best applications. Embraco says that Wisemotion marks the beginning of a new era in refrigeration that is more environmentally-friendly, quiet, more efficient and more flexible. ACR News 20160927
■Toshiba (UK): Toshiba SMMS-e VRF has completed a clean sweep of UK industry awards by taking the Air Conditioning Innovation award at tonight’s Cooling Industry Awards. The ground-breaking VRF system has already won the ACR News, National ACR and H&V News awards this year, and can now add to that the Air Conditioning Innovation award in the VRFs, Splits and Associated category.Cooling Post 20160928
■R32 (Singapore): Authorities in Singapore have approved the use of the lower GWP “mildly flammable” refrigerant R32 in multi-split air conditioning systems. R32, a single component A2L refrigerant with a GWP of 675, is being adopted by most major air conditioning manufacturers in smaller equipment as an alternative to R410A.Singapore, which has banned the use of flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants, approved the use of R32 in single-split air conditioning systems last year. The latest communication from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) now permits the use of R32 in new multi-split systems specifically designed for the new refrigerant. Cooling Post 20160926
■Refrigerants (USA): The viability of new lower GWP alternative refrigerants in high ambients are said to have been proven in new tests. The drop-in tests on R22 and R410A rooftop air conditioning units were carried out by the US-government-backed Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in response to concerns over whether HFC alternatives would be able to perform well in hot and extremely hot temperatures. The R22 unit selected was a 7.7TR unit manufactured by Sharjah-based manufacturer SKM. The R410A unit of 11TR was provided by Jordanian manufacturer Petra.All the alternatives tested were A2L “mildly flammable” refrigerants. The best known is R32, the only single-component refrigerant under test, which is already being used in new small splits around the world. Those tested for R22 replacement were: R444B: ARM-20b: R454A: ARM-20a: The R410A alternatives tested were:DR-55: L41z: ARM-71a: R32: . Cooling Post 20160925
http://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/low-gwp-refrigerants-win-at-high-ambients/
■Daikin (UK)：VRV air conditioning systems are one of the attractions of a new luxury apartment development overlooking London’s River Thames. Nine separate Daikin VRV IV systems have been installed in Block D, the fourth and final phase of the 308-unit Kew Bridge project, which consists of 100 apartments split between Quayside House and Kew Wharf. ACR News 20160925
■Samsung (UK): Samsung’s pioneering 360 circular cassette has found favour with Starbuck’s first franchisee globally – 23.5 Degrees. DCI Refrigeration & Electrical has completed the first two installations of the 360 cassette, which was launched last year, at new outlets in Emsworth and Ringwood in Hampshire. Cooling Post 20160921
■Daikin (UK): Daikin is offering an upgrade of its psychrometric data viewer, allowing temperature and humidity to be plotted quickly and easily. The new piece of software is said to be simple to use and highly adaptable, and can be adjusted to accept a wide range of variables. By inputting just two data points from the range of measurement parameters, users can determine the properties of moist air conditions from a comprehensive review of properties such as dry bulb and wet bulb temperature, dew point, relative, absolute humidity and enthalpy, (heat content) density and specific volume. The newly released version 3.2 offers the ability to plot and adjust points on the graph with the click of a mouse and to zoom in to see relevant areas of the chart in more detail. Graphs can be viewed in either psychrometric or Mollier formats, with data set to metric or imperial units and colour coding added for additional ease of interpretation. Cooling Post 20160920
■MHI (Japan): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has used an Italian designer for two new series of wall-mounted air conditioners set to launch in Europe next month.The new ZS and ZSX Series units, which are likely to be a topic at MHI’s European distributor conference this week, are due to commence production and marketing in October. While both series are said to offer high efficiency, the top-of-the-range ZSX boasts Europe’s highest A+++ energy rating in both cooling and heating modes. This is said to be due to its use of twin rotary compressors, combined with enhanced vector control. All models are equipped with motion sensors and weekly timer. Also, operation via smartphones is also said to be possible.Cooling Post 20160920
■Lu-Ve (Italy): Heat exchanger manufacturer Lu-Ve has acquired the leading Indian coil producer Spirotech. Spirotech Heat Exchangers has its hq and manufacturing facility in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, about 60km south of New Delhi. It produces heat exchangers coils – copper/aluminium and aluminium/aluminium – with more than 70% of its business in domestic appliances, air conditioning and refrigeration. The company was founded in 1994. Lu-Ve has had a sales and marketing office in India since 2011 and now plans to use the existing business and operations of Spirotech as a platform to rapidly expand its business in India and nearby countries. Cooling Post 20160919
■LG (Korea): LG Electronics is reported to be seeking to have two patents held by German domestic compressor manufacturer Secop overturned. According to the Korea Herald, LG has filed the suit with a court in Turin in response to a claim by the German company that the South Korean manufacturer had infringed its patents. Secop is the former Danfoss Household Compressor business which was acquired by German industrial holdings company Aurelius in 2010. Cooling Post 20160919
■AHRI : July saw US shipments of central air conditioners increase 8.7% on last year to 551,121 units. US shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 6.6% to 234,134 units, up from 219,693 units shipped in July 2015.The latest figures from the AHRI record year-to-date shipments of central air conditioners up 4.4% to 3,232,815 units, while heat pump shipments are down 0.7% on the year to 1,541,905 units. Cooling Post 20160917
■JCI (China) : Johnson Controls has received a Science and Technology Award for its York steam-driven centrifugal heat pumps from the Architectural Society of China.One of the first Energy-Saving Service Companies (ESCO) certified by the State Council of China in 2009, Johnson Controls was also honoured with the Special Contribution Award for Innovation (HVAC) and Technology & Innovation Award (HVAC) from the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency in 2015. Cooling Post 20160917
■Bsria: BSRIA has opened a calibration facility in Lille, northern France. The BSRIA SARL laboratory and offices was launched at the beginning of September demonstrating state-of-the-art facilities for the testing of fan (blower doors), temperature and pressure instruments. ACR News 20160915
■Arkema (France): Arkema is planning to shut down its R134a refrigerant plant at Pierre-Bénite, France, at the beginning of next year.Faced with an expected decline in demand for R134a under the European MAC Directive, which bans the use of the refrigerant in all new cars, the French refrigerant manufacturer is proposing to close the plant in the first quarter of 2017.Cooling Post 20160916
■HFC (Kenya): The drive to phase-down HFCs will be a major theme on Friday as UNEP celebrates the 2016 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The theme for this year’s International Ozone Day recognises the collective efforts of the parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past three decades and the global commitment to combat climate change. “Next month, in Rwanda, we have an opportunity to do exactly that, when national delegations gather to reach a global consensus on phasing down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol.”Cooling Post 20160914
■Emerson (USA): Emerson has taken a minority stake in a company providing cloud-based building automation control, remote monitoring and diagnostics of rooftop units. “Transformative Wave is a good fit for Emerson,” said Mark Dunson, group vice president, Electronics & Solutions, Emerson. ”This is an up-and-coming business that has demonstrated strong, rapid growth in recent years and creates an immediate footprint for Emerson in the broader commercial buildings space.”Emerson’s investment in Transformative Wave follows last month’s acquisitions of PakSense and Locus Traxx.Cooling Post 20160914
■Refrigerant (USA/Germany): Refrigerant suppliers Linde and Praxair have terminated merger talks, the companies have announced. Cooling Post 20160915
■ASHRAE (USA): A newly published ASHRAE data centre energy standard is said to have a flexible performance-based approach that will accommodate future innovations. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.4-2016, Energy Standard for Data Centers, establishes the minimum energy efficiency requirements of data centres for design and construction, for creation of a plan for operation and maintenance and for utilisation of on-site or off-site renewable energy resources. For further information and to order, visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore. Cooling Post 20160914
■Trane (UK/France): In the largest HFO chiller installation of its kind in the world, Trane CenTraVac’s using R1233zd(E) will replace the existing R22 chillers serving the Channel Tunnel. Four 10MW Trane Series E CenTraVac water-cooled centrifugal chillers using the new HFO refrigerant are to be employed to cool the Channel Tunnel – once described as the world’s most expensive cooling system. The new R1233zd(E) chillers will replace the existing eight ageing York Titan chillers that have been providing the cooling requirement for the tunnel which connects the UK and France. Cooling Post 20160914
●Fujitsu General（Atlanta）: Sept. 13, 2016 -- Fujitsu General Limited and Rheem today announced a strategic collaboration that will expand the heating and cooling product portfolios for both companies. Ducted central air conditioning systems account for approximately 90 percent of the U.S. residential HVAC market (source: AHRI). The companies expect to begin introducing new products in early 2017. Rheem and Fujitsu plan to showcase some of these products at the 2017 AHR Expo, which takes place Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Rheem will exhibit in booth C1336 and Fujitsu will exhibit in booth N10113. Rheem 20160913
■Emerson (USA): Emerson has expanded its network of innovation facilities with the opening of a new centre at Georgia Institute of Technology.The new 16,000ft² facility will provide the focal point of Emerson’s development and collaboration on big data and Internet of Things concepts. It will support Emerson’s Helix Innovation Centre at the University of Dayton in Ohio, and work alongside the Europe Solution Centre in Aachen, Germany, and the Emerson Innovation Centre in Pune, India. Cooling Post 20160910
■Burr Oak (USA): Coil machinery manufacturer Burr Oak Tool has entered into a partnership with Italian tube machine firm Sistemi Meccanici Industriali (SMI). The companies say that the new partnership will directly benefit customers worldwide by creating a global source of comprehensive support, continuous innovation, and unrivalled leadership.Cooling Post 20160910
■Swep (Sweden): Brazed-plate heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP has celebrated anniversary milestones at three of its factories this year. SWEP Slovakia celebrates 10 years this month, the SWEP factory in Malaysia is celebrating 15 years, while SWEP North America has reached the 20-year milestone.SWEP also has factories in Sweden, Switzerland and China.Cooling Post 20160909
■Thai Refrigeration Association (TRA): Managing director of Carel (Thailand), has been appointed president of the Thai Refrigeration Association for 2016-2018. The Thai Refrigeration Association (TRA) was founded in 1992 and is the national non-profit organisation representing approximately 200 members from the refrigeration industry in Thailand, including manufacturers, contractors, consultants, end-users, suppliers and related business. Cooling Post 20160909
■Goodman (USA) : Daikin-owned US air conditioning manufacturer Goodman has agreed to pay a $5.55m fine for delay and misrepresentation in reporting a fire hazard on its PTAC units. The penalty resolves allegations in a complaint filed by the US Department of Justice that the firm knowingly failed to inform the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) immediately, as required by federal law, that its packaged terminal air conditioners/heaters (PTACs) contained a hazardous defect and posed an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to consumers. The complaint also alleges that when Goodman ultimately reported the fire risk to CPSC, it misrepresented the number of fires that had occurred. Goodman was acquired by Japanese manufacturer Daikin in 2012. Cooling Post 20160909
■Emerson : Emerson Climate Technologies has released three new digital scroll compressors, extending its Summit K5E series to 15hp. Individual model performance data for the new ZBD76K5E, ZBD114K5E and ZFD41K5E is available for all refrigerants in Emerson’s Selection Software. Cooling Post 20160909
●Daikin: Daikin Industries will build a commercial air conditioning equipment plant in Malaysia as the Japanese company looks to expand its business in Southeast Asia. The plant will be constructed on the outskirts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, with initial investment projected to top 3 billion yen ($29.3 million). The factory will produce large air conditioning units beginning in 2018 for installation in airports and commercial facilities. Daikin, seeking to expand sales operations, also will establish an umbrella company in Malaysia for its Southeast Asian commercial air conditioner business. The new company will design and produce customized equipment to fit orders as well as handle long-term maintenance. Having both manufacturing and sales functions will let the company respond better to customer needs. The Japanese company currently exports large air conditioning equipment from China to Southeast Asia, where demand for big air conditioners is projected to grow by more than 10% annually amid a construction boom in commercial facilities and skyscrapers. By producing the units locally, Daikin aims to become more competitive on price and triple its Southeast Asian business to 30 billion yen in the near future. Nikkei Asian Review 20160907
■CO2 (France): A special guide to the use of CO2 as a refrigerant has been produced by the International Institute of Refrigeration. CO2 as a Refrigerant, written by Star Refrigeration’s Andy Pearson, highlights the different possible applications of carbon dioxide in various sectors such as supermarkets, industrial freezers, transport and cold storage, and rinks, chillers, air conditioning systems and data centres.Cooling Post 20160907
■Luvata : Modine Manufacturing, the US owner of Airedale, is to acquire coil company Luvata HTS in a $422m deal.The deal, which will be financed through a combination of cash, debt, and $25m of Modine common stock, is expected to be completed this year.Luvata HTS is a leading manufacturer of commercial and industrial coils, coolers and related products, primarily for the HVAC&R markets. Cooling Post 20160907
■Trane (Belgium): Ingersoll Rand has extended the Trane UniTrane range of fan coil units with three new models. The new products include the addition of the W-Line range of hi-wall fan coil units and upgrades to the portfolio with D-Line and B-Line – two new and more compact concealed ductable ranges. Cooling Post 20160905
■Daikin : At CHILLVENTA 2016, Daikin will be highlighting its new small commercial Sky Air air conditioners operating for the first time on R32. Part of the Japanese manufacturer’s Bluevolution range, the Sky Air R32 (above) is the first European production-ready product range to use the new lower GWP refrigerant in units suitable for shops, smaller offices or for cooling equipment rooms. Cooling Post 20160904
●Daikin: Daikin Industries has won a major Japanese office development award for its Technology Innovation Centre, opened last year in Settsu City, Japan. The €300m technology centre was a winner in this year’s 29th Nikkei New Office Promotion Award which recognises new office developments that, amongst other criteria, incorporate environmental considerations, stimulate creativity and promote worker comfort.Cooling Post 20160903
http://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/daikin-technology-centre-wins-award/
■LG (Korea): LG has launched a new air conditioner featuring, for the first time in Europe, its Dual Inverter Compressor.The Korean manufacturer’s Dualcool high wall split system is launched this week at the consumer electronics and home appliances show IFA 2016 in Berlin. It is said to consume up to 70% less electricity, while providing up to 40% faster cooling when compared to one of its own non-inverter RACs. The results are said to have been verified by the independent testing organization TÜV Rheinland. Cooling Post 20160903
■Stanford University (USA): Engineers at Stanford University claim to have developed a low-cost, plastic-based textile capable of cooling the body far more efficiently than current fabrics. The new material is said to works by allowing the body to discharge heat in two ways that would make the wearer feel 2ºC cooler than if they wore cotton clothing.Cooling Post 20160902
■Refrigerants (USA): The number of potential new lower GWP refrigerants continues to rise with four more proposed for inclusion in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2013.The new refrigerants are an Arkema blend R459A and three Mexichem blends R459B, R460A and R460B.Standard 34-2013, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, describes a shorthand way of naming refrigerants and assigns safety classifications based on toxicity and flammability data.Cooling Post 20160902
■Bitzer(Germany): Bitzer has marked the 25th anniversary of its factory in Leipzig with the sale of its 2.5 millionth product. The factory in Schkeuditz, near Leipzig, was acquired in 1991 from the former East German refrigeration compressor manufacturer MAB and is the base for the production of Bitzer’s Ecoline series of reciprocating compressors. Cooling Post 20160902
■HVAC･IOT：The Internet of Things (IoT) has established itself as the next
big thing. According to IDC, IoT spending will reach $1.7 trillion in 2020,
and undoubtedly, the HVAC industry is in a prime position to cash in on
this hearty market.Nowadays, they are walking into a home or building and
finding a client who has already done the research. Our goal is to educate
and provide the contractors with all the necessary information. It’s really
focusing more on them from a marketing and advertising perspective — providing
them with information on how ductless technology, VRF systems, or the IoT
impacts them. They are certainly at a point where they know they have to
stay on top of the trends, and that’s a recent industry phenomenon.” Only
time will tell how that customer interaction will evolve and change — and
how, exactly, it will influence HVAC product design — but evidence suggests
the HVAC industry is ready for the IoT.ACHRNews 20160829
■BEMS (India): The global energy-efficient building market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6 percent during the forecast period of 2016 to 2020, according to a report from Sandler Research. For example, in the U.S., the average electricity price for the retail and residential sectors notched up at a 2.3 percent annual growth rate from 2008-2015. This has led to the growing demand for energy-efficient buildings. The focus has shifted from energy generation to energy conservation.The rise in new construction activity and the increasing introduction of energy efficiency policies especially in countries such as China, Germany, the U.S., and the United Kingdom will fuel the growth of the market. ACHRNews 20160829
■IOT (London): — The latest report on the global commercial air conditioning market from Technavio provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2016 to 2020. The top three emerging trends according to the firm’s research analysts are: • Integration with Internet of Things (IoT). The platform enables services such as smart building management. Gateway components provide connectivity to HVAC equipment.• Emergence of smart technology. There is a perceptible shift in the market toward smart grids, smart metering, and building automation.• Growing preference for interoperability. Building owners are increasingly requesting interoperability for commercial air conditioning components as it eliminates the need to engage with a single supplier. Therefore, manufacturers are using LonWorks or BACnet to make their systems open and ready for interoperability.ACHR News 20160826
■Emerson (France): Copeland refrigeration units are helping to bring greater flexibility and autonomy to Intermarché supermarkets. Since September 2015, the French supermarket group has been equipping its sites with low temperature cold stores, known as “freezer airlocks”, enabling them to hold stocks of frozen products delivered by truck, awaiting storage in the retail outlet’s cold stores and cabinets. These enable the supermarket to increase the frequency of night-time deliveries while guaranteeing supplies for all of its retail outlets. The new EazyCool ZX range is said to be ideal for this application due to its compact size and low noise. With a footprint of less than 0.5 m2, the ZX units offer good energy efficiency thanks to the use of Scroll compressors. The incorporation of Enhanced Vapour Injection (EVI) technology in the low temperature units increases this efficiency even further.Cooling Post 20160826
■Cold storage (USA): Growth in emerging markets is said to have been a major contributor to an 8.6% increase in cold storage capacity over the last two years.Latest figures from the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) reveal that global gold storage capacity total capacity reached 600 million m³ this year, an increase of 8.6% since the last time the survey was conducted in 2014.Cooling Post 20160826
■Fujitsu's VRF VR-II Fujitsu offer a full range of industry-leading VRF systems. From the J-II and J-IIs Mini VRF Systems which are ideal for residential and light commercial buildings, to the larger V-III 2-pipe and 3-pipe VR-II heat recovery Series Systems. System nominal cooling capacities range from 12.1 to 150kW and a connectable indoor unit capacities up to 150%. The Fujitsu VR-II 3-Pipe VRF system is truly adaptable air conditioning technology. Outdoor unit capacities range from 22.4KW nominal cooling to 135.0KW with up to 150% connected capacity across 64 indoor units. ACR News 20160825
■India ：The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has introduced tougher energy efficiency ratings for air conditioners which takes account of the country’s higher temperatures. The new star rating methodology called Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) will address the different climatic zones in India and higher temperature. ISEER measures energy efficiency of air conditioners based on a weighted average of the performance at outside temperatures between 24ºC and 43ºC based on Indian weather data. Cooling Post 20160824
■Bsria (IAQ): With indoor air quality currently high on the agenda, BSRIA has released a new free-to-download guide on the subject. The guide is aimed at those looking for introductory information about indoor air quality including definition, history and prevalence. There is also information on types of contaminants and their exposure limits as well as providing readers with a useful site map.Cooling Post 20160824
■HFC (USA): Dumping duties on certain HFC blends from China was passed
today by the US government with its publication in the Federal Register.
The publication follows recent affirmative final determinations by the
Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission and imposes
duties from 101.82% to 216.37%. The refrigerants covered by the order are
and blends containing any of the single components R32, R125, R143a, or
R134a. These blends are R404A, R407A, R407C, R410A and R507A (also known
as R507). Cooling Post 20160819
■Stulz : Precision air conditioning equipment manufacturer Stulz has acquired Spanish HVAC equipment manufacturer Tecnivel.Established in 1971, Tecnivel is best known for its air handling units but also manufactures a range of products including coils, air curtains, fan coils and ventilation units. Latest products include a tailor-made range of air handlers specifically designed for data centres. According to Stulz, this has made Tecnivel a reference point in the air conditioning of data centres in Spain. Cooling Post 20160818
■IAQ (UK) : Almost 70% of office workers believe poor air quality in their place of work is having a negative effect on their day-to-day productivity and well-being. The YouGov survey commissioned by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) also reveals that a third of office workers are concerned that poor indoor air quality could be having a negative effect on their health.Cooling Post 20160817
■Refrigerant (USA): Industrial gas companies Praxair of the USA and Germany’s Linde, two companies with an historic refrigeration bond, are in merger talks. Talks are said to be ongoing but the possible tie-up would give a combined market value of around $60m and is likely to trigger antitrust reviews. Linde’s revenue in 2015 was around $20bn. Praxair, a Fortune 300 had sales of $11bn. Cooling Post 20160817
■Carrier (China): To satisfy Burger King’s expansion in China, Carrier China tailored a standardised service process for Burger King that will ensure product delivery within seven workdays and completion of installation and commissioning within 20 days. In addition, Carrier China will provide 24/7 support for construction, operation and management of all 500 new stores planned to open in China in the next two years.The Carrier DC Inverter VRF system offers an integrated part load value well above the China energy label energy efficiency Class 1 criteria. Cooling Post 20160814
■AHRI：Combined shipments totalled 1,022,363 units in June, up 16.4% from 878,513 units shipped in June 2015.Individually, US shipments of air conditioners were up 19.1% to 729,018 units, while shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 10% to 293,345 units.The increase improved to year-on-year performance. Shipments of central air conditioners in the year-to-date increased 3.6% to 2,681,694 units, up from 2,588,401 units shipped during the same period in 2015. The year-to-date total for heat pump shipments is now 1.8% down at 1,307,771 units, compared to 1,332,362 units shipped during the same period in 2015. Cooling Post 20160814
■Gree (Brazil): Air conditioning manufacturer Gree has a service team on standby at the Rio Olympic Games after equipping a number of Olympic venues with its products.To support the installation, Gree Brazil has set up a special service team of technicians, dedicated to ensuring all the equipment runs smoothly and efficiently throughout.Gree was among the first Chinese companies to set up in Brazil when it established a factory in the Manaus Free Trade Zone in 2001. It is now one of the top three air conditioning manufacturers in Brazil with an annual capacity of over 300,000 units and annual sales of $200m. Cooling Post 20160814
■Daikin (Egypt): Daikin established the Egyptian subsidiary through Daikin Europe NV in the belief that Egypt’s growing economy remains the pillar of growth for both the Middle East and Africa. With energy-saving products ranging from residential to commercial use, Daikin is poised to substantially expand business in Egypt. Cooling Post 20160810
■India：Chemical company SRF is to spend an estimated €22m on a new R32 refrigerant plant at Dahej in Gujarat.The new plant will be an addition to the Indian company’s current plant in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and will double capacity to 80,000 tonnes per annum. It is scheduled to be commissioned in December 2017. SRF refrigerants are sold under the brand name of Floron in India and elsewhere. Cooling Post 20160809
■Carrier (USA): The most highly decorated American battleship of World War II has recently received a makeover with the installation of Carrier VRF air-conditioning. The popularity of “ductless” systems on the increase in the US, one of the nation’s most well-known historic battleships, USS North Carolina, recently received a refurbishment that included the installation of a Carrier variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heating and cooling solution. A team of technicians from Jacksonville Heating Contractors installed a 20-ton heat recovery system, which provides heating and cooling for the wardroom, the guest bathroom, employees offices and the catering room.“This ship is a symbol of our region and is a destination for so many. It’s a great feeling to know that our work will help keep visitors comfortable aboard this floating museum,” commented Randy Ramsey, owner of Jacksonville Heating Contractors.Cooling Post 20160807
■Ciat (Europe): Ciat has launched a new range of air handling units, the result of 10 years research and development. The new range is certified to perform to the latest European standards (EN 13053 and EN 1886) and designed to meet future regulatory requirements applicable from 2018. This fully modular range features the most recent technological innovations, and is said to boast more than 26 functions that can be customised to meet specific customer needs. Cooling Post 20160805
■Emerson, manufacturers of Copeland refrigeration and ac compressors, could
be on the acquisition trail after selling three of its businesses for $5.2bn.On
Tuesday, Emerson agreed to sell its Network Power division, which includes
data centre cooling brand Liebert, in a $4bn deal. The same day the company
agreed to sell its French drives and motors business Leroy-Somer and UK-based
drives company Control Techniques.Cooling Post 20160804
■With the move towards a phase down of HFCs, manufacturing groups have warned against using unapproved refrigerants in equipment not designed for their use.The warnings are contained in an open letter signed by nine associations representing 90% of the world’s air conditioning and refrigeration manufacturers. They include ABRAVA (Brazil), AHRI (USA), AREMA (Australia), CRAA (China), EPEE (Europe), Eurovent (Europe), HRAI (Canada), JRAIA (Japan) and KRAIA (Korea).Cooling Post 20160803
■IIR (France): The International Institute of Refrigeration has established a new working group to tackle the need to encourage more young people into the refrigeration industry.The new CaRe (Careers in Refrigeration ) working group announced today will be chaired by Dr Catarina Marques, currently r&d manager at UK commercial refrigeration company Adande.The establishment of the new working group follows the IIR’s organisation of a student and senior researchers’ speed networking event and its first Women in Refrigeration networking workshop at the 24th International Congress of Refrigeration in Japan last year.Cooling Post 20160803
■Chemours (USA): After months of discussions refrigerant manufacturer Chemours has announced that its global headquarters will remain in Wilmington, Delaware.Chemours currently owns and operates from the original 108-year-old, 13-storey DuPont Building which it inherited in 2015 following its spin-off from DuPont. About 800 workers are currently employed there with around 200 more in other Delaware locations. Chemours has approximately 8,000 employees across 35 manufacturing sites worldwide, serving more than 5,000 customers in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Cooling Post 20160802
■Danfoss: Following approval of its Optyma New Generation units, Danfoss’ Optyma Slim range of condensing units has also now been added to the ETL list for enhanced capital allowances. “The Optyma Slim range is a proven reliable design, featuring a scroll compressor and micro channel technology at a very affordable price”. Cooling Post 20160802
■Trane (France)：Tests with DR-5A have previously been carried out on a
Trane Precedent rooftop heat pump with similar results. FRANCE: Two new
“drop-in” alternatives to the air conditioning refrigerant R410A are said
to have exhibited very similar performance in experimental tests. The two
refrigerants, Chemours DR-5A (R454B) and Honeywell’s L41-2 (R447A), were
tested in a 10 kW air-to-water heat pump in order to compare their performance
as drop-in low GWP alternatives to R410A.Cooling Post 20160731
●Mitsubishi Electric (Japan): Increased sales of Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning has helped offset a sales decrease across the group for the first fiscal quarter of the year ending June 30.The Japanese manufacturer’s home appliances business achieved total sales of JPY261.9bn (€2.3bn), a 3% increase from the same quarter last year. The increase is said to have been due to improved sales of residential and industrial air conditioners in Japan as well as air conditioners in Europe, despite negative influences caused by the stronger yen.Cooling Post 20160731
■Mycom(USA): The installation of an ammonia/CO2 cascade refrigeration system at a food manufacturing facility in Irvine, California, is expected to provide energy savings of 20-50%. The refrigeration system has been installed at Imuraya USA Inc, the US subsidiary of the Japanese Imuraya Group, a leading manufacturer of Japanese-style confectioneries. The NewTon refrigeration system installation is a joint development of Canadian company CIMCO Refrigeration Inc, US electricity supplier Southern California Edison (SCE) and Japanese compressor manufacturer Mayekawa, best known for its Mycom compressors. The system uses ammonia and CO2 to achieve a higher level of efficiency and energy savings than current refrigeration systems. Cooling Post 20160731
■York: A temporary worker has died after reportedly being crushed at Johnson Controls’ York air conditioning plant in York, Pennsylvania. Cooling Post 20160728
■Emerson Climate Technologies is updating its Copeland compressor range in the light of the move to allow the wider use natural and alternative refrigerants.In line with the refrigeration industry, Emerson is taking an even closer look at both CO2 (R744) and propane (R290). The company says it is also preparing for the likely introduction of A2L refrigerants as an acceptable US alternative in commercial refrigeration. Cooling Post 20160728
■Carrier (China): Carrier has sold its 150th two-stage AquaEdge 19XR centrifugal chiller into China.Carrier Air Conditioning Sales & Service (Shanghai) reached the milestone following an order for 14 AquaEdge chillers for three Geely Volvo automobile production bases located in Baoji, Taizhou and Zhangjiakou. Cooling Post 20160727
■Carel (Italy): Controls and humidification equipment manufacturer Carel has recorded sales of €203.5m in 2015, a 12.8% increase on the previous year.The number of staff in the R&D department in 2015 was 183 people, up from 175 in 2014, and accounting for 17% of total personnel spread between Italy, the United States and China. Cooling Post 20160727
■Trane: Ingersoll Rand has endorsed the use of alternative refrigerant R452B (DR-55) as a lower GWP replacement for R410A. The US manufacturer has announced that it will provide royalty-free access to the patent rights it holds for the use of the new refrigerant in HVAC equipment.The refrigerant, manufactured by Chemours as DR-55 and provisionally assigned the ASHRAE number R452B, has a GWP of 675. It is also said to exhibit lower discharge temperatures and a lower flammability than its rival R32.In a statement, the company says that R452B has been validated as a more efficient alternative to R410A in small chillers, residential splits and packaged unitary products. Similar improvements were reported by fellow US manufacturer Lennox when testing the new refrigerant in a 17.6kW rooftop unit last year.Ingersoll Rand has committed to the investment of $500m in product related research and development over a five-year period to fund the long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.Cooling Post 20160726
■Ashrae :Membership of ASHRAE is said to have exceeded 56,000 – its highest level for 14 years.While some similar industry societies are struggling to retain members, ASHRAE’s membership now stands at 56,105. In addition to its increased membership, ASHRAE also boasts 181 chapters, 41 sections and 234 student branches around the globe, with members in 130 countries.Cooling Post 20160726
■Fujitsu: A new 1 phase outdoor unit for use on Simultaneous Twin and Triple multi systems is now available. These are in addition to the existing 3-phase outdoor unit models. The new 1 phase models are designated AOYG36LBTB (10kW) and AOYG54LBTB (14kW). ACR News 20160726
■Sanhua has ceased production of the Ranco four-way reversing valve it acquired from Invensys in 2007.Since the acquisition the four-way reversing valves have been produced under both the Ranco and Sanhua brands. All Ranco reversing valves C, N, V, VH series are now on official phase out with deliveries based on residual stock availability until the end of this year.Cooling Post 20160725
■Anti-dumping (USA) : The U.S. government will begin charging duties on
washing machines built in China by Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics
Inc., after upholding a complaint by competitor Whirlpool Corp. alleging
that the companies sold their washers in the U.S. for less than they cost
to produce. NASDAQ, ChinaIOL 20160721
■HFO refrigerant (UK): The joint developer of a chiller using Turbocor compressors and R1234ze has now applied the HFO refrigerant in a traditional reciprocating compressor-based chiller.Bristol-based Cool-Therm, which jointly developed the Turbomiser chiller, has supplied an HFO-based reciprocating chiller to the University of Nottingham, where it is being used to cool the University’s new Centre for Sustainable Chemistry. With the building designed to be carbon neutral, R1234ze was chosen due to its very low global warming potential (around 5-6). Cooling Post 20160721
●Daikin (Japan): Daikin is to build a JPY10bn ($93.6m) air conditioning factory in Vietnam. According to reports in the Nikkei, the plant will be built in Hanoi with production starting in 2018.It will initially have an annual capacity of around 500,000 units, with capacity planned to double to roughly 1 million units by 2020.Daikin currently imports air conditioners into Vietnam from its factory in Thailand. Cooling Post 20160720
■Hitachi (UK): Johnson Controls HVAC Parts is to distribute Hitachi air conditioning split systems in the UK. Last year the two companies formed the global joint venture company Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning with a view to co-operation on research and development as well as expanding their marketing channels. Under the new UK distribution deal, contractors and installers will be able to purchase Hitachi’s Summit air conditioning units via Johnson Control’s EasyParts website. Cooling Post 20160719
■Refrigerant (USA): Hudson Technologies has been awarded a five-year refrigerant supply contract worth up to $400m from the US Department of Defense. The contract includes a five-year renewal option and covers the management and supply of refrigerants, compressed gases, cylinders and related items to US military commands and installations, Federal civilian agencies and foreign militaries. Primary users include the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Cooling Post 20160719
■Shipments (USA) : Central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totalled
748,236 units in May 2016, up 1.5% from 737,467 units shipped in May 2015.
Shipments of air conditioners increased 2.3% to 510,552 units, up from
499,250 units shipped in May 2015.In the year-to-date, combined shipments
of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in the US were 2,967,102
units, down from 3,042,250 units shipped in the same period in 2015. Year-to-date
shipments of central air conditioners are down 1.2% to 1,952,676 units,
while heat pump shipments decreased 4.8% to 1,014,426 units.Cooling Post
20160716
■Danfoss (Denmark): Danfoss has acquired heat exchanger manufacturer Sondex. Danfoss says it sees the combination of the businesses as an important lever to develop the already strong market position in district energy and HVAC, and to increase relevance within industries as marine, food and beverage, off-shore, and industrial refrigeration.Cooling Post 20160716
■Carrefour (Spain): Carrefour is now dramatically reducing the number of new hybrid system installations. “By the second half of 2015, we had more projects in CO2 transcritical than in hybrid,” HVAC manager for international support is quoted as saying. “For markets and hypermarkets, I really believe that CO2 is the best solution – so, remote central packs with remote cabinets,” he argues. Carrefour is now evaluating CO2 refrigeration for use in the smaller convenience store formats, where a large part of its business is.French supermarket chain Carrefour is claiming average energy savings of over 45% compared to HFC systems in trials carried out in high ambients. Cooling Post 20160713
■Compressor (USA): Latest test results on a prototype 141kW spool compressor
are said to have recorded overall isentropic efficiencies approaching 80%.The
latest results revealed by developer Torad Engineering will be presented
today at the International Compressor Engineering Conference at Purdue
University. Test results approaching 80% overall isentropic efficiency
are said to have been achieved, which would make it very competitive with
screw and scroll compressors. The prototype is also said to have demonstrated
variable speed and off-peak operation performance characteristics that
would make the technology highly desirable to air conditioning manufactures.
Cooling Post 20160711
■M&A (UK): British-based investor Melrose Industries PLC has entered into an agreement to acquire US HVAC group Nortek in a £2.15bn deal.Nortek is heavily involved in the domestic and commercial HVAC sector, owning such well-known brands as Ambirad, Frigidaire, Kelvinator, Maytag and Reznor and the UK’s Eaton Williams, Edenaire, Moducel, Colman, Vapac and Qualitair. In October, Nortek confirmed the rejection of an “unsolicited proposal” from an unnamed bidder,thought to have been be Carrier air-conditioning’s owner UTC. Cooling Post 20160710
●Daikin (Italy): Daikin completed the acquisition of Italian commercial and industrial refrigeration manufacturer Zanotti. Having first announced its intentions at the end of April, Daikin subsidiary Daikin Europe NV completed the acquisition on Tuesday (July 5) at a price of €98m. Established in 1962, Zanotti achieved sales of €125m last year and has representation in more than 65 countries. In addition to Italy, it has factories in Germany, Spain, England, Brazil and China. In the UK the company has owned Hubbard Products since 2007.cooling Post 20160707
■Fujitsu (Ireland): Fujitsu has opened a new air conditioning training centre in Dublin to serve customers in the Republic. All courses are taught by Fujitsu’s own experienced in-house engineers. The current range of courses covers installation, commissioning, troubleshooting and servicing of splits and multi-splits, VRF and mini VRF and includes specific courses on Fujitsu’s Design Simulator software and AHU DX kit options. Cooling Post 20160705
■Panasonic: Described as a reinforcement of the organisational structure of its Chinese cold chain business and as part of a global rollout, Panasonic has combined Panasonic Appliances Compressor (Dalian)(PAPCDL) and Panasonic Appliances Cold Chain (Dalian) (PAPCCDL) to form Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration System (Dalian). With demand from supermarkets and convenience stores expected to rise in China, Panasonic says the new business will aspire to become the No1 refrigeration company in China. According to the Nikkei, Panasonic aims for sales of large refrigeration systems in China to reach 1 billion yuan ($150m) by 2020. Cooling Post 20160704
■Reflok-logo USA: Mechanical fittings company Reflok, has reopened for business following a management and organisational restructuring. Reflok and its UK-based European subsidiary Reflok Europe closed down in April but, after what the company describes as a pause in production, the US business based in Boisie, Idaho, has re-opened to a limited number of distributors. Refali Ltd, the air conditioning and refrigeration contracting business based in Gloucestershire, UK, will now serve as Reflok’s international sales agent. Refali is principally owned by original Reflok founder Jon Shipman, who has served as an engineer, inventor, and distributor of goods and services for the commercial refrigeration and HVAC industries for over 30 years. For more information visit www.reflok.com. Cooling Post 20160707
■Refrigerant (USA): Anti-dumping duties on imports of HFC refrigerant blends
moved a step closer last week after clearance by the US Department of Commerce.The
Department of Commerce announced its affirmative final determination in
the antidumping duty investigation of Chinese imports of HFC blends and
components on June 22. The final determination was published in the Federal
Register on Wednesday (June 29). The products covered include R404A, R407A,
R407C, R410A, R507A, R32, R125, and R143a, either as single components
or in blends. Cooling Post 20160702
■Refrigerant (USA): The team behind Honeywell’s development of HFO refrigerant R1234yf have been recognised as Heroes of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society (ACS). HFO-1234yf, which Honeywell markets as Solstice® yf, was developed as a low GWP replacement for R134a in mobile air conditioning systems. It is also being used in chillers and is a component in many low GWP stationary refrigerant blends.Cooling Post 20160701
■Ozone (USA): Scientists have identified what has been called the “first fingerprints of healing” of the Antarctic ozone layer.The scientific team report that the September ozone hole had shrunk by more than 4 million km2 since 2000, when ozone depletion was at its peak.Cooling Post 20160630
■BACnet (USA): ASHRAE has released a new version of BACnet Standard 135, reflecting major steps in advancing BACnet for the future IT landscape.BACnet Standard 135 defines data communication services and protocols for computer equipment used for monitoring and control of HVAC&R and other building systems. It allows for the interoperability of such equipment and for facilitating the use of digital control technology in buildings. The new consolidated standard 135-2016 is now available at ASHRAE’s bookstore: ASHRAE 135-2016. Cooling Post 20160630
■Bitzer (GERMANY): Compressor manufacturer Bitzer has renewed its distribution contract with the air conditioning and refrigeration wholesaling group Beijer Ref.The renewed contract for 2016 and 2017 continues the successful strategic partnership with Bitzer further extending its international customer support.Cooling Post 20160630
■Trane (Belgium): Trane has introduced the Airfinity range of compact and modular plug-and-play rooftop units. Complying with the upcoming EcoDesign Directive, the units are also compatible with wireless technology. In capacities from 40 to 250kW, the range is said to have been designed to save time and costs for replacing and improving efficiency of existing buildings across Europe. Cooling Post 20160701
■Midea has entered into a definitive agreement to take an 80% stake in
air conditioning manufacturer Clivet SpA, Clivet Espana SA and related
real estate assets. The remaining 20% of the company will remain with the
current Clivet shareholders, the Bellò family. Founded in 1989, Clivet
manufactures and distributes a range of HVAC products including air conditioners,
chillers and heat pumps. The group employs 600 and has branches in England,
Spain, Germany, UAE, India and Russia. Cooling Post 20160624
■Mitsubishi Electric : Mitsubishi Electric has announced that it will begin
marketing and selling Climaveneta branded chillers in the UK, following
its acquisition of the brand earlier in the year. “Mitsubishi Electric
will be working in partnership with Climaveneta Powermaster, the current
outlet for all Climaveneta products in the UK, to ensure that customers
are offered the best solution for their chiller projects.” ACR News 20160620
■LG (UK): LG has launched a new range of upgraded residential air conditioners.In addition to a redesign, the Econo, Libero-S and Libero-R have all had an upgrade to include wifi options, low noise levels and a ten-year smart inverter compressor warranty. Cooling Post 20160620
■Solar(Australia): Trials of a world-first, two-stage, desiccant air conditioning system suggest the technology could be viable for large scale commercial buildings. The system can be used all year round and will supply space heating in winter, space cooling in summer and hot water all year round. Cooling Post 20160618
■Mitsubishi Electric (UK) has launched a new slimline cassette with a built-in occupancy sensor. The 3D i-See Sensor scans a room to detect exactly how many people are in it and switches off the air conditioning when a room is empty. Cooling Post 20160617
■Trane (USA): Trane is expanding its range of CenTraVac centrifugal chillers
in the US and Canada with models running on the lower GWP refrigerants
R514A and R1233zd.From next year, Trane will offer small tonnage CenTraVac
chillers for markets like office and municipal buildings with a choice
of the current refrigerant R123 or the low GWP HFO blend R514A. Starting
now, Trane will also offer large tonnage CenTraVac chillers for applications
such as industrial and large commercial buildings and data centres with
the HFO R1233zd. R514A, developed by Chemours as Opteon XP30, is considered
a drop-in replacement for R123. With a GWP of just 2 under AR5, R514A blends
the HFO 1336mzz(Z) with trans-1,2-dichloroethene, a gas not previously
used in refrigerants. Like R123, R514A has a B1 toxicity classification.
Cooling Post 20160616
■R134a (India): Sources in India say the government is set to impose anti-dumping duty of US$1.22/kg on import of R134a from China. The move to protect India’s domestic market from cheap imports of the refrigerant follows similar sanctions being considered in the USA. Cooling Post 20160614
■Compressor (USA): Tests on a 40-ton spool compressor with low GWP refrigerants are said to have demonstrated improved efficiency and performance compared to current compressor designs. The spool compressor developed by Torad Engineering, and tested at the company’s 13,000ft² facility in Cumming, Georgia, is said to have been proven suitable for medium pressure refrigerants such as R134a, as well as low and ultra-low GWP refrigerants like R513A and HFO1234yf.Cooling Post 20160614
■AHRI(USA): The AHRI has called on the US government to reform current energy efficiency policies to reflect new technologies and economic realities. Speaking before the before the US House of Representatives subcommittee on energy and power, yesterday, AHRI president & CEO Stephen Yurek called on Congress to reform the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), the law governing product energy efficiency standards, which is nearly 40 years old. Cooling Post 20160611
■Fujitsu (UK): Fujitsu has strengthened its UK presence with the appointments of Katie Ferguson as VRF business development manager, and Joanna Clarke as distribution account manager (north). Katie Ferguson was previously regional manager with Kooltech and, before that, spent five years as a contract sales engineer with Daikin UK. Cooling Post 20160610
■Dunham-Bush is to manufacture chillers in the UK for the first time in nearly 20 years with the launch of a comprehensive range of air and water-cooled packaged chillers. The new chillers will also be produced at the Dunham Bush Group’s manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, China and at a new factory in North America to cater for global demand. Cooling Post 20160608
○Daikin is looking to increase sales by nearly 50% to JPY3,000bn (€24bn)
over the next five years. In the plans revealed in Fusion 20, the company’s
strategic management plan spanning fiscal years 2016 to 2020, Daikin says
it will especially focus on expanding its business in North America and
Asia and placing particular emphasis on certain product areas. The five
businesses being targeted are heating and water heaters, energy solutions,
commercial refrigeration, next-generation refrigerant and fluorocarbon
gas and IAQ and AE engineering. Daikin is also looking to expand its business
to new fields such as IoT and artificial intelligence. Cooling Post 20160605
■Toshiba has today announced reduction of up to 16% on the price of some of its air conditioning equipment in the UK. Effective from today, June 1, the new pricing applies to some of Toshiba’s most popular ranges of splits and VRF air conditioning equipment and is said to have been achieved through business efficiency improvements and continued growth. Toshiba has previously announced plans to double air conditioning sales by 2020. Cooling Post 20160601
■UTC：Carrier completed its 70% acquisition of the Italian HVAC company Riello Group SpA. It now becomes part of UTC’s Climate, Controls & Security division. Cooling Post 20160531
■United Technologies has acquired the commercial HVAC product sales and commercial service divisions of its joint venture business AHI-Carrier (Australia) Pty Ltd. Cooling Post 20160531
○MHI (Japan) has confirmed an absorption-type company split agreement which will see its air conditioning and refrigeration becoming a a wholly owned subsidiary. As revealed by the Cooling Post in February, the transfer of the business to MHI Air conditioning & Refrigeration Co Ltd is expected to be completed by October 1. Cooling Post 20160529
■Danfoss has received chiller manufacturer McQuay International’s Strategic Partner Award. Danfoss has proactively cooperated with McQuay and provided our WMCXE unit [an oil-free centrifugal chiller] the full range of technical support and training,” commented Masayuki Moriyama, CEO of McQuay China. “The prior supply of Danfoss Turbocor new VTT series magnetic bearing oil free variable speed compressor ensured our fast R&D process and took market share. McQuay also benefits from the optimised delivery from Danfoss.” Cooling Post 20160527
■LG (UK) is to offer on-site training as an option amongst a number of new training developments by the air conditioning manufacturer. The announcement comes after celebrating six months of operation of its fully equipped Training Academy in Weybridge, Surrey. Cooling Post 20160527
■CO2: ITALY: A question mark has been hanging over the use of CO2 transcritical refrigeration in warm climates but recent advances in Southern Europe suggest it can be an efficient and viable solution. Cooling Post 20160526
■Beijer B Grimm (Thailand) has been named Distributor of the Year at Bitzer’s
Asia Pacific Distribution Conference this week. Part of the international
Beijer Group, Beijer B Grimm is one of the leading refrigeration and air
conditioning parts wholesalers in Thailand. Cooling Post 20160524
■Refrigerant: The EPA has SNAP-listed two new R123 alternatives and expanded the acceptable uses of R513A and CO2 in air conditioning and refrigeration. A determination of acceptability, listed in tomorrow’s Federal Register, expands the list of acceptable substitutes under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme. Another potential replacement for R123 in centrifugal and positive-displacement chillers, R514A is deemed acceptable as a retrofit gas as well as in new equipment. Cooling Post 20160522
■Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is to collaborate with French manufacturer Groupe Atlantic to market MHI’s Q-ton commercial CO2 heat pump water heater in France. The deal, brokered by UK-based MHI Europe, aims to take advantage of Groupe Atlantic’s extensive sales network and high brand recognition to accelerate sales of the Q-ton. Coopling Post 20160519
■Daikin (UK) says the “mildly flammable” refrigerant R32 will be used in its VRV air conditioning systems in the future. Speaking at yesterday’s Daikin UK D1 installer conference, new UK md Martin Krutz said that, under the phase-down demands of the F-gas regulations, manufacturers would need to make a choice between either reducing the GWP of refrigerants or limiting the number of units it could produce. “We are offering the choice for now [between R410A and R32] but, ultimately, R32 will be the accepted norm as legislation will drive us forward in that direction,” he added. Cooling Post 20160618
◎Daikin／Panasonic :In an apparent u-turn, reports from Japan suggest that Daikin and Panasonic are to form a development and parts procurement alliance. The Nikkei exclusively revealed yesterday that the two Japanese manufacturers were to form a comprehensive partnership in air conditioners, with plans to jointly develop next-generation environmental technologies and to procure parts. Daikin and Panasonic first co-operated in parts procurement and the processing of discarded products under a consumer electronics recycling law in 1999. The two firms hoped the alliance would allow them to become the world’s leading producers of air conditioners. Under that deal, Panasonic was at one time selling badged Daikin units in Europe and the two companies also planned joint development of key components and technologies. In 2004 they went as far as establishing a $20.8m joint venture company in China to produce compressor motors. That partnership failed to deliver the desired benefits amid tough competition in Japan and ended up being effectively dissolved last year. According to the Nikkei, the two companies are now looking to resurrect that partnership with Daikin president Masanori Togawa and Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga meeting recently to agree to begin tie-up talks. An agreement could be finalised this summer. The partnership is predicted to include developing environmental technologies, parts procurement, product supply and the cultivation of emerging markets. Refrigerants, presumably the development of R32 and its introduction in emerging markets, are expected to be key. Intriguingly, the joint development of next-generation refrigerants is also suggested. Daikin may also supply parts to Panasonic through its production bases in Europe, the US and Asia. Cooling Post 20160518
◎Daikin Industries and Panasonic seek to form a comprehensive partnership in air conditioners, with plans to jointly develop next-generation environmental technologies and procure parts. They hope to finalize an agreement this summer. Daikin lifted group sales above 2 trillion yen ($18.4 billion) for the first time in the fiscal year ended March 31. It sees expanding emerging-market operations as key to raising the figure to 3 trillion yen. Panasonic plans to increase sales in its air conditioner business to 700 billion yen in the year ending March 2019, up 50% from fiscal 2015. Refrigerant will be among the first tie-up areas. Daikin and Panasonic will likely work together to adopt environmentally friendlier refrigerants for air conditioners sold in emerging countries. They will likely cooperate in providing sales agents with technical assistance in such areas as refrigerant-charging and -checking. Joint development of next-generation refrigerants will also be considered. The duo will also consider mutual supply of products and joint procurement of such core parts as motors and compressors. Daikin may supply parts to Panasonic through its production bases in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. They will also discuss producing air conditioners on an original equipment manufacturing basis. Such an arrangement could help the companies make better use of management resources, since air conditioner makers must develop many types of products for different climates and room sizes. The two companies teamed up in such areas as joint development back in 1999. But that partnership failed to deliver the desired benefits amid tough competition in Japan and ended up being effectively dissolved. The global air conditioner market is dominated by Daikin, China's Gree Electric Appliances and American manufacturer United Technologies. Daikin formed a partnership with Gree in 2008. Nikkei Asian Review 20160516
■Climaveneta (Italy) has expanded its oil-free centrifugal water-cooled chiller range operating on the low GWP refrigerant R1234ze with its new TX-W range. With a distinctive new look, the TX-W is said to offer full load and seasonal efficiencies, and cooling capacities of up to 4.2 MW. It offers versatile configuration options with one to six centrifugal oil-free compressors plus six new couples of heat exchangers which can be flexibly deployed either with a horizontal or diagonal layout. Cooling Post 20160509
■Trane(Belgium) : Leading manufacturer Trane has finally added a chiller using the low GWP refrigerant R1234ze chiller to its portfolio. The European launch of the Sintesis eXcellent marks the addition of a new air-cooled chiller model to Trane’s EcoWise portfolio of products with lower environmental impact. The new chillers use less refrigerant than traditional tube/fin and flooded heat exchanger technology due to the micro-channel condenser coil and the compact, integrated, low charge (CHIL) evaporator design of the Trane Sintesis family. Cooling Post 20160509
■Daikin Italy has opened a temporary showroom in the heart of Milan’s Brera Design District to show off its Alcantara-customised Emura air conditioning units. Daikin Italy announced the release of the limited edition units featuring 30 different Alcantara finishes last year. Alcantara is a man-made covering material primarily used in the design, fashion, accessories, consumer electronics, automotive and marine industries. Cooling Post 20160508
■Friedrich has become the latest manufacturer to announce the adoption of R32 refrigerant in a range of air conditioning units launched in the US. The new lower GWP refrigerant is being applied in six window room air conditioner models in Friedrich’s Chill series and five through-the-wall air conditioner models in its Uni-Fit line. Last year, Daikin announced that it was to start manufacturing a range of Amana-branded R32 units at it Goodmans facility in Fayetteville, Tennessee. LG is also now offering window units using the new refrigerant. Cooling Post 20160506
■LG (USA): LG is marketing a range of window air conditioners in the USA
using the new lower GWP refrigerant R32. While the world’s major manufacturers
have been announcing equipment using R32, the Korean manufacturers LG and
Samsung have so far remained silent on their plans for adopting the lower
GWP refrigerant. However, it appears that LG is now offering its US customers
a range of window units using R32 in sizes from 8,000-15,000Btu. Last year,
Daikin announced it was to manufacture PTAC units using R32 at its Goodmans
plant in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Cooling Post 20160504
■Chemours (USA) is to build the world’s largest HFO refrigerant facility at its Corpus Christi site in Ingleside, Texas. The new $230m plant will triple Chemours’ capacity to produce HFO-1234yf and other low GWP refrigerant blends. Start-up expected in the third quarter of 2018. Cooling Post 20160502
■Haier : Haier, the appliance manufacturer, has opened a new factory in Russia in response to increasing demand from the European market. The new 24,500m2 site is located in Kama Industrial Park (KIP), Naberezhnye Chelny. This is the first joint Russian-Chinese business project in the non-primary industry. Dedicated to the production of refrigeration machinery, it is also Haier’s first step of localising in Russia as an additional asset to pursue its growth plans throughout Europe. ACR News 20160429
■HFCs(Belgim): One of the leading refrigerant manufacturers has claimed
that over 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent HFCs were illegally imported
into the EU in 2015. Last year was the first year that the European Union’s
phased down under the F-gas regulations came into force, allocating registered
companies a quota from the total 182.5 million tonnes of F-gas allowed
to be placed on the market. Cooling Post 20160501
■Daikin is set to expand its presence within the cold chain with the purchase of Italian refrigeration group Zanotti for €98m. The deal is expected to be finalised at the end of June.
Daikin Industries has also announced today that it has completed the deal to acquire US filter manufacturer Flanders. The acquisition price was $430m. Cooling Post 20160428
■Toshiba: Toshiba completed a unique hat-trick tonight when its SMMS-e VRF air conditioning system won a third major UK award this year. The top performing VRF system, introduced last year, followed up earlier wins by taking the Building Services Product of the Year – HVAC Supply title at tonight’s H&V News Awards. Already this year, the SMMS-e has been named Product of the Year at both the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards and the ACR News Awards. Cooling Post 20160421
■Saijo Denki (Thai): Assistance from the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund has enabled Saijo Denki to become the first Thai manufacturer to produce air conditioners using the lower GWP refrigerant R32. Cooling Post 20160423
■Daikin (Abudhabi) : Daikin’s high ambient R32 inverter air conditioner, introduced into the Middle East last year, has received further environmental certification in the region. In a presentation ceremony this week, Daikin received the Abu Dhabi Quality Conformity Council (QCC) Trustmark for Environmental Performance for its high ambient R32 split air conditioner. Cooling Post 20160423
■IAQ ( USA): Requirements regarding multi-family dwellings, tobacco smoke, and operations and maintenance are among changes to ASHRAE’s indoor air quality standard. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2016, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, sets minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for commercial and institutional buildings. The definition of “environmental tobacco smoke” has been revised to include emissions from electronic smoking devices and from smoking of cannabis. Cooling Post 20160420
■Danfoss has released inverter variable speed technology versions of its Optyma Plus packaged condensing units. The Optyma Plus Inverter with variable speed scroll compressor and drive are said to deliver the best Seasonal Energy Performance Ratio (SEPR) on the market for refrigeration applications in medium temperatures for cooling capacities ranging from 2 to 9 kW. Cooling Post 20160419
■ReflokUK: Reflok, the company behind the mechanical aluminium pipe jointing system, has been closed down due to problems in the US. The company’s US office in Meridian, Idaho, along with the Reflok Europe office in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, closed this week. The parent company in the US, which was responsible for the majority of group sales, is said to have experienced issues with the standard of installations carried out and the application of USA specific products that led to leakages. The scale of the problem was such that the company has been forced to shut its doors. Cooling Post 20160416
■AHRI(USA): Air conditioning and refrigeration controls and components
manufacturer Sanhua International has joined the Air-Conditioning, Heating,
and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The Ohio-based North American subsidiary
of Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Sanhua becomes an international member
and participant in the AHRI’s flow and contaminant control section. Cooling
Post 20160414
◎Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is to build a 40,000m² air conditioning factory in Turkey. The company, called Mitsubishi Electric Turkey Klima Sistemleri Üretim Anonim Şirketi, is scheduled to begin production in January 2018 from a site in Manisa. With demand for room air conditioners in Turkey and neighbouring Balkan countries expected to grow, the new company is the result of Mitsubishi Electric’s global strategy for increased localisation in its European air conditioning and refrigeration systems business. The new plant is expected to employ 400 people by 2020. The Japanese manufacturer established a subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Turkey AŞ in Istanbul in January 2014, the company acquiring its Turkish air conditioning distributor, Klima Plus in the same year. Cooling Post 20160413
■Ventilation (BELGIUM): Eurovent and EVIA have published their first joint guidance document on Ecodesign requirements for ventilation units. The publication is intended to contribute to a better understanding of EU Regulations 1253/2014 and 1254/2014 on ventilation units. It is said to provide for a more uniform and coherent implementation of these legislations across different sectors and product groups. The document is described as the first one of its kind and is said to represent the views of a vast majority of manufacturers of ventilation units in Europe and the Middle East. Cooling Post 20160413
■ASHRAE has proposed new guidelines to bring energy efficiency to historic
buildings. Advice for energy efficiency and energy conservation improvements
involving historic structures can be found in Guideline 34P, Energy Guideline
for Historical Buildings. ASHRAE says these improvements would seek to
minimise disturbances to the historic character, characteristics and materials.
Cooling Post 20160412
■New U.S. Efficiency Standards Result in Savings to Canadian HVAC Dealers; HVAC efficiency standards for residential and commercial equipment have changed in the U.S., creating an opportunity for Canadians dealers. Effective January 1, 2015 new regional energy conservation standards took effect for split-system and single package central air conditioners sold and installed throughout the U.S. Three regions of the country — North, Southeast, and Southwest — have unique minimum SEER and EER performance requirements. The northern region will maintain the current 13 SEER standard for air conditioners while the regions in the southeast and southwest will move to 14 SEER standards. The 18-month grace period for dealers to sell through products manufactured before 2015 finishes June 30, 2016. And therein, lies the opportunity. Contracting Business 20160408
■Beijer : The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is to begin its initial investigations into Beijer Ref’s acquisition of UK refrigeration wholesaler HRP tomorrow (April 12). The CMA will consider whether Beijer Ref’s proposed acquisition of HRP, completed on February 1, might result in a substantial lessening of competition within the UK market. Cooling Post 20160411
■York : Johnson Controls (USA) has won the contract to install a total of 3,600 rooftop units at 225 Target retail stores over the next three years. The initiative will see the 3,600 York Predator series packaged rooftop units being installed at Target stores eight years or older. Target is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The York rooftop units feature energy-saving technologies including variable-speed drives, California Title 24-compliant economisers and new energy recovery ventilators specifically designed for retailers. Cooling Post 20160410
■Toshiba (UK) : Toshiba is changing the duration of its air conditioning warranties in the UK to a scheme based on installer competence. While the length of manufacturers’ warranties have traditionally been dependent upon how much a customer spends, Toshiba’s new scheme will offer a warranty of up to seven years for the most competent installers. Cooling Post 20160408
■Carrier (China) : Carrier has become the latest chiller company to design a machine using low GWP refrigerant R1233zd(E). The new AquaEdge 19DV two-stage, variable-speed centrifugal chiller is featured on the Carrier China stand at this week’s China Refrigeration Expo in Beijing. It features Carrier’s Greenspeed variable frequency drive motor controller and is said to achieve market- leading refrigeration efficiencies. Produced by Honeywell as Solstice zd, R1233zd(E) is a single component, non-flammable A1, fourth generation HFO refrigerant. It was originally developed for use as a blowing agent but has also been found to be a high efficiency alternative to R123. US rival Trane was the first to adopt the refrigerant when it launched its Series E CenTraVac water-cooled centrifugal chiller in 2014. It was followed last year by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ launch of the ETI-Z Series using the same refrigerant. Cooling Post 20160408
■Honeywell has announced a further expansion of the supply of low GWP refrigerant
R1234yf after signing a license agreement with a Chinese manufacturer.
The multi-year agreement will see Juhua manufacturing R1234yf in China
for Honeywell, and Honeywell marketing and selling the product to customers
in the US and Europe. Production is expected to begin by the end of this
year. In addition to helping to meet worldwide demand, the Chinese plant
will also support the future adoption of 1234yf in the region. The new
HFO is currently being widely adopted to replace R134a in car air conditioning
systems and is proposed as a component in many low GWP blends for stationary
applications. Cooling Post 20160407
■Danfoss (Denmark): Danfoss says last month’s Mostra Convegno exhibition in Milan highlighted a significant acceptance of R1234ze as a standard refrigerant in large chillers, with its oil-free technology and Danfoss Turbocor compressors showing clear leadership and a growing presence at the fair. Several large chillers were highlighted as being ready for R1234ze and no fewer than seven OEMs were showcasing oil-free chillers equipped with Danfoss newest compressor, the TG310. Cooling Post 20160407
■Daikin (UK): Daikin’s packaged refrigeration and heat recovery systems
are to be exhibited for the first time at the upcoming National Convenience
Show (NCS). Designed specifically for convenience stores and small supermarkets,
Conveni-pack recovers all the wasted heat rejected from refrigeration units,
and re-directs it into the building. Daikin maintains that Conveni-pack,
can achieve savings in energy consumption of up to 50%. Cooling Post 20160407
■Refrigerants (USA): As the world seeks agreements to phase down high GWP refrigerants, a leading US group has dismissed claims that patents are a barrier to the adoption of new technologies. Issues surrounding intellectual property rights (IPR) were again raised by some Article 5 (developing) countries at this week’s Montreal Protocol Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) meeting in Geneva, where negotiations continue to agree an HFC phase-down. Cooling Post 20160406
■Honeywell (USA): A new non-flammable, lower GWP Honeywell refrigerant could have applications in flooded chillers. Cooling Post 20160405
.
■Toshiba (UK): Toshiba is poised to launch its first R32 air conditioner in the UK, offering the lower GWP refrigerant as an alternative to R410A. cooling Post 20160403
■Refrigerants: (Switzerland) A new reports reveals that at least 80 refrigerants are currently in use or under consideration to replace existing high GWP refrigerants. The report from UNEP’s Technology and Economic Assessment Panel will be submitted to this week’s Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Geneva. Cooling Post 20160403
■Heat Exchanger(USA) : A team at the University of Maryland have used the latest 3D printing technology to manufacture a heat exchanger which is said to be 20% more efficient than current technology. Cooling Post 20160403
■HFC: (Switzerland) Global efforts to control and phase-down the use of high GWP HFCs reach a crucial point next week with the 37th meeting of the OEWG of the parties to the Montreal Protocol in Geneva. Cooling Post 20160331
■R134a : The investigation began on March 23 following petitioning at the beginning of this month by a US industry coalition which claimed that large and increasing volumes of low-priced imports from China were causing material injury to the US fluorochemicals industry. Chinese R134a imports are said to have increased by more than 35% from 2013 to 2015, and continue to steadily increase. Cooling Post 20160327
■Qatar: From July 1, the Qatari government is to ban window and split air conditioners that fail to reach an EER of 8.5 under new standards and technical regulations. The aim of the rationalisation programme on all electrical appliances is to reduce average energy consumption by 20%. Cooling Post 20160326
■Daikin (Japan) : The Nikkei reports that Daikin is to take a 10% stake
in its exclusive Taiwanese distributor in an effort to expand sales of
commercial air conditioners..The Japanese manufacturer is to purchase JPY1.5bn
(€12m) in new shares issued by the distributor Ho Tai Development. Ho Tai
was established in 1963 and has been Daikin distributor since 1992. Until
now, the company has mainly sold residential and central air conditioning
units. The Nikkei says that with the investment, Ho Tai will receive technical
guidance from Daikin for installing multi-split systems. Daikin aims to
increase sales in Taiwan to JPY60bn (€477m) in 2020, an increase of 50%
on its 2015 target. Cooling Post 20160320
■Daikin (Dubai): Daikin’s air handling unit factory in Jebel Ali has gained Eurovent certification. The manufacturing base was originally established in December 2014 to serve both local and regional markets from GCC, Middle East and Africa. Production moved to its current larger facility in April 2015 where the design and processes mimic those of Daikin’s main air handling factory in Italy. Cooling Post 20160319
■Danfoss (Denmark): The demand for energy efficiency and climate-friendly solutions are said to be behind Danfoss’ 11% growth and record profits in 2015. For the Group, net sales were DKK38,031m (€5,103m) against DKK34,375m (€4,613m) in 2014. The net profit of DKK2,597m (€348m) was a record-high and 13% above last year. The increases were largely due to its Danfoss Drives and Danfoss Cooling businesses. Its Cooling business, which accounts for 28% of group sales, returned net sales of DKK10,796m (€1,449m), against DKK9,959m (€1,336m) in 2014. This was equal to a sales growth of 3% in local currency and 8% in DKK. Cooling Post 20160319
■R32 : Already available or soon-to-be-introduced R32 units were featured by a number of companies including Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic, Haier, Midea, Aux, Hisense and, of course, European R32 pioneer Daikin at Mostra Convegno ended today in Milan, Italty. Cooling Post 20160318
■Danfoss (Denmark): Today as the 50 millionth T2 thermostatic expansion valve rolled down the production line, 50 years after the very first one was produced. Cooling Post 20160318
■Toshiba is in late-stage negotiations to sell its white goods business
to Chinese household appliance giant Midea Group, a move that would mark
another chapter in Japan's drastically changing home electronics industry. The
Japanese electronics titan is looking to offload to Midea the majority
of shares held in fully-owned subsidiary Toshiba Lifestyle Products &
Services by this summer. The deal is expected to fetch tens of billions
of yen. The two sides are currently finalizing such details as sales channels
in Japan and employment of workers. Nikkei 20160315
■USA: Shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in the US continued to decline in January, according to figures released by the AHRI. Cooling Post 20160314
■Daikin (USA): Over 200,000 air conditioning units are already being stored in Daikin’s huge new manufacturing facility, currently under construction in Houston, Texas. Just one year on from the start of construction, the basic structure of the 350,000m², $417m facility has already been completed and is on target for occupation before the end of the year. It consolidates four Daikin and Goodman manufacturing plants into one, and will eventually employ around 5,000 workers. It will manufacture both traditional US ducted products and the increasingly popular split/VRF technologies. Cooling Post 20160313
■Carel (USA) : The US subsidiary of Italian controls and humidification specialist Carel has revealed its vision for US supermarkets to become free of HFC refrigerants. Cooling Post 20160313
■Mitsubishi Electric ( JAPAN) : Mitsubishi Electric has opened a new air conditioning design and development building in Wakayama City. The six-storey building, costing JPY4bn (€31.5m), provides over 13,000m² dedicated to strengthening the company’s development and quality assurance capabilities. It also includes a showroom to demonstrate its advanced air conditioning technologies and solutions. Cooling Post 20160313
■Natural refrigerant : The Brussels-based group is inviting industry to
participate in an online survey in an effort to improve understanding of
the market for natural refrigerants training. Shecco says that participants
in the short questionnaire will be eligible to win a free conference pass
to ATMOsphere Europe or ATMOsphere America. In addition, responding companies
and organisations that are already providing training on natural refrigerants,
such as CO2, ammonia, hydrocarbons, water and air, are eligible to receive
a free listing in the Guide Training Directory.Cooling Post 20160311
■Smardt, the global oil-free centrifugal chiller manufacturer, has formed
a partnership with the Chinese arm of Italian manufacturer Euroklimat (EK)
to expand sales of its products in China. Euroklimat is said to be the
largest European brand in China with 29 branches across the country. EK’s
sales network includes over a thousand dealers and a nationwide technical
support and service facility which operates 24 hours a day. Cooling Post
20160308
■USA: US refrigerant manufacturers and suppliers have filed anti-dumping
petitions on Chinese R134a imports. The American HFC Coalition claims that
large and increasing volumes of low-priced imports from China are causing
material injury to the US fluorochemicals industry. Chinese R134a imports
are said to have increased by more than 35% from 2013 to 2015, and continue
to steadily increase. Cooling Post 20160304
■Panasonic : The company has launched its first European products running on the lower GWP refrigerant R32. The two new ranges of Etherea domestic air conditioning units include the high spec Z range featuring four indoor wall-mounted models from 2.5kW to 5kW in both white and silver and the TZ range of wall-mounted units in four models from 2.5kW to 6.8kW. Cooling Post 20160303
■Fujitsu General (UK): FG Eurofred, UK distributor of Fujitsu air conditioning, is to change its name back to Fujitsu General Air Conditioning (UK) Ltd from March 7. The decision reverses the name change made in 2007 when the Japanese manufacturer controversially formed the UK joint venture with its largest European distributor, the Spanish-based Eurofred Group. Cooling Post 20160301
■Panasonic has debuted Japan’s first hybrid air conditioner, integrating
gas and electric air conditioning systems into one refrigerant system.
The Smart Multi industrial air conditioning system was featured on the
company’s stand at last week’s HVAC&R Japan 2016 in Tokyo. Little has
yet been revealed about the unit, which was co-developed by Panasonic with
three energy supply companies – Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas and Toho Gas. It is
said to be the first air conditioning system developed in Japan that has
combined the gas heat pump and the electric heat pump into one single refrigerant
system. The hybrid system is designed to help reduce energy costs by remotely
switching between GHP and EHP depending on the air conditioning load, output
demand, and energy prices. Cooling Post 20160229
■USA: An increasing US interest in VRF air conditioning technology has prompted ASHRAE to offer an online course on the technology’s design and application. Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are now being applied in a range of building types across North America where ducted systems have previously been dominant. The VRF course is one of 11 online professional development seminars offered by ASHRAE. For pricing or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/onlinecourses. Cooling Post 20160225
■Carrier (France) : Carrier has announced that it sees the low GWP HFO refrigerant R1234ze(E) as the best long-term sustainable solution for screw chillers. Carrier joins a long list of major chiller manufacturers now offering R1234ze(E) solutions, but says it will continue to provide HFC R134a chillers in all regions including Europe. Cooling Post 20160225
■UTC/Honeywell:( USA) : Honeywell says it does not see the regulatory process
as an obstacle to a merger with United Technologies Corporation (UTC).
Admitting that the two companies had been in talks, UTC yesterday said
that it would not be pursuing collaborative options “due to significant
regulatory obstacles, customer concerns and valuation issues”. UTC admits
to Honeywell merger talks – February 23, 2016 USA: United Technologies
Corp (UTC) has confirmed press reports that it had been in talks with Honeywell
over a potential merger. Cooling Post 20160224
■Daikin : Its R32 air conditioning refrigerant technology on the road in Germany this spring. Current R32 units offered in Europe include Ururu Sarara, Emura, Professional and Siesta products. Cooling Post 20160223
■Beijer (UTC) : Ross B Shuster, international operations president of UTC’s Climate, Controls & Security division, has been proposed for election to the board of refrigeration wholesaler Beijer Ref. Shuster is proposed to replace Philippe Delpech, president of UTC company Otis, who is not standing for re-election. UTC subsidiary Carrier Air Conditioning is Beijer Ref’s largest shareholder. Cooling Post 2016223
■Blue Star (India) : Leading Indian air conditioning and commercial refrigeration company Blue Star is establishing two new manufacturing plants at Samba in Jammu and Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. Cooling Post 20160223
●Mitsubishi Heavy Industries : (MHI) is to launch a new range of packaged air conditioners running on the lower GWP refrigerant R32. The ExceedHyper range will be progressively introduced from May in a range of sizes from 3-6hp. Cooling Post 20160222
●Daikin : The award-winning, European-designed Daikin Emura air conditioner has been adopted by the parent company for launch in Japan. Available in Europe for five years and, in its latest incarnation for the last two, the Daikin Emura will be launched as the UX Series in Japan in October. Cooling Post 20160221
■Danfoss : In the air conditioning market where Danfoss currently offers
a wide range of compressors from 3 to 350TR, a number of alternatives are
being tested to replace the industry standard refrigerants R410A and R134a.
Danfoss DSH and DCJ scroll compressors with intermediate discharge valves
(IDVs) are being tested with the high density Chemours refrigerants R454B
(DR5A) and DR55, as well as R32, as alternatives to R410A. Cooling Post
20160217
■Danfoss Turbocor compressors: In 2013, the Danfoss Turbocor TG310 became the first centrifugal compressor produced to operate with the ultra-low GWP refrigerant HFO1234ze. This year, the company plans to expand the TG product range for ultra-low GWP from 220kW to 500kW cooling capacity. This expansion will not only include high efficiency products to operate with the ultra-low GWP HFO1234ze, but also other low-GWP refrigerant blends. Cooling Post 20160218
■UK: A new outlet for Gree air conditioners in the UK has been established by the South-London-based Calibre Services Group. ACR News 20160216
■Asahi Glass (AGC) : Described by AGC as non-flammable, 1224yd(Z) is said to have been designed for use in centrifugal chillers, binary cycle generators, and waste heat recovery heat pumps. While little is known of this new refrigerant, it is the subject of a number of manufacturing and usage patents. Although of the HFO family, 1224yd(Z) is actually an HCFO, like another new gas 1233zd which is already being used in latest generation chillers. With a GWP of 1, it has been branded by AGC as Amolea yd. Already supplying R1234yf to Honeywell, and an established manufacturer and supplier of traditional refrigerants, in 2014 AGC announced the development of a blend based on HFO1123 as a replacement for R410A. Promoted as a potential future rival to R32 in air conditioning, AGC said 1123 had a GWP around half that of R32 and with equivalent performance to R410A. Although little has been heard of this gas of late, commercial production was due to start this year. Cooling Post 20160216
◎Daikin: A statement from Daikin’s head office in Osaka this morning confirms that, through its subsidiary American Air Filter (AAF), it has decided to acquire US air filter manufacturer Flanders Holdings for $430m from Insight Equity Holdings. AAF was acquired by Daikin in 2007 as part of its purchase of McQuay and the Malaysian OYL Group. In 2009, the company acquired Nippon Muki, the leading developer and manufacturer of air filters in Japan. Cooling Post 20160209
■Refrigerant (USA): The presentations delivered at the recent sell-out AHRI-hosted conference on the Low GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Programme (AREP) are now available online. Cooling Post 20160207
■Poland Market : Although a market still in its infancy, sales of electrically driven heat pumps in Poland are reported to have nearly tripled over the last six years. However, although the percentage sales increase is high, the number of air heat pumps actually sold was relatively low and amounted to around 3,916 units in 2015 – a small number compared to the 39,350 units sold in Germany in the same period. The VRF air-to-air heat pump market has also significantly grown with sales growing by almost 30% in 2015. The sales of air-source heat pump water heaters increased only slightly (3.4%) but they still constitute almost 40% of the whole heat pump market in Poland. Cooling Post 20160207
■Bitzer: has officially opened its new 1500m² international training centre in Rottenburg-Ergenzingen. The Schaufler Academy, named after the late Peter Schaufler, the company’s CEO who passed away last year, has been designed as the central training location for customers and employees from all over the world. Cooling Post 20160204
■Mitsubishi Electric : The brochure explains how the innovative Hybrid VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) system has been designed to offer the very best of Chiller and VRF in one solution, with an adaptable, flexible, modular system that uses water in occupied areas to deliver fully controllable heat recovery throughout a building. To download a free copy of the Hybrid VRF brochure, visit the company’s dedicated digital library: http:// http://library.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/. For further details on the innovative Hybrid VRF system visit: https://hybridvrf.co.uk/183 . ACR News 20160204
■UK: Fujitsu is to launch a 10kW single split wall-mounted unit at the forthcoming ACR Show. Also on show will be a new range of 360º cassettes and a new medium static ducted split systems, both of which will be available from the spring. Cooling Post 20150131
■The 2016 AHE Expo: The show featured 2,063 exhibitors, 590 of which were based outside of the United States. The next AHR Expo will be held from January 30 – February 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, followed by Chicago in 2018, and Atlanta in 2019. Cooling Post 20160131
■Panasonic claims to have supplied the first CO2 refrigeration system to Taiwan. One of Japan’s leading exponents of CO2 supermarket systems, Panasonic supplied the system to the Linkou Wenyi store of Taiwan FamilyMart, an overseas franchisee of Japan’s major convenience store operator. Taiwan FamilyMart operates around 3,000 stores in Taiwan. Panasonic has a track record of delivering CO2 refrigerant freezers to FamilyMart in Japan. Panasonic began verification testing of CO2 refrigerant devices in 2009. Since September 2010 the Japanese manufacturer has released four models and supplied a total of 3,000 units. Cooling Post 20160131
■UK: Toshiba’s recently introduced SMMS-e VRF was named as the ACR Product of the Year in last night’s National ACR & Heat Pump Awards in Birmingham. Said to offer ESEER’s of over 7 across the range, the SMMS-e beat a number of finalists to take the award, including Mitsubishi’s City Multi VRF and Daikin’s new i-series “invisible” VRF. Cooling Post 20160129
■USA: HFC refrigerants R134a, R410A, and R407C could be banned from use in US chillers from 2025 under new industry proposals. A number of leading international chiller manufacturers including Carrier, Climaveneta, Airedale, Blue Box and Cofely have already announced R1234ze chillers and Trane and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have machines using R1233zd.Cooling Post 20150205
■Mitsubishi Electric : Available immediately for the Mr Slim and City Multi air conditioning ranges, the 600 x 600mm unit is only 245mm in height above the ceiling, making it ideal for fitting in narrow spaces. The sound level of the new cassette has been reduced by 2dB to 4dB through the introduction of a new 3D turbo fan. Cooling Post 20160111
■Haier : Chinese manufacturer Qingdao Haier is to acquire the appliances
business of leading US manufacturer General Electric. In addition, the
two companies have agreed to jointly pursue global growth projects in focus
areas including industrial internet, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.
As part of the acquisition, GE will receive a cash consideration from Qingdao
Haier of $5.4bn. The acquisition also includes GE Appliances’ 48.4% stake
in Mabe, a Mexican appliance company that has operated a joint venture
and has had a sourcing relationship with GE Appliances for 28 years. As
part of the transaction, under Qingdao Haier’s ownership, GE Appliances
will continue to market the current portfolio of GE brands for a period
of 40 years (inclusive of two 10-year extensions). Cooling Post 20160115
■Daikin: Just announced by Daikin Germany, the new multi splits units allow the connection of up to five indoor units. In addition to the new indoor units, the multi splits are also suitable for use with the recently introduced R32 Emura and Professional units. The new ducted indoor unit is only 200mm high and is specially designed for operation with R32. Cooling Post 20160116
■Mitsubishi Electric: With limits on charge sizes due to its “mild flammability”, R32 is currently proving a challenge for VRF, which is why Mitsubishi has developed its hybrid HVRF solution. “The timing for R32 VRF will be advised in due course,” a Mitsubishi Electric UK spokesman later told. Cooling Post 20160117
■Mitsubishi Electric : Available immediately for the Mr Slim and City Multi air conditioning ranges, the 600 x 600mm unit is only 245mm in height above the ceiling, making it ideal for fitting in narrow spaces. The sound level of the new cassette has been reduced by 2dB to 4dB through the introduction of a new 3D turbo fan. Cooling Post 20160111
◎Daikin (USA): Daikin’s new £417m US manufacturing facility in Houston is already receiving recognition ahead of its scheduled opening later this year. In all, the building will incorporate a 167,000m² distribution center, 158,000m² of manufacturing space (plus over 18,000m2 of mezzanine), 21,500m² of lab space and 18,800m² of offices. At over 2km², the massive site will also feature parking for approximately 5,000 vehicles. It is expected to create 4,600 new jobs and a further 11,000+ indirect jobs. Cooling Post 20160110
■Toshiba: Toshiba Carrier has established a European subsidiary company and plans to set up a North American operation in a major global push on VRF air conditioning. The Cooling Post has learned that the Japanese parent company, Toshiba Carrier Corporation, registered a new company, Toshiba Carrier Europe SAS, on November 13. A similar operation, which is likely to be named Toshiba Carrier North America Inc, is expected to be set up in April in Atlanta, Georgia. The moves are in line with announcements in October 2014 that Toshiba and UTC, Carrier’s parent, planned to strengthen and expand the Toshiba Carrier joint venture business to double its $1.6bn annual sales revenues by 2020. A major part of the expansion, they said, would be the establishment of engineering centres and overseas manufacturing in North America, Europe and India. The Toshiba Carrier air conditioning joint venture was originally established in 1999 with Toshiba owning 60% of the volume to Carrier’s 40%. The new Toshiba Carrier Europe SAS operation is registered at 235 Route Thil in Montluel, the European headquarters address of Carrier. With an initial investment of €2.1m, Toshiba Carrier says the new European venture will focus on developing products for the European market with an emphasis on the sales of VRF. President of the new operation is Hideyuki Kumazawa, former Toshiba global sales group manager and Toshiba EMEA director. In addition, it is planned to establish an additional subsidiary, likely to be called Toshiba Carrier North America Inc, at an unnamed site in Atlanta, Georgia. The new US business is expected to have an initial investment of $2m with Toshiba Carrier Corporation owning 51% of the shares and Carrier Corporation the remaining 49%. As in Europe, the US business will focus on the promotion of Toshiba’s VRF technology. Cooling Post 20160103
■UTC: Owner of air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, is to acquire a majority stake in Italian HVAC company Riello. UTS subsidiary United Technologies Holdings Italy Srl yesterday signed an agreement to acquire approximately 70% of the family-owned Riello Group, a leader in providing products and services for the heating segment that operates in over 60 countries. Following the closing of the transaction, the Riello family will continue to own the balance of the shares of the company and Riello Group will become part of UTC’s Climate, Controls & Security division. Cooling Post 20151224
■Mitsubishi Electric has completed its initial acquisition of 74.97% of the share capital of Italian manufacturer DeLclima SpA for €508m. Mitsubishi will now launch an offer for the remaining share capital of DeLclima and its air conditioning chiller companies Climaveneta and RC Group. Cooling Post 20151224
■Carrier : Carrier has recalled 285,000 packaged terminal air conditioners and heat pumps in the USA after reports of an overheating plug. This recalled PTAC and PTHPs are sold under the Bryant, Carrier and Fast brand names. Recalled units include those with original power cords and around 185,000 that received a supplemental power cord as part of a 2007 recall. Cooling Post 20151223
■ASHRAE2016 (USA)：The challenge to find lower GWP R22 alternatives that work efficiently in hot countries will be one of the topic under discussion at the ASHRAE 2016 Winter Conference. Cooling Post 20151218
■DOE (USA): The US has announced new energy efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces that is expected to save 885 million tonnes of CO2. Developed with industry, utilities, and environmental groups, these standards will save more energy than any other standard previously issued by the US Department of Energy. It is estimated that businesses will save $167bn on their utility bills over the lifetime of the products. These new commercial air conditioning and furnace standards will occur in two phases. Cooling Post 20151217
■Carrier (SAUDI): Carrier has opened a new office in Khamis Mushait to serve the rapidly growing HVAC segment in the south of the Kingdom. Carrier operates in Saudi Arabia through its joint ventures with E A Juffali & Brothers as Arabian Air-Conditioning Company Ltd and Carrier Saudi Service Company. Cooling Post 20151216
■Daikin : Daikin is increasing its availability of air conditioners running on the lower GWP refrigerant R32 with launches in both Europe and Japan. Designed by Daikin Europe, for Europe, the new BluEvolution series to be launched early next year, includes a new Daikin Emura, based on the award-winning design of its predecessors and a brand new FTXM indoor and Multi outdoor range – all operating on the new “mildly flammable” R32 refrigerant. Cooling Post 20151216
■Daikin : (Refrigerant-Policy) JAPAN: The extent of the role which the
refrigerant R32 could play in future Daikin product developments is revealed
in a new policy document from the Japanese manufacturer. Daikin was the
first manufacturer to launch residential and commercial air conditioners
and heat pumps using R32, as an alternative to R410A, it appears this lower
GWP refrigerant is also being considered for use across in its VRV, chiller
and refrigeration ranges. In addition to R32, Daikin says it has assessed
various refrigerants – including blends, natural refrigerants, HFOs, etc
– .Cooling Post 20151213
■KOREA: A Korean refrigerator manufacturer has been ordered to pay compensation for a fire caused by a 10-year-old fridge. Cooling Post 20151206
■DENMARK: With the potential to deliver a 38% emissions reduction, Danfoss has called for energy efficiency to be given top priority at this month’s climate summit. Cooling Post 20151205
■Mitsubishi Electric：UK: The impact of the F-gas regulations and customer
concerns over EN378 has prompted Mitsubishi Electric to relaunch its Hybrid
VRF system.“Hybrid VRF is designed specifically to deliver the function
of a four-pipe fan coil Chiller system with the efficiency and flexibility
of modern VRF in one system”. Cooling Post 20151202
■Mitsubishi Electric : AUSTRALIA: Mitsubishi Electric Australia has launched a new M Series split system range running on the lower GWP refrigerant R32. It is available in sizes from 2.5kW-7.8kW. With its big rival Daikin pioneering R32 introductions, a number of other manufacturers, including Panasonic and Fujitsu, already have R32 units available in Australia. Cooling Post 20151201
■Climaveneta is the latest manufacturer to combine the low GWP refrigerant 1234ze with oil-free compressor technology in a range of chillers. Cooling Post 20151202
■AHR awards : USA: Parker Hannifin was a major winner at this year’s AHR Expo Innovation Awards, winning both the cooling and the tools & instruments categories. Cooling Post 20151129
■Daikin(USA):Daikin Applied Americas has acquired a minority stake in Riptide IO, a California-based software company dealing in smart buildings. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Riptide IO has been a strategic partner to Daikin Applied in the development of Daikin Intelligent Equipment, which it claims is the industry’s first, true cloud-based technology platform for HVAC equipment that harnesses the IoT. Cooling Post 20151121
■ASERCOM: As a consequence of the EU F-gas regulation ((EU) No 517/2014), the future synthetic refrigerants for refrigeration with a low global warming potential will be to a large degree non-azeotropic mixtures with a significant temperature change at constant pressure. ACR News 20151123
■Mitsubishi Electric UK has published a CPD guide to chiller technologies. Best known for its unitary and VRF air conditioners and heat pumps, the publication of the guide follows Mitsubishi Electric’s recent moves into the chiller market. Cooling Post 20151115
■LG (USA):LG Electronics officially opened its new US air conditioning hq outside of Atlanta yesterday. Cooling Post 20151112
■US AC: Shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in the US totalled 488,464 units in September, down 9.5% on September last year. Year-to-date shipments of central air conditioners increased 3% to 3,824,980 units, compared to the same period in 2014. The poor figures in September mean that year-to-date heat pump shipments are 0.6% down on 2014. Cooling Post 20151115
■Daikin (UK): From Monday 9th November 2015 Bob Cowlard will take on the role of Managing Director of Daikin Applied (UK) Ltd and with it the overall responsibility for the day to day running of the business. Bob’s appointment will enable the company to move onto the next stage of its development and growth following the April ’15 name change from McQuay (UK) Ltd. Bob’s extensive HVAC industry experience includes UK distribution, leading European roles at another Japanese manufacturer as well as most recently the MD’s role at Electronic controls company Carel. ACR News 20151113
■AHRI : The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) commends decision to work toward an amendment to include HFCs in the Montreal Protocol. AHRI has commended the decision of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol (MP) to work toward an amendment in 2016 to include HFCs in the treaty’s purview, with a goal of working toward a schedule to phasedown their use across the globe. AHRI has long supported including HFCs in the phase down plan under the MP. RAC Plus 20151109
■GEA (Germany): Kelvion is the new name for a broad portfolio of companies,
including Searle, Goedhart and Kuba, formed from the former GEA Heat Exchangers
business. Cooling Post 20151109
■Zhejiang Hailiang Co Ltd:To acquire 100 pct stake in Golden dragon precise copper tube Group. Reuter 20150817
■Hailiang : It is in talks about a possible takeover of its larger rival Golden Dragon, a source at the company confirmed to Metal Bulletin on June 11.
■Refrigerant : With HFCs now to be included within the Montreal Protocol, this week’s meeting in Dubai ended with real prospects of a global HFC phase-down agreement next year. In the face of four amendments on the table from the Island Nations, India, the EU and North America, objections to forming an HFC contact group to begin negotiating an amendment were finally dropped. Cooling Post 20151106
◎Toshiba : TOKYO - Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced that the company is exploring a strategic partnership with GE Digital, a new GE organization that brings together all of GE’s digital capabilities in the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), and that the companies have signed a definitive agreement to develop the first pilot project leveraging GE’s Predix®*1 Industrial IoT platform. Toshiba 20151104
■Price increases on HFCs : Due to the F-Gas Regulation limiting HFC availability in 2016, Chemours has announced a price increase in the European Union, effective from 1 January, or as allowed by contractual commitments, on a number of products. Suva 407A (GWP 2107), Suva 410A (GWP 2088), Suva 407C (GWP 1602) and Suva 134a (GWP 1430) will all increase by 10%. ACR News 20151102
■Samsung : Samsung Electronics has launched its new 360 Cassette AC unit the DVM Chiller, next-gen DVM S 30HP, and new side discharge VRF unit – the DVM S Eco 14HP – at the Samsung AC Forum 2015 in Korea. The Samsung AC Forum 2015 kicks off in Korea this week and will continue at 117 cities in 50 markets by inviting more than 9,000 global partners and media to find out more about Samsung’s latest products as well as the vision of Samsung System Air Conditioning. RAC Plus 20151102
■Ozone hole: According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO),
the ozone hole reached its maximum extent this year with an area of 28.2m
km2 on October 2. Data from NASA, averaged over the 30 consecutive days,
the ozone hole is 26.9m km2 – the third largest observed after the record-breaking
ozone holes of 2000 and 2006. Cooling Post 20151030
■Chemours has announced price increases for six of its refrigerants including a rise of 15% for 404A. Effective from 1st January, or as allowed by contractual commitments, the price increases (see graphic) in the EU are in reaction to the F-Gas regulation, which reduces the amount of HFCs that can be placed on the European Union market, on a CO2-equivalent basis, by 7 per cent as compared to 2015. RAC Plus 2-151029
■Johnson Controls : Johnson Controls introduces the new water-cooled screw chiller, YGWS, to China. Designed for the light commercial market, YGWS is cost-effective, environment-friendly and is suitable for a broad range of facilities including hotels, retail stores, small factories and hospitals. JCI Press Release 20151029
■MHI : Tokyo, October 28, 2015 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has published "MHI Report 2015," an integrated report that includes both Annual Report and CSR Report information to present the way of company's value creation from a long-term perspectives. MHI Report 2015 introduces the company's new medium-term business plan and financial results for fiscal 2014 - the year ended March 31, 2015 - as well as its social and environmental initiatives, all presented in an easy-to-understand format. MHI 20151028
■Samsung : Samsung Electronics has launched its new 360 Cassette air conditioning unit - the DVM Chiller, next generation DVM S 30HP, and new side discharge VRF unit – the DVM S Eco 14HP – at the Samsung AC Forum 2015 in Korea. Together, these innovations in HVAC engineering will transform air conditioning by boosting energy efficiency and performance, maximising space, and increasing cooling speed. “With these new offerings, our target is to reach annual sales of USD 10 billion by 2020 and lead the future of air solutions business,” said President and CEO of Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung Electronics. News 20151028
■Refrigerant (USA) : Although HFCs are promoted as being zero ODP refrigerants, they do have a small but measurable effect on ozone depletion, according to a new study by NASA. The new study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, focuses on five HFCs expected to contribute the most to global warming in 2050 – R125, R143a, R134a, R32 and R23. Cooling Post 20151025
■Natural refrigerants : More than 200 companies working with “natural” refrigerants in China are listed in a new business directory from Shecco. GUIDE+ Directory of Natural Refrigerant Businesses in China 2015” is available from the Shecco website. Cooling Post 20151025
■Danfoss SymposiumUSA: The State of California is considering offering financial incentives for those moving to new, low-GWP commercial refrigeration systems. Cooling Post 20151025
■Sanhua : Selection Tool App offers the user suggestions for the selection of refrigeration and air-conditioning components based on their requirements or on standard operating conditions in common refrigeration and A/C systems. The user just inserts some criteria such as cooling capacity, refrigerant, evaporation and condensation temperature and other relevant variables in common refrigeration systems. ACR News 20151022
■Danfoss has acquired the Dutch software company Advitronic Engineering
BV, a specialist in internet-based control and monitoring system for cooling
systems. Danfoss sees the acquisition as a step up in solutions related
to connectivity and the internet of things in the food retail industry.
The Danish manufacturer sees the deal benefiting customers in terms of
lower operational cost and improved energy efficiency. Cooling Post 20151021
■Mitsubishi : NORWAY: Having completed the integration of its Norwegian air conditioning distributor MIBA AS, which it acquired in July, Mitsubishi Electric is to expand its business in the area. Prior to its acquisition, MIBA AS had been selling Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning equipment in Norway for almost 25 years. Cooling Post 20151020
■EPA USA: New proposals by the US EPA will see a tightening of HFC refrigerant emission, venting and sales laws. The new proposals would update, redefine and strengthen existing rules governing ozone-depleting refrigerants refrigerant, their sales, handling, recovery, and recycling, and additionally apply those rules to HFCs. Cooling Post 20151020
■Hitachi/JCI: Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning, a joint venture is launching the latest in its award-winning range of heat pumps to the UK market – the YUTAKI S COMBI. In addition, it can be combined with existing boilers for installations where temperatures as high as 80°C are required on the space heating circuit. Every 1kW of electricity used to power the YUTAKI S COMBI can yield up to 4kW of energy for heating, providing savings of up to 80% on heating expenses compared to a traditional fossil fuel boiler. ACR News 20151015
■Australia ：Opened by the Queen twenty-five years ago to mark Australia’s bicentenary, the building requires large investment to ensure it complies with standards. One of the priorities is to replace ageing chillers still using R22, an HCFC which contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Australia is committed to drastically phasing out HCFCs as from 2016. Iifiir.org 20151015
■Natural refrigerant :Shecco has released “GUIDE+ Directory of Natural
Refrigerant Businesses in China 2015”, a listing of 201 companies in China
using natural refrigerants in their businesses. The Directory provides
vital information to give easy access to parties interested in expanding
their business in China or in partnership with the Chinese HVAC&R industry.
R744.com. 20151016
■Amana® is a trademark of Maytag Corporation or its related companies and
is used under license. All rights reserved. Source: http://www.daikin.com 20151016
■EUROPE: USP’s European Mechanical Installation Monitor report is conducted on a quarterly basis among 1,200 commercial and domestic HVAC installation companies in six European countries: UK, Germany, France, Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands. The second quarter survey reveals that both the UK and Netherlands are showing strong growth in terms of turnover and filled order books. Cooling Post 20151016
◎Daikin/Panasonic : JAPAN: Panasonic and Daikin are to finally terminate the air conditioning alliance they formed in 1999, according to reports from Japan. Daikin and Panasonic first co-operated in parts procurement and the processing of discarded products under a consumer electronics recycling law in 1999. Panasonic, then known as Matsushita, was the leading manufacturer of domestic air conditioners and Daikin the largest supplier of commercial air conditioners in Japan. Cooling Post 20151015
■Daikin (USA) : Daikin says it will begin production and sale of high-efficiency
package terminal air conditioning (PTAC) systems using the next-generation
refrigerant R32 in the first quarter of next year. The units will initially
be manufactured at the Daikin-owned Goodmans plant in Fayetteville, Tennessee,
under the Amana brand name. According to BSRIA figures, the PTAC market
was 506,000 units in 2014 with a value of $278m. Cooling Post 20151015
■Panasonic : Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Ecology Systems Co., Ltd. Will establish ventilation fan production base in Panasonic AVC Networks Company Baja California (PAVCBC), a factory of Panasonic AVC Networks Company America (PAVCA), a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America in Tijuana, Mexico to manufacture ceiling mounted ventilation fans for the North American market, and thereby strengthen the company's North American ventilation fan business. Panasonic 20151013
■GE : GE announced that its packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs) formerly produced overseas will now be manufactured at its Appliance Park facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The new Zoneline® units, mainly used in the hotel/motel industry, will start full production in the first quarter of 2016. GE Zoneline PTAC models were made at Appliance Park from 1961 until 1987 when manufacturing of the product was outsourced overseas. GE 20151009
■Embraco : BRAZIL: Officine Mario Dorin has signed a distribution deal with Embraco which will see the Italian firm’s semi-hermetic refrigeration compressors being made available in Brazil. Established in 1918 by Mario Dorin, Officine Mario Dorin has been producing compressors since 1932. With sales of more than 60,000 reciprocating compressors annually, Dorin is present in more than 90 countries with exports accounting for 70% of its production. Cooling Post 20151009
■Daikin: THAILAND: Daikin’s Thai distributor Siam Daikin Sales has received recognition from Thailand’s Ministry of Labour for its support of the government’s R32 air conditioning training drive. In February last year, Siam Daikin Sales signed a deal with Thailand’s Department of Skill Development to operate its Chang Air DD course, with the objective of training engineers on the proper method of installing and maintaining R32 split-type air conditioners. Cooling Post 20151003
■AHR Expo : USA, Orlando the 68th AHR Expo. As usual, the event will also coincide with the ASHRAE Winter Conference. The three-day show opens on January 25 at the Orange County Convention Center. For further information and to register visit www.ahrexpo.com. Cooling Post 20151003
■Hoshizaki America is to expand its refrigeration product manufacturing plant and main distribution centre in Griffin, Georgia. Originally opened in 2001, the Griffin plant is the original site which launched the line of Hoshizaki food service equipment in the USA. With corporate headquarters in Peachtree City, Georgia and a second manufacturing facility in Griffin, Georgia, Hoshizaki employees around 500 people in the Atlanta area. Cooling Post 20151001
■Johnson-Hitachi ( USA/JAPAN): Johnson Controls and Hitachi have completed their global joint venture deal and will commence operations as Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning. Johnson Controls has acquired a 60% stake in the new business, with Hitachi Appliances retaining ownership of the remaining 40%. Together, the businessvhas more than JPY350bn in sales annually (approximately US$2.8bn). The joint venture has approximately 14,000 employees and 24 global locations dedicated to design, engineering and manufacturing throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. In a joint statement, the company’s say they will build on both organisations’ technology and r&d, as well as expanding marketing channels. The deal was first announced at the end of 2013 and was due to be completed in 2014. However, the deal was then delayed due to “separation issues”. Johnson Controls was keen to gain access to Hitachi’s VRF products, with the Japanese-inspired VRF technology expected to become a major competitor to traditional ducted systems in the US market in the coming years. Cooling Post 20151001
■Johnson Controls, Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Appliances, Inc. announced the companies have completed their global joint venture agreement and will immediately commence operations of Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning to provide global customers with a full range of world class air conditioning products and technology. Customers globally will now have the most diverse range of air conditioning products in the industry, including Hitachi’s world-class variable refrigerant flow systems, residential air-conditioning solutions, high-efficiency chillers and leading-edge rotary and scroll compressors – in addition to Johnson Controls’ industry leading HVAC and building automation solutions. Johnson Controls Inc.20151001
◎Daikin: JAPAN: Although global availability is still limited, as of March
this year sales of air conditioners using the “mildly flammable” refrigerant
R32 had already passed 3 million. And while air conditioners using R32
are not yet available in the USA and have only recently been introduced
into Europe, Daikin claims that the lower GWP replacement for R410A has
already been sold into 43 countries. The company is already working with
the Thai government and air conditioning manufacturers there to aid the
switch to R32. Daikin also recently announced that it was allowing free
access to all its patents governing the use of R32. Cooling Post 20150928
■Turbocor compressor : USA: The Danfoss oil-less Turbocor compressor has
been presented with a further award, this time from the influential Alliance
to Save Energy. Cooling Post 20150926
■Burr Oak: USA: Production machinery company Burr Oak Tool is to launch the latest in coil expansion technology in a series of global events in November. The company insists that its new pressure expander will enable new concepts and timelines for research and development of internal tube enhancement and general coil design. It maintains that it will also significantly reduce coil production scrap rates and improve downstream brazing processes. Cooling Post 20150926
◎Mitsubishi Electric: ShuzokaJAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric has commenced construction of a new JY5bn (€37m) air conditioning r&d centre adjacent to its main works in Shizuoka. Scheduled to open in June 2019, the new four-storey, 23,000m2 building will carry out testing, design and prototyping in support of product development for global markets. Cooling Post 20150926
◎Fujitsu : THAILAND: Japanese manufacturer Fujitsu is to step up the development of commercial air conditioners by constructing a new r&d centre at its development subsidiary Fujitsu General Engineering (Thailand) in Chonburi. The total investment is expected to be around 2 billion yen (€15m). Construction on the three-storey building started at the end of August and is due for completion next May. In all, it will provide 10,235m² of floor space for more than 200 staff. Fujitsu General Engineering was established in 1999 in the premises of Fujitsu’s manufacturing subsidiary Fujitsu General (Thailand) Co Ltd. Cooling Post 20150924
■Toshiba : Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services today announced reforms of sales strategy and operations for white goods in China and ASEAN and for countering the impacts of the stagnating Japanese market and yen depreciation. The reforms will support the company in strengthening competitiveness and improving profitability. Toshiba 20150924
■Best Companies survey (UK) : Recruitment consultancy Thornhvac’s survey, which closes at the end of the year, currently has Mitsubishi Electric 31% of the vote, just 3% ahead of Daikin. Airedale and Toshiba are joint third, each with 9%, with Trane and Carrier joint fourth. Product quality, service and brand were the three factors valued most by employees at each of the leading air conditioning manufacturers according to our research. ACR News 20150921
■Hitachi: (JAPAN) Hitachi is to introduce an air conditioner that can detect a room’s occupants, room size and layout to provide perfect comfort conditions. Announced for release in Japan at the end of October, the Makoun X series is equipped with cameras to capture the room in three dimensions. It is said to be able to detect a room’s occupants, their positions and indoor floor plans, and the position and shape of furniture. It also operates as a thermal camera to detect temperature Hitachi-Makoun-X-flapsaround the occupants and can even identify the material of the floor, it is said. This information, in combination with a three-division front grille, is designed to provide the perfect airflow pattern. The series will consist of ten units in cooling capacities from 2.2kW to 9kW. Cooling Post 20150922
■Haier : CHINA: Chinese air conditioning manufacturer Haier, have announced the launch of their first R32 refrigerant systems. The R32 air conditioning systems have been added to their popular energy saving Super Match range of split systems and are said to be fully compliant with building energy saving standards in Europe, North America and Australia. Fridge Hub 20150921
■CO2 : As of 2015 it is illegal to use hydrochlorofluorocarbons, including R22, in refrigeration, heat-pump and air-conditioning systems in South Africa. R744.com 20150921
■Daikin : ITALY: Daikin’s Emura air conditioner is being sold in a faux leather finish in Italy. The limited edition Alcantara for Daikin combines the Japanese manufacturer’s residential air conditioner with the patented artificial substitute for suede leather from the Italian creator and manufacturer Alcantara. Production has been limited to 220 units per year with each panel coated by hand from a choice of 30 different finishes. Cooling Post 20150921
■Toshiba : New SMMS-e VRF conditioning system is said to set new standards for energy efficiency and performance, offering ESEER’s of over 7 across the range. The Toshiba-designed twin rotary compressor, providing two-stage compression for improved efficiency and performance, remains at the heart of the new series. The compressor also features the latest generation of Toshiba’s Infinity Variable Control, with the ability to adjust the compressor’s rotational speed in near seamless 0.1Hz steps. The system’s heat exchanger has been completely redesigned, using smaller diameter tubes arranged in three rows in the coil, compared with two rows in the previous model.
■ R134a : CHINA: A recent quality check on different brands of R134a refrigerant in the city of Guangzhou found that 50% failed to meet accepted standards. Cooling Post 20150918
■Johnson Controls : Sept. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls, announced today it is planning to reduce its global salaried workforce by as many as 3,000 people, or 2.5% of total employees, through comprehensive initiatives designed to ultimately deliver up to $250 million in annual cost savings. These actions will occur over the next two years. JCI 20150918
■Refrigerant : The global refrigerant market is forecast to reach USD 21 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 6 % from 2015 to 2020, according to a report published by MarketsandMarkets. Iifiir 20150916
■Fujitsu : JAPAN: Fujitsu is looking to greatly increase overseas air conditioning sales by 2020, according to the Nikkei. Fujitsu told the Nikkei that it sees the mainstay business generating JPY300bn (€2.22bn) or so in sales abroad in the year ending March 2020, up 79% from 2014. As the Japanese market matures, overseas markets are expected to account for 80% of Fujitsu General’s global air conditioner sales at that time, compared with 77% last fiscal year. The report says the company will step up marketing of new offerings in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Australia. Focus will be on both commercial and residential systems. Cooling Post 20150916
■R32 : SAUDI ARABIA: Tests in Saudi Arabia have indicated that, as well as having better performance, R32 might be compatible with existing R410A air conditioners in high ambients. Comparison tests were carried out under AHRI’s Low-GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Programme on a standard 21kW rooftop packaged air conditioner designed for R410A and manufactured by leading Saudi manufacturer Zamil. Cooling Post 20150916
■DR-55 : USA: Chemours R410A replacement DR-55 is reported to have performed well in high ambient drop-in tests on a R410A rooftop air conditioner. DR-55, which Chemours will market as Opteon XL55, was shown in the tests to exhibit around a 5% improvement in EER and COP at high ambient temperatures, compared to R410A. It was also seen to maintain capacity better than R410A. Cooling Post 20150916
■Emerson : White-Rodgers, a business unit of Emerson and part of the Emerson Climate Technologies business segment, has developed the first universal heat pump defrost control. This new control is the latest in the company’s outdoor electronic innovations. Emerson Climate 20150913
◎Trane: Trane’s CenTraVac chiller using the new low GWP HFO refrigerant
1233zd(E) has won a major Japanese government environmental award. Trane’s
chiller was one of a number of awards made at the 18th Ozone Layer Protection
and Global Warming Prevention Technology Grand Prix at the end of August.
The awards are organised by the daily business and technical newspaper
Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, co-hosted by the Japanese Refrigerants and Environment
Conservation Organisation (JRECO), and supported by Japan’s Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment. Series-E-CenTraVacThe
Series E CenTraVac, the first chiller in the world to use the new HFO developed
as an alternative to R123, won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Prize in this year’s awards. Cooling Post 20150913
◎MHI: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1.7kW model, the SKR17ZMP-S is the lowest capacity unit available in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ domestic air-conditioners range. It is perfect for today’s apartment living with the design of the outdoor unit (540x645x275) meaning it can be placed on the smallest of balconies and the indoor unit is perfect for second bedrooms. As with all Mitsubishi Heavy Industries models the SRK17ZMP-S is also available with Wi-Fi control giving users the ultimate control over the indoor climate, whether creating an oasis to return home to or setting timers remotely the Wi-Fi control offers a wide range of control options. Cooling Post 20150909
■Survey (USA) : If ketchup in a squeezable bottle was the last food packaging revolution, could sprayable ketchup be the next one? It could be, according to a new survey commissioned by Honeywell that looked at consumer attitudes toward aerosols and what applications they would like to see in the future. The survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults found that two-thirds (66 percent) would use some type of food and household product if it were available as an aerosol. Honeywell 20150911
■Carrier : (USA) United Technologies Corp has separated the Otis Elevator and Climate, Controls & Security (CCS) businesses it combined just two years ago. The move follows the announcement of the retirement of Geraud Darnis president and CEO of UTC Building & Industrial Systems at the end of July. Robert J McDonough will become president of CCS, which includes its Carrier air conditioning business. UTC says that BIS president and CEO Geraud Darnis will continue with the company until January 2016 to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. Cooling Post 20150910
■Daikin : Osaka, Japan, announced it is offering companies worldwide free access to 93 patents, to encourage companies to develop and commercialize air conditioning, cooling and heat pump equipment that use HFC-32 as a single component refrigerant. Daikin's action is aimed at encouraging manufacturers worldwide to adopt sustainable comfort cooling and heating technologies that use HFC-32, a refrigerant with a lower global warming impact than commonly-used refrigerants. Companies interested in obtaining access to these patents should contact Daikin Legal. Daikin 20150910
■Nest : (USA) An examination of the strategy and execution of 16 leading home energy management (HEM) vendors, including vendor profiles and rankings, Navigant Research says two vendors stand out among the competition. According to its new Leaderboard Report, Opower and Google’s Nest Labs lead the HEM vendor market in terms of strategy and execution. ACHR News 20150908
■Refrigerant Oil : According to a recent study from IndustryARC, the refrigerant oil market recorded revenues of USD 7.8 billion in 2014 and , it is estimated to grow to reach USD 10 billion by 2020. The synthetic refrigerant oil market comprises mineral oil, alkyl benzene (AB), PAO, PAG and POE. In 2015, Asia Pacific (APAC) is estimated to hold a majority share of approximately 35%. The Lubrizol Corporation (U.S.), Chemtura Corporation (U.S.), BASF SE (Germany),The Dow Chemical Co. (U.S.) and Idemitsu Kosan Ltd. (Japan) are the major players in this market. Iifiir.org 20150906
■Cuba : The destruction of ozone-depleting refrigerants in Cuba is set to increase with the construction of a new incinerator. While Cuba achieved the destruction of 258.4kg of ODS last year, the construction of the new ODS destruction plant at a cement factory in the city of Sancti Spiritus is expected to greatly increase this. Cuba has stored ODS after replacing more than 2.5 million refrigerators and 300,000 domestic air conditioners over the last 10 years, as part of the country’s Energy Revolution to introduce more energy efficient models. Cooling Post 20150906
■Copeland: According to press reports, Emerson Climate Technologies has released a range of R32 scroll compressors in China. With Chinese air conditioning manufacturers considering both R32 and R290 as low GWP alternatives to R410A, Emerson is now said to be offering a range of 5-12hp R32 commercial scroll compressors with either liquid or vapour injection to provide system design flexibility and optimisation of system performance and cost. A range of expansion valves and system protection components for R32 refrigerant are also available. Cooling Post 20150906
■DOE(USA): OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A set of automated calibration techniques for tuning residential and commercial building energy efficiency software models to match measured data is now available as open source code. The Autotune code, developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is available on GitHub. ACHR News 20150904
■Fujitsu (USA) : Effective earlier this year, all Fujitsu Airstage VRF systems that have been properly commissioned by licensed contractors now have a 10-year parts and compressor warranty. These systems are capable of simultaneous cooling and heating operation. Fujitsu News Release 20150904
■Underfloor Heating : The global underfloor heating market is forecast to reach $7.9 billion by 2020, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7 percent from 2015 to 2020, according to a new market research report published by MarketsandMarkets. ACHR News 20150903
■Refrigerant (DR-55) : In-comparison-test, a drop-in comparison test was carried out at the Chemours r&d laboratory in Wilmington, with a 8.8kW York residential ducted split air conditioning/heat pump system designed for R410A; USA: Chemours has unveiled further details of a new refrigerant blend to rival R32 in the search for a lower GWP alternative to R410A in air conditioning systems. According to Chemours, the new gas, DR-55, has a very similar GWP to R32 but with better efficiency, lower discharge temperatures and a lower flammability. Cooling Post 20150902
■ASHRAE : USA: ASHRAE is looking to write a new standard to bring together the many building energy performance ratings existing around the world. While many building rating programmes exist worldwide, ASHRAE insists that there is nothing in the industry that standardises the contents of those programmes and ensures users are knowledgeable about what impacts their ratings. ASHRAE sees the proposed standard, which is currently open for public comment, serving as the “backbone” of such rating systems. Cooling Post and Ashrae Public View 20150831
■R1234yf : USA: The lead chemist in the development of the HFO refrigerant R1234yf has been recognised for his efforts by The Chemists’ Club. Over 100 years’ old, The Chemists’ Club is a non-profit organisation whose members share an interest in the sciences with strong roots in the chemical process industries including: pharmaceuticals, fragrances, paper, cosmetics, metals, petrochemicals and other sciences. Cooling Post 20150831
■Nest : USA, Calif. — Nest Labs Inc. today announced the third generation Nest Learning Thermostat, which has a slimmer profile, a high-resolution screen that’s 40 percent larger, and an updated user interface to make it easier to read temperatures, alerts, and messages. New software features for the thermostat include Farsight, which automatically displays the target temperature or time when it senses movement in the room, and Furnace Heads-Up, which uses diagnostics to give advance notice about possible problems with a customer’s heating system. Nest Web 20150901
■Refrigerant: Chemours announces that it has commercialized two new low GWP Opteon™ refrigerants in the United States. These new products, Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A) and Opteon™ XP10 (R-513A), recently received SNAP approval by the U.S. EPA. Opteon XP10 (R-513A) is a nonflammable, low GWP HFO blend with a GWP of 573 (56% reduction over R-134a). XP10 has an excellent capacity and efficiency match to 134a and is suitable as a 134a replacement in many applications including medium temperature commercial and industrial refrigeration, water chillers, air conditioning and heat pumps. Contracting Business 20150829
■Panasonic : DENMARK: Panasonic is to launch an R32 air-air heat pump in the Nordic region next month. According to Panasonic, the new version of its HZ9RKE model, one of the best-selling units in the Nordic countries, has the highest SCOP, A +++ energy rating and is the quietest available on the Nordic market. With Panasonic’s inverter technology, the new heat pump will ensure the highest efficiency even at -35C. Cooling Post 20150830
■ASHRAE : USA: ASHRAE is looking to write a new standard to bring together
the many building energy performance ratings existing around the world.
While many building rating programmes exist worldwide, ASHRAE insists that
there is nothing in the industry that standardises the contents of those
programmes and ensures users are knowledgeable about what impacts their
ratings. ASHRAE sees the proposed standard, which is currently open for
public comment, serving as the “backbone” of such rating systems. Cooling
Post and Ashrae Public View 20150831
■R1234yf : USA: The lead chemist in the development of the HFO refrigerant R1234yf has been recognised for his efforts by The Chemists’ Club. Over 100 years’ old, The Chemists’ Club is a non-profit organisation whose members share an interest in the sciences with strong roots in the chemical process industries including: pharmaceuticals, fragrances, paper, cosmetics, metals, petrochemicals and other sciences. Cooling Post 20150831
■Nest : USA, Calif. — Nest Labs Inc. today announced the third generation Nest Learning Thermostat, which has a slimmer profile, a high-resolution screen that’s 40 percent larger, and an updated user interface to make it easier to read temperatures, alerts, and messages. New software features for the thermostat include Farsight, which automatically displays the target temperature or time when it senses movement in the room, and Furnace Heads-Up, which uses diagnostics to give advance notice about possible problems with a customer’s heating system. Nest Web 20150901
■Refrigerant: Chemours announces that it has commercialized two new low GWP Opteon™ refrigerants in the United States. These new products, Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A) and Opteon™ XP10 (R-513A), recently received SNAP approval by the U.S. EPA. Opteon XP10 (R-513A) is a nonflammable, low GWP HFO blend with a GWP of 573 (56% reduction over R-134a). XP10 has an excellent capacity and efficiency match to 134a and is suitable as a 134a replacement in many applications including medium temperature commercial and industrial refrigeration, water chillers, air conditioning and heat pumps. Contracting Business 20150829
■Panasonic : DENMARK: Panasonic is to launch an R32 air-air heat pump in the Nordic region next month. According to Panasonic, the new version of its HZ9RKE model, one of the best-selling units in the Nordic countries, has the highest SCOP, A +++ energy rating and is the quietest available on the Nordic market. With Panasonic’s inverter technology, the new heat pump will ensure the highest efficiency even at -35C. Cooling Post 20150830
■Mitsubishi Electric: Zen indoor air conditioning units has received global recognition for its stylish design, with the awarding of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award. The international award highlights products and companies that deliver outstanding design and the judges commented that the Zen range: “presents a convincing symbiosis of energy-saving technology and minimalist, elegant design”. ACR News 20150828
■Mitsubishi Electric : ITALY: Mitsubishi Electric’s proposed purchase of DeLclima will give the Japanese manufacturer immediate access to chillers using the very latest low GWP refrigerant R1234ze. The RC Group, one of the company’s within the DeLclima group, is about to launch a range of chillers using the new A2L “mildly flammable” refrigerant, which boasts a GWP of just 1. The range includes a total of 34 models in both air-cooled and water-cooled versions. All use the Danfoss Turbocor compressor. Cooling Post 20150828
■Electric Water Heaters : SAN FRANCISCO — The global electric water heaters market is forecast to reach $29.32 billion by 2022, according to a new study by Grand View Research Inc. Global market demand is expected to reach 117.5 million units by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9 percent over the forecast period. ACHR News 20150828
■Mitsubishi Electric : JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric is to purchase Italian
manufacturer DeLclima and its chiller companies Climaveneta and RC Group.
Mitsubishi will initially purchase 74.97% of the share capital of DeLclima
from De’Longhi Industrial. After the closing of this transaction, Mitsubishi
intends to launch a mandatory tender offer to acquire the remaining shares.
The total expected purchase price for 100% of DeLclima’s shares is expected
to be approximately €664m. Climaveneta is one of the world’s largest air
conditioning chiller manufacturers, offering a range of products up to
2,240kW. It operates four factories in Italy, one of which produces a range
of air handling units, and has a further factory in Spain, one in India
and three in China. Sales in 2014 reached €295m. The RC Group’s expertise
is in specialised air conditioning, in particular air conditioning for
server rooms, its major business area. Cooling Post 20150825
■VRF (US): The US government is increasingly issuing waivers to its “Buy American” policy as public facilities seek the energy saving advantages of VRF air conditioning technology. VRF systems were first introduced by Japanese manufacturers in the 1980s. The technology has since been adopted as the most common commercial air conditioning system in the rest of the world – except the US. While traditional ducted systems remain the predominant heating and cooling system of choice in the US, VRF is expected to gain an increasing foothold, largely due to its better energy efficiency. Tests are said to have shown a 34% energy advantage over ducted systems. Although still small, sales of VRF systems are currently increasing by over 20% per year, and the tightening of US energy regulations is expected to have an increasing effect. Johnson Controls’ new training facility is dedicated to bringing the US contractor up to date with VRF technology. It is the likes of Daikin and Mitsubishi, along with Johnson Controls and its recent tie-up with Hitachi, who are expected to lead the way in the US. Cooling Post 2015-821
■Daikin (EUROPE): First it went tiny with the mini-VRV, now Daikin has launched an “invisible” VRV air conditioning system. The new VRV IV i-series has been designed for sensitive city and urban locations where space is limited and customers want an “invisible” air conditioning solution. Together with a shorter pipe-run requirement, the new system enables installation costs to be kept to a minimum and cause no disruption to neighbouring buildings above. In addition, a rotating switch box in the compressor unit is tilting, giving full and easy access to all parts from the front of the unit for easy servicing. Cooling Post 20150821
http://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/daikin-to-launch-invisible-vrv/
■Fujitsu (UK) : The company has published details of its latest hands-on training courses, running from this autumn through to spring. There are 10 courses in all, including two brand new ones. They include an introduction to Fujitsu products and installation, commissioning and troubleshooting of VRF central controllers, splits and multi-splits, VRF and mini-VRF. For more details on the courses, contractors are advised to talk any Fujitsu distributor or normal Fujitsu contact. Cooling Post 20150821
■Panasonic: Tokyo/Osaka, August 19, 2015 - Panasonic Corporation and Mori
Building announced today that they will launch a series of collaborative
field experiments at Mori's various Hills facilities in Tokyo to test new
urban technologies and solutions. The aim is to develop and confirm innovative
solutions that provide increased comfort and convenience for foreign visitors
to Tokyo, who are expected to reach some 20 million by 2020. Panasonic
20150819
■Sharp: JAPAN: Sharp is planning to launch a DC-powered air conditioner
which would operate more efficiently from a storage battery. According
to the Nikkei Business Press, a prototype of the system comprising the
air conditioner, storage battery and PV array was exhibited at PVJapan
2015 at the end of last month and is scheduled for launch this year. Because
DC electricity is not converted to alternating-current electricity via
a power conditioner, power loss can be reduced by about 5%, Sharp claims.
Cooling Post 20150818
■Friedrich : USA: The lower GWP refrigerant R32 is said to have shown similar performance to R410A in drop-in tests on a single-package vertical heat pump. Part of the AHRI’s Low-GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Programme, the tests were carried out by US manufacturer Friedrich on the 1 ton SPVH in its design and development centre in San Antonio, Texas. The capacity and efficiency of R32 refrigerant was found to be comparable to the R410A system without significant equipment modifications. Cooling Post 20150818
■Copeland : USA: Emerson has created a searchable online database on the application of Copeland compressor products. The Application Engineering (AE) Bulletin makes it easy for contractors in the field to obtain important operational and service guidelines. Rather than publish manuals, Emerson Climate Technologies created the AE bulletins to provide easily searchable, up-to-the-minute product updates. Cooling Post 20150818
■MicroGroove Technology : Model Based on Graph Theory Presented at IIR International Congresses of Refrigeration (ICR2015) in Yokohama, Japan. New York, New York (August 17, 2015) - MicroGroove Technology is on display once again at the IIR International Congresses of Refrigeration. The quadrennial Congresses will be held this year in Yokohama, Japan, August 16-22. As a sponsor, the Copper Alliance will exhibit examples of MicroGroove tubes and coils on behalf of its members, including tube supplier members of the International Copper Association (ICA) as well as the Japan Copper Development Association (JCDA). MicroGroove Net 20150817
■US AC : Shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totalled 878,513 units in June - 8.2% down on June 2014, according to latest statistics from the AHRI. Air conditioner shipments decreased 9.1% to 611,900 units, while shipments of air-source heat pumps decreased 6.1% to 266,613 units. Year-to-date combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 2.3% to 3,920,466 units. Cooling Post 20150817
■Trane : JAPAN: A Trane air-cooled chiller employing a new low-GWP refrigerant replacement for R410A is to be presented at this week’s IIR conference in Yokohama. The Trane AquaTrine demonstration chiller is using DR-55, a Chemours development refrigerant that it will market as Opteon XL55. An A2L, “mildly flammable”, HFO-blend, DR-55 is currently being evaluated for use in unitary and residential equipment. The AquaTrine is said to be designed for up-market apartments, luxury villas, office buildings, small restaurants, retail stores and hotels. Cooling Post 20150816
■Next generation of HVAC Industry professionals (USA): Most everyone in
the HVAC industry has heard the stats about the “graying” of the industry
and the lack of younger individuals choosing HVAC as a career. It’s a real
issue, and one that is continuously being addressed by those in the industry.
You can’t go to an industry meeting without seeing some of the younger
generation soaking up the HVAC knowledge. The NEWS wanted to highlight
these individuals with a list of 40 HVAC professionals under 40 years of
age who are accomplishing great things in their respective positions. The
NEWS 20150817
■Fujitsu UK: With the help of two Fujitsu VR-II heat recovery systems, supplied by Oceanair, Orpington-based RAH Airconditioning Services has helped turn a two-storey white goods warehouse, in Beckenham High Street in south London, into state of the art offices and a laboratory. Fridgehub 20150817
- See more at:
http://fridgehub.com/News
■Toshiba（UK）: Expanding Toshiba distributor, Cool Designs Ltd, has launched a comprehensive programme of training and technical support to enable air conditioning installers to achieve national accreditation and grow their businesses. The programme includes theoretical and hands-on training, as well as on site commissioning and trouble-shooting support. It equips installers to receive qualified status under the Toshiba scheme, opening up significant benefits and new business opportunities. ACR News 20150817
- See more at:
http://www.acr-news.com
■Toshiba (UK): Toshiba is targeting growth in Ireland as its resurgent economy opens up significant opportunities in both the commercial and residential air conditioning and heat pump sectors. ACR News 20150817
- See more at:
http://www.acr-news.com
■Toshiba UK: Toshiba launches powerful air conditioning design software
The sophisticated but easy-to-use programme makes it possible to quickly produce air conditioning system designs for all types of buildings, from small applications, such as shops and restaurants, up to multi-storey office blocks and retail parks. Fridgehub 20150813
- See more at: http://fridgehub.com/News
■Daikin UK and Business Edge have joined forces to provide training for
installers on the mildly flammable refrigerant R32. The Business Edge training
facilities, which have been providing HVAC training courses for 25 years
(including all categories of F-Gas qualification since 2009), are the first
in the UK to provide engineers’ access to train on ten R32 split systems.
Businessedge 20150814
■Thermo King : USA: Transport refrigeration firm Thermo King has announced it is to offer trailers and trucks using lower GWP refrigerant R452A in North America. With a GWP of 2140, R452A is not considered a low GWP gas but at virtually half the GWP of currently-used R404A it has appeal both in new equipment and as a drop-in alternative. CoolingPost 20150812
■R32: SINGAPORE: Authorities in Singapore have bowed to requests from industry
and allowed the usage of R32 refrigerant in single-split air conditioning
systems. While flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants remain banned, the Singapore
Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has announced it is prepared to allow the usage
of the “mildly flammable” A2L refrigerant R32 in single-split air conditioning
systems, subject to certain conditions. Coolingpost 20150810
■Carrier : UAE: Carrier Commercial Refrigeration Middle East is to supply refrigeration equipment for 7-Eleven stores to open in the UAE starting this year. The world’s largest convenience retailer with more than 56,000 stores in 16 countries, 7-Eleven has signed a master franchise agreement with Seven Emirates Investment LLC to develop and operate 7-Eleven stores in the UAE, the first in the Middle East region. CoolingPost 20150807
■Tecumseh : USA: Copper tube manufacturer Mueller Industries and a US investment
company are behind the $123m acquisition of compressor manufacturer Tecumseh.
In an announcement today, Tecumseh says that it has entered into a definitive
merger agreement under which an affiliate of Mueller Industries and Atlas
Holdings LLC will acquire Tecumseh in a transaction valued at approximately
$123m, including the assumption of net debt. The transaction is expected
to be completed in the third quarter of 2015. Coolingpost 20150805
■Pollen : Indoor air quality specialist is warning businesses of the detrimental effects of pollen on HVAC units - threatening general system efficiency and essential cooling for equipment such as data centres. The problem is at its peak this time of year due to the preponderance of tree and grass pollen. RAC Plus 20150805
■Daikin : THAILAND: Daikin has introduced its Inverter Smart air conditioner with low GWP refrigerant R32 to the Thai market. Already providing technical assistance to Thai manufacturers in a switch to the new gas from R22 and R410A, the Japanese air conditioning manufacturer first introduced R32 units from its Thai factory in April last year. R22 use will be banned in Thailand starting in 2017, and the Thai government’s policy is to convert from R22 to R32 as a next-generation refrigerant. This latest inverter unit features Daikin’s Intelligent Eye motion sensor and claims reduction in energy consumption of up to 40%. It is available in sizes from 2.6kW to 9.7kW at a price equivalent to around €750. Coolingpost 20150803
■Daikin : Daikin UK has introduced its latest addition to its VRV range - the Mini VRV IV S-series, which at 823 cm is claimed to be the shortest on the market. The compact and efficient system is suitable for residential and commercial applications and aimed at urban areas. The manufacturer says the unit can be placed behind low walls or concealed on balconies, “successfully integrating with its surroundings.” RAC Plus 20150803
■Carrier: Europe’s first installation of a water-cooled screw chiller using
new PUREtec HFO-1234ze refrigerant has been completed. Two Carrier AquaForce
water-cooled screw chillers using new PUREtec HFO-1234ze refrigerant (GWP
7) have been installed as part of the Plan-les-Ouates district heating
project in Geneva, Switzerland. RAC Plus 20150731
■Trane : FRANCE: Chiller testing has begun at a new state-of-the-art testing facility in Trane’s main European plant in Epinal, France. In addition to its large capacity chillers and multi-pipe units, the facility enables Trane to verify the performance of its comprehensive equipment portfolio. Cooingpost 20150730
■UTC: USA: Geraud Darnis, president and CEO of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, has announced his intention to retire in January. Throughout his 32-year tenure with UTC, Geraud has made countless contributions to our company’s success, playing a key role in securing our position as the world’s leading provider of high-technology building systems and services,” said UTC president and chief executive officer. CoolingPost 20150728
■Bsria: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the UK has failed to comply with the VAT Directive as it has applied a reduced rate of VAT to the supply and installation of energy saving materials for housing. The ruling was originally put in place in 2011 – BSRIA is hugely disappointed that the carbon reduction industry has been singled out to be charged the standard rate VAT. Bsria 20150728
■Daikin France ：FRANCE Daikin’s French subsidiary has acquired a stake in Ecologic, a government-backed business organising WEEE collection and recycling. CoolingPost 20150728
■Thermostats : DALLAS — Smart thermostats are forecast to take a larger portion of the market this year, accounting for over 40 percent of the nearly 10 million thermostats sold in the U.S., according to new smart home research from Parks Associates. The report, Winning Smart Home Strategies for Energy Management, estimates smart thermostats will account for over 50 percent of the total market by 2017. ACHR News 20150727
■MHI : JAPAN: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has received its largest ever order with the purchase of 80 centrifugal chillers with a total cooling capacity of over 700,000kW. The order is for a district cooling plant in Medina, Saudi Arabia to supply chilled water to an area of 1.6million m2. This is MHI’s largest order of this kinds to date with deliveries scheduled to commence this autumn. The 80 AART-270I variable speed drive chillers will be supplied through Zamil Central Air Conditioners, a subsidiary of Zamil Air Conditioners, the largest supplier of air conditioners in Saudi Arabia. The company’s previous best order was for a mere 13 centrifugal chillers with a total cooling capacity of 128,00kW, ordered in 2013 for a district cooling system in Kuala Lumpur. CoolingPost 20150724
■Fujitsu General(USA): Fujitsu has introduced a new Wi-Fi solution for its Halcyon line. This Wi-Fi tool allows installers to operate a Fujitsu Halcyon mini split system from anywhere with a smartphone, laptop or tablet. Mini-splits are controlled from a webpage or by using an iOS or Android App. A cloud server manages the entire process. Fujitsu 20150722
■Carel: CAREL Fast, the service for rapid delivery of products in store, has now officially been introduced. In the same way as an e-commerce site, CAREL Fast exploits an international logistics centre to coordinate and manage deliveries. Following confirmation of the order, goods are guaranteed to be delivered in 24 hours. Customers can moreover monitor deliveries in real time using a simple tracking number. The service is active for all European and Middle East countries. Carel 20150722
■Panasonic : The GUIDE to Natural Refrigerants in China’s special supporter, Panasonic, presented three case studies that show the use of CO2 as a refrigerant in the Chinese market. The first case study showed Panasonic’s CO2 2-stage rotary compressor, which is the world’s first such compressor and has already amassed sales of 700,000 worldwide. The second case study focused on the use of CO2 in their heat pump water heating system and the third, and the focus of this article, was on the use of CO2 in their low-temperature heat pump heating system. R744 Com. 20150720
■Beijer Ref : SWEDEN: Refrigeration wholesaler Beijer Ref has reported its strongest quarter ever with an increase of 15.1% to SEK2,152.9m (€230m) in the second quarter. Cooling Post 20150719
■Chillventa 2016 : GERMANY: The continued success of Chillventa, the industry’s
leading international show, has prompted the organiser to expand the event
into hall 7A for the 2016 event. The Chillventa exhibition has been a story
of continuing success since taking over from the IKK show in 2008, turning
it into a biennial event and giving it a permanent home in Nuremberg. The
next show takes place from 11 to 13 October 2016.
■Friedrich : Friedrich Air Conditioning, the San Antonio-based manufacturer of room air conditioners, announced it had made donations of air conditioning units to an historic Chicago theater and a San Antonio ministry. These donations were made just in time to provide relief from the summer heat and humidity. Contracting Business 20150716
■Johnson Controls: MILWAUKEE – July 15, 2015 – Johnson Controls recently unveiled its new variable refrigerant flow training facility in Dallas, Texas. The 12,600 square-foot education center helps contractors and sales professionals deliver world-class VRF services through a multi-day training program featuring live, in-class demonstrations and application discussions. Johnson Controls VRF features Hitachi’s high-efficiency compressors and is complemented by energy modeling and selection tools to measure and compare VRF to other HVAC technologies. For more information, visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/vrf. Johnson Controls 20150715
■Refrigerant: China has given ‘its clearest indication yet’ that it is planning to promote natural refrigerants as a substitute for HCFCs after publishing a list of ‘recommended substitutes for HCFCs’ which feature nearly all natural refrigerants, rather than other low-GWP alternatives. As CCN notes, the policies have proved to be very effective, with Gree Electric Appliances and Haier Group – two of China’s leading air conditioner manufacturers – announcing the launch of new R290 products this year. RAC Plus 20150714
■Lennox : The mini-VRF is ideal for light commercial applications requiring high-efficiency conditioning of multiple zones. Lennox VRF Mini-VRF heat pump units offer a heating and cooling solution capable of conditioning up to seven zones from a single system. The mini-VRF is ideal for light commercial applications requiring high-efficiency conditioning of multiple zones. Contracting Business 20150714
■Copeland Emerson’s Copeland selection software is now also available as an online version for compressor and condensing unit selection. Coolingpost 20150713
■The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and LonMark International have announced two new standards for home and building automation. The organizations said these standards provide multiple parties — including users, developers, vendors, integrators, and specifiers of open building control systems — a mechanism to develop and deliver a higher level of device-to-device interoperability using any open control networking communication platform. ACR News 20150713
■Emerson : Compressor giant Emerson Climate Technologies has qualified a range of HFOs for its compressor range, following successful completion of material compatibility testing, application guideline verifications and extensive life testing. Emerson Climate 20150713
○Daikin Group: Daikin Industries, Ltd. has issued its Japanese edition of "CSR Report 2015" summarizing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities in the Daikin Group from April 2014 to March 2015. This report serves to inform various stakeholders regarding CSR within the Daikin Group and deepen their understanding of activities undertaken by Daikin to achieve it by centering on the themes of "Environment," "Quality and Customer Satisfaction," "Human Resources," and "Social Contribution," which are all deemed essential to Daikin.In the 2015 edition, we provide feature articles on such topics as promotion of next-generation refrigerant HFC32 (R32) to emerging countries, development of energy-saving air conditioning equipment crucial for realizing a net zero energy building (ZEB), and strengthening of the after sales service system in China.
■AHRI：U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps
totaled 737,173 units in May 2015, down 10.0 percent from 819,477 units
shipped in May 2014. U.S. shipments of air conditioners decreased 9.9 percent,
to 499,250 units, down from 554,348 units shipped in May 2014. U.S. shipments
of air-source heat pumps decreased 10.3 percent, to 237,923 units, down
from 265,129 units shipped in May 2014. AHRI 20150710
■Panasonic : Japan - Panasonic Corporation will open a showcase that presents future lifestyles for 2020 and beyond at the Panasonic Center Tokyo, the company's global communications hub for linking Panasonic and its customers. Called the Wonder Life-BOX, the new exhibition will be open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and Japanese holidays beginning Saturday, July 11, 2015. Panasonic 20150703
■DuPont USA: The new name for DuPont’s refrigerant business is now officially Chemours. Cooling Post 20150701
○MHI : TOKYO — Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new series of centrifugal chillers, called the ETI-Z Series, that use a new low-global warming potential (low-GWP) refrigerant, HFO-1233zd(E). The various models in the new series will be progressively launched starting this September. The ETI-Z Series are said to be the first small-size centrifugal chillers to adopt the new refrigerant. MHI said the ETI-Z Series carries on the fundamental product concept of the ETI Series: high performance combined with compact size. MHI 20150701
■CO2：Onset has released the HOBO MX1102, described as the industry’s first data logger that records and transmits carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, and relative humidity data wirelessly to mobile devices via Bluetooth Smart. Contracting Business 20150629
■LG (UK) has announced the release of its latest variable refrigerant flow (VRF) solution, the Multi V S. Designed specifically for small- to medium-sized spaces, the compact, lightweight model offers effective heating and cooling as well as considerable installation flexibility. Multi V S neatly fits the gap between Multi Split systems and large VRF systems. ACR News 20150629
■Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today that its European subsidiary,
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V, has signed an agreement to purchase all
the shares of its Norwegian Air Conditioning equipment distributor MIBA
AS, in a step to strengthen its presence in the Norwegian market. In line
with the continued strong growth of the Norwegian economy, the air conditioning
market has expanded in recent years against the background of demand for
low energy consumption from air conditioning systems. Furthermore, it is
expected that demand for hot water heat pumps will also increase. MIBA
has been selling Mitsubishi Electric air conditioning equipment in Norway
for almost 25 years, steadily gaining a foothold in the market with its
strong technical expertise and customer friendly after-care service. By
acquiring MIBA and integrating its excellent sales knowledge and extensive
local sales network, Mitsubishi Electric aims to expand its air conditioning
business in Norway by securing new customers and deepening its relationship
with its existing ones. (Targeted turnover of around 36 million EURO by
2018) Mitsubishi Electric 20150624
■Gree : UK: Klima-Therm, the expanding chiller and air conditioning specialist, has been appointed a distributor for Chinese manufacturer Gree’s pioneering photovoltaic-powered VRF air conditioning and split systems. Faridgehub 201506012
■Biggest Refrigerated warehouse : In the US state of Washington, a refrigerated warehouse will have several merits upon completion in July 2015. 2. It will also be the first warehouse in North America to use a nitrogen-based oxygen-reduction system as its main fire prevention mechanism. IIFIIR 20150611
◎MHI : Tokyo, June 10, 2015 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new series of centrifugal chillers, dubbed the "ETI-Z Series," adopting a new refrigerant, HFO-1233zd(E), that offers outstanding environmental compatibility. The various models in the new series will be progressively launched starting this September. The ETI-Z series marks the world’s first small-size centrifugal chillers to adopt the new refrigerant. Models in the new ETI-Z Series have a cooling capacity within a range of 80 to 700 refrigeration tons (RT). MHI is Japan’s leading manufacturer of centrifugal chillers, with cumulative orders for its high-efficiency chillers topping 3,000 units since 2000. MHI 20150610
■Mitsubishi Electric : Mitsubishi Electric has launched a range of advanced,
inverter-driven chillers to the UK market to challenge the traditional
way of delivering cooling and heating. Mitsubishi Electric has marketed
chillers in Japan since the 1970s and the company’s engineers have looked
at every aspect of the technology to design a modular system with a reduced
footprint for smaller units, and a unique, three-year warranty. The e-series
uses two advanced DC inverter-driven scroll compressors in each 90kW module
- taken from the VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) sector, to deliver a capacity
range of 8% to 100%. The models deliver market-leading levels of efficiency
with the ability for units to operate on their own or in tandem with others.
Source: HVR 20150604
△MHI: In mid-April, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) commenced marketing of new models in its FDES series of ceiling -suspended oil-resistant packaged air conditioners (PACs) offering outstanding corrosion resistance, ideal for use in commercial kitchens, etc. A total of five new models were introduced, ranging from a 3-hp single model to a 10-hp twin model. All the new models can blow air with pinpoint accuracy, and they meet the latest efficiency standards set under the 2015 Act on Promoting Green Purchasing. Functional performance and ease of both installation and maintenance have been enhanced with the incorporation of features such as an aluminum filter that can be cleaned using boiling-hot water, enabling repeated usage. Source: MHI
△MHI: In March, Mitsubishi Heavy Indus-tries (MHI) released 17 new models of room air conditioners (RACs) in its Beaver series. Source MHI
△MHI: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries merged its domestic and commercial acr business with Toyo Engineering Works, a business engaged in advanced refrigeration engineering systems and equipment. Source MHI
■Carrier Transicold has launched a new website for the Europe, Middle East,
Africa, and Russian regions, featuring an easy-to-use product selection
tool to assist customers in choosing the most appropriate refrigeration
unit for their operation. Carrier 20150526
■Mitsubishi Electric: Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV is to open an office
in Johannesburg. Starting operations in June, the Japanese manufacturer
says the new branch will focus on market research and business development
in order to bolster the company’s business offering mainly in the sub-Saharan
region. Cooling Post 20150525
■Daikin: The company recently announced the release of their FVXS floor-mounted
indoor unit for use with Daikin’s MXS 2-, 3- , 4- and 8-port multi-split
system. Sources report these floor-mount units offer the installer greater
installation flexibility and are ideal for use in rooms that have no or
very little vertical wall height, like glass-walled sunrooms or attic room
additions. The FVXS units are new to North America, but are a very proven
technology for Daikin elsewhere in the world. They extend the connectivity
of our multi-split systems and are excellent for use in new construction
and retrofit applications; for example, where radiant systems have been
used, as well as for historic structures,” said the company. Contractingbusiness
20150520
■Toshiba UK: Toshiba Air Conditioning has revealed plans to double sales by 2020, as part of a five year growth strategy. The company is dramatically increasing stocking capacity at its Plymouth facility with an extension and addition of a further 44,000sq ft of racking space in phase 1, ensuring immediate product availability across its most popular ranges of Toshiba split and VRF air conditioning. Fridgehub 20150520
■LG: LG Electronics (LG) has announced that it has received an energy efficiency label from the prestigious Eurovent certification organisation for its advanced Multi V IV Variable Eurovent oversees the performance rating of air conditioning and refrigeration products in Europe. LG Electronics says that it currently offers the most efficient 14hp and 16hp air to air VRF products on the market. First awarded in 1993, the Eurovent certification was established to serve as an independent, objective rating in order to provide consumers with a reliable index of product performance. Long one of the world’s premier air conditioning certification organisations, Eurovent began to certify the energy efficiency of VRF systems in 2014. Heatingandventilating 20150519
◎MHI : Effective July 1, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will merge the operations of two of its existing group companies: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Corporation (MHI-AC&R) and Toyo Engineering Works, Ltd. By integrating the manufacturing, sales and servicing functions of the two companies, MHI seeks to configure a structure capable of pursuing maximum synergies in a broad range of markets - from cold chain logistics and air-conditioning and refrigeration (AC&R) engineering to commercial-use and residential air-conditioning systems - as a way of strengthening its AC&R operations. In its new format, the newly merged MHI-AC&R will integrate its existing air-conditioner services with Toyo Engineering Works’ strengths in the construction and servicing of large-scale refrigeration systems and air-conditioner peripheral equipment. Through this integration, in addition to enhancement of the company’s servicing operations, stronger engineering operations and greater efficiency in business processing will be pursued as a way toward further expansion of overall business operations. MHI-global 20150519
■Johnson Controls has released new Coleman LX Series packaged units manufactured with advanced product engineering and manufacturing processes. Rigorous quality and field testing has been used to ensure simplified installation, setup and servicing, and efficient, dependable performance. Contracting Business 20150511
■World AC Market: According to the recent published BSRIA World Air Conditioning
study, the world air conditioning market continued to surge upwards in
2014 reaching an estimated US$97.7billion in value - up by 7% over 2013.
As a result Asia Pacific is still the largest world region in terms of
air conditioning sales with US$ 56.5 billion, or 58% (up from 56% in 2013)
of the world market in 2014. Within the region, China and Japan represented
83% of the market by value. The growth of splits systems in China in 2014
was mainly driven by the popularity of VRF and ducted splits. However traditional
air conditioners, including single wall-mount type and small floor standing
did not witness the same fast growth. The growth was echoed in the Americas
region in 2014 for air conditioning products with a growth of 7%. The biggest
contributors to this growth were the US market by 6%, followed by Brazil
with 28%. The US packaged market grew in 2014 as a result of a number of
factors: BSRIA 20150508
■USA: Shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in
the US have shown a significant upturn this year. Combined shipments of
the two product types in the first two months of this year were up 24.5%
to 955,410 units compared to the first two months of last year. The figures
provided by the US Air conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute
(AHRI) were based on a sample of AHRI member companies. Coolingpost 20150415
■USA: Tecumseh is offering US contractor/installer customers the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas. Coolingpost 20150415
■USA: Bristol Compressors International is to invest $1m to expand its
main manufacturing plant in Washington County, Virginia. Bristol Compressors
designs and manufactures hermetic reciprocating compressors for residential
and light commercial air conditioning, heat pump and refrigeration applications.
The company supplies compressors to oems and wholesale distributors on
six continents and in more than 60 countries around the world. “The global
air conditioning market is rapidly evolving, and it is critical that Bristol
Compressors continues to invest in new products to support these changes,”
commented Bristol Compressors CEO Ed Gniewek. Coolingpost 20150414
■DUBAI: Italian controls manufacturer Carel has now officially opened its new subsidiary office in Dubai. Carel Middle East will be responsible for sales development on the Arabian peninsula and in the Middle East, extending to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Coolingpost 20150410
■Hisense is the latest Chinese fridge manufacturer to adopt the new low GWP insulation blowing agent 1233zd(E). Sold by Honeywell as Solstice LBA, 1233d(E) is a non-ozone-depleting gas that has an ultra-low global warming potential of 1, far lower than the current commonly-used blowing agent HFC-245fa. Coolingpost 20150407
■Armacell : Flexible insulation foam manufacturer Armacell has established a new sales office and technical application centre in Tokyo. Japan is said to have the second largest construction market in Asia by size, and growth prospects are strong. This is due to reconstruction efforts as well as preparation for the 2020 Olympics. Coolingpost 20150405
■Bosch : Bosch has announced plans to establish a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Midea to manufacture VRF air conditioners. The joint venture is to be headquartered at the Midea production facility in Hefei. With production scheduled to start in January 2016, the JV will produce VRF for the global market. Products will be adapted to the differing demands of various regional markets and will be primarily offered under the Bosch brand by Bosch Thermotechnology worldwide. Bosch already offers a range of split systems in some countries, including Spain and the Middle East and was selling its Buderus brand splits since the 1980s. According to a company spokesman, the new VRF systems will be offered on a broader scale. In the initial phase, Bosch will focus on China and European countries as well as Russia and Kazakhstan. Ultimately, the target is to offer VRF products worldwide. Bosch Thermotechnology already has a presence in more than 90 countries worldwide with dedicated sales organisations. Bosch has also been producing central air-conditioning, heat pumps and hvac equipment from its facility in Zibo, Shandong since January 2012. Bosch Thermotechnology acquired the facility following the takeover of Chinese manufacturer Oak, an €8m commercial/industrial HVAC manufacturer which itself had acquired GEA Happel’s Chinese subsidiary in 2006. Midea already produces VRF equipment at its Hefei facility and has a history of experience with the technology. Having entered the central air conditioning market in 1999, Midea developed its first inverter VRF with Toshiba in 2000 and partnered with Copeland in 2001 to develop a digital scroll VRF system. It currently operates 11 product lines in Hefei, focusing on VRF, chillers, and heat pump water heaters. Coolingpost 20150401
■USA: The US Energy Department is offering up to $20m in funding to spur the development of variable speed drives. The US government sees the replacement of less efficient fixed-speed motors and gearboxes with variable-speed direct-drive motor systems incorporating recent power electronics advances, such as wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, could help industry save on energy costs and improve their competitiveness. Coolingpost 20150401
■LG: LG Electronics last week inaugurated its mega electronic manufacturing complex in the northern port city of Haiphong, helping to make Vietnam one of the largest electronics export hubs in the world. The 800,000 square-metre facility will allow LG to produce price-competitive electronic goods, including its globally-sold smartphones and TVs, the company said. It plans to invest $1.5 billion in the complex between now and 2028. VIR Com. 20150401
○Toshiba :Tokyo - March 26, 2015 - Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo: 6502) and
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) (NYSE: UTX) today announced plans
to establish engineering centers in India, North America and Europe to
support global innovation for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning
(HVAC) products. This cooperation is the first to result from the companies’
recent agreement to further strengthen their strategic collaboration through
their joint venture, Toshiba Carrier Corporation (TCC). Toshiba 20150326
■USA: United States combined shipments of central air conditioners and
air-source heat pumps totaled 479,484 units in January 2015, up 29.4 percent
from 370,582 units shipped in January 2014, according to the latest statistics
from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
U.S. shipments of central air conditioners increased 34.1 percent, to 288,361
units, up from 215,062 units shipped in January 2014. U.S. shipments of
air-source heat pumps increased 22.9 percent, to 191,123 units, up from
155,520 units shipped in January 2014. ACHR News 20150316
■Daikin: Over the next several years, Daikin will be building a new state-of-the
art business campus that consolidates the current manufacturing and logistics
footprints to a location outside of Houston, TX, in an area near U.S. 290
and approximately seven miles west of Texas State Highway 99. The new campus
is currently projected to be operational mid-2016. This commitment of approximately
$417 million represents the largest single investment since the founding
of the Goodman organization over 40 years ago. The construction is planned
to commence in the coming months.Texas and Tennessee operations that will
be relocated to the new business campus include engineering, logistics,
procurement, manufacturing, and marketing. Manufacturing operations at
this new campus will consist of residential and commercial heating and
cooling systems marketed primarily under the Daikin, Goodman and Amana
brand names. Contracting Business 20150312
■Refrigerant : The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the coming final approval of HFC-32 (R-32) refrigerant for use in certain refrigeration and air conditioning applications. This final action addresses President Obama’s Climate Action Plan that calls on EPA’s Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP) Program to identify and approve additional climate-friendly chemicals as determined by the EPA. Contracting Business 20150312
■Daikin UK has opened a new national training and technology centre in Woking, Surrey, which offers opportunities for hands-on training using the latest technologies. The company says that by investing in the new £1.1m training centre it is demonstrating its commitment to advancing the future of the industry by helping to meet the demand for suitably qualified and experienced engineers. ACR News 20150312
■Solar : BOSTON and WASHINGTON - GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) have released their U.S. Solar Market Insight 2014 Year in Review report, which provides installation data, forecasting, and policy analysis for the United States solar market. According to the report, newly installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity for 2014 reached a record 6,201 megawatts (MW), growing 30 percent over 2013’s total. An additional 767 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) came on-line in the same period. ACHR News 20150312
■JCI：“You know us as a chiller business, through our acqusition of York (in 2005), but now, our Hitachi joint venture brings more to that party,” Jackson said. The Hitachi joint venture, which became a definitive agreement on Jan. 15, gives JCI a 60% ownership stake in Hitachi Appliances. The joint venture will bring customers a full range of air conditioning products, including world-class variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology, leading-edge, inverter technology-based room air conditioners and absorption chillers - in adition to existing Johnson Controls products that meet global customer demands in other categories. Conracting Business 20150311
■Maytag: The inverter-driven rotary compressor technology in this model allows it to modulate between 49% and 118% of capacity in five steps making constant, small adjustments. This enables the unit to offset the cooling demands of a home while maintaining superior home comfort levels. Maytag heating and air conditioning announced the release of an all-new iQ Drive air conditioner - the PSA4BG. Sources report this new inverter-driven product reaches 20-SEER cooling efficiency in all matches and is available in 2, 3, 4 and 5-ton capacities.Contracting Business 20150306
■Refrigerants: USA: The EPA is about to publish its final rule allowing
five flammable refrigerants to be used in certain refrigeration and air
conditioning applications. The rule confirms ethane (R170), isobutane (R600a),
propane (R290), the hydrocarbon blend R441A and the “mildly flammable”
low GWP HFC R32 as acceptable under the USA’s Significant New Alternatives
Policy (SNAP) Programme. Their use will be subject UL standards regarding
refrigerant charge size limits, and requirements for markings on equipment
using these refrigerants. This action also exempts the four hydrocarbon
refrigerants from the Clean Air Act Section 608 prohibitions on venting,
release, or disposal. HFC32, however, remains prohibited from being knowingly
vented or otherwise knowingly released. Cooling Post 20150302
■Smart Homes : DALLAS -- The global smart homes market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17 percent between 2015 and 2020, and reach $58.68 billion by 2020, according to a new market research report published by MarketsandMarkets. The global smart homes market was valued at $20.38 billion in 2014 and is forecast to reach $58.68 billion by 2020. ACR News 20150223
■GWP refrigerants : Bitzer has produced an information sheet for those considering using some of the new lower GWP refrigerants and blends with its compressors. Many of the new lower GWP refrigerants are mostly mixtures of common HFCs, HFOs and hydrocarbons. Bitzer lists blends with the components R32, R125, R134a, R143a, R152a, R1234yf, R1234ze(E),R290, R600 and R600a as being tested for compatibility. For several refrigerants Bitzer can deliver predicted performance data upon request. Cooling Post 20150223
■Clivet :ITALY: Air conditioning manufacturer Clivet is leading a European project to design a means of automatically detecting legionella. Cooling Post 20150216
■London : A report shows encouraging signs for London construction after steady growth in 2014, positioning 2015 to be a strong year with forecasted growth at 5.3% and a number of major schemes in the pipeline.HVNPlus 20150213
■Chilled Beam Systems: ASHRAE and the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation
and Air-Conditioning Associations (REHVA) have published guidance on designing
chilled beam systems. The Active and Passive Beam Application Design Guide
is a collaboration to give system designers a current, authoritative guide
on successfully applying active and passive beam technology. Although they
are often referred to as chilled beams, in many cases active beams can
be used for both heating and cooling. Active and passive beams are room
air recirculation devices that transfer sensible heat to and from the space
using water. In addition, conditioned primary air is ducted to active beams.
This primary air must satisfy the ventilation and latent requirements of
the space and drive the induction of room air through the beam’s coil.
In the case of passive beams, this primary air is delivered to the space
through a decoupled ventilation system. Active and passive beams may be
integrated with acoustic ceilings or independently mounted.ASHRAE 20150213
■Intertek: CHICAGO -- Intertek has expanded investments in new testing capabilities and capacity in North America to enhance its breadth of services in support of the refrigeration industry. With total investments of more than $20 million over the past three years, Intertek offers a broad range of laboratory testing services, providing a single source for manufacturers bringing new products to market. Intertek’s network of facilities now maintains accredited test lab status for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Star®, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), California Energy Commission (CEC), ASHRAE, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), Association of Home Appliances Manufacturers (AHAM), Saudi Standards, Quality and Metrology Organization (SASO), CB Scheme, ASTM, and National Science Foundation (NSF) requirements for refrigeration products.Intertek 20150212
■Thermostat: Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) set a new record for mercury thermostats collected in 2014 - the highest collection amount in the 17 years of the program’s history. TRC’s program properly disposes of mercury thermostats, thereby keeping potential hazardous materials from entering the waste stream. The Thermostat Recycling Corporation, founded in 1998, is a non-profit stewardship organization financially supported by 30 manufacturers who historically branded and sold mercury thermostats in the United States. TRC maintains a network of more than 3,600 collection sites nationwide and has recovered more than 1.8 million thermostats since its inception. Contracting Business 20150205
■Samsung: Samsung reports it is entering the North American HVAC market in 2015 with leading-edge product offerings in the commercial and residential ductless air conditioning markets. For the 2015 AHR Expo recently concluded in Chicago, IL, the Samsung team impressed contractor attendees with their commercial VRF product - the DVMS. Contracting Business 20150205
■Bosch : Bosch has partnered with Taurus Investment Holdings, a Boston-based real estate development company, to equip a new 7,500 home master-planned net zero community outside Austin, Texas, with geothermal heat pumps, hot water systems, and Energy Star appliances. ACHR News 20150205
■ASHRAE, IAQA : A consolidation between ASHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Association has been finalized by both organizations. The consolidation was approved by the Boards of Directors for ASHRAE and IAQA at ASHRAE’s recent 2015 Winter Conference in Chicago. Ashrae 20150205
■Australia: Weekend media reports claiming that an air conditioner tax is being introduced in 2017 to reduce the burden on Australia's electricity network are incorrect. There are also no plans to force householders to relocate rooftop solar panels, according to the Australian Energy Markets Commission (AEMC), the body tasked with setting rules for the national electricity and gas markets. Climate Control News 20150205
■MHI : Effective April 1 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will undertake reorganization of its research and development structure. The core of the reorganization initiative calls for the creation of a comprehensive Research & Development Center consolidating the five currently existing Research & Development Centers. The move is targeted at shifting to a cross-organizational system based on companywide business units, timed to coincide with the company's transition from its earlier structure of business segments to its current systems of business domains and strategic business units (SBU). By consolidating its research and development operations, MHI anticipates new synergies in technologies and skills, enhanced development of human resources, and greater efficiency in work performance and facility utilization. MHI 20150205
■Daikin: BELGIUM: Daikin has gained a European manufacturing base for refrigerants with its purchase of Solvay’s German-based refrigerant business. Cooling Post 20150130
■Daikin: Solvay has agreed to sell its German-based refrigerant business and pharma propellants to Daikin in Japan, as its Special Chemicals Global Business Unit gear its activities towards selective high value-added segments in fluorine specialties and high purity chemicals.The sale gives Daikin a valuable refrigerant production foothold in Europe, bringing it much sought-after additional quota to produce HFCs under the F-Gas phase-down regime. RAC News 20150130
■Danfoss Turbocor: USA: The Danfoss’ Turbocor VTT compressor has been named as the AHR Expo Product of the Year at this week’s show in Chicago. The new Danfoss VTT (Variable Twin Turbo) series compressor was chosen from among the top Innovation Award winners in 10 industry-related categories at the AHR Expo show. Cooling Post 20150128
■GEA : The new and compact GEA Grasso BluGenium water-cooled ammonia chillers are based on the V series piston compressors and are ideal for industrial applications, process cooling and building climate control, among other applications. The chillers are available in five sizes, with cooling capacities ranging from 280 kW for the smallest model, to 1210 kW for the largest model. In 2015, GEA plans to extend the range with models able to operate with external condensers. Ammonia 21 20150128
■Carrier : Carrier Corp. has made a minority equity investment in ecobee, Inc., marking an expansion in the parties’ strategic relationship following their collaboration to create the new Wi-Fi-enabled Carrier® Côr™ thermostat. ecobee created the world’s first Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostat, delivering increased comfort and energy savings to customers. Carrier 20150126
◎JCI: Johnson Controls, Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Appliances, Inc. entered
into a definitive agreement for their global joint venture while at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The new Johnson Controls-Hitachi
joint venture will allow both companies to deliver the most diverse technology
portfolio in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration
industry. Through the agreement, Johnson Controls will obtain a 60 percent
ownership stake in Hitachi Appliances' more than ¥300 billion sales (approximately
$2.6 billion) global air conditioning business, excluding sales and service
operations in Japan. The Johnson Controls-Hitachi joint venture will bring
customers a full range of air conditioning products, including world-class
variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology, leading-edge inverter technology
based room air conditioners and absorption chillers – on top of existing
Johnson Controls products that meet global customer demands. With approximately
13,800 employees and 24 manufacturing plants, the joint venture will build
on both organizations' technology, research and development leadership,
as well as their expanding marketing channels. The transaction is expected
to close later this year, subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction
of other customary conditions. JCI, Hitachi 20150121
■Frascold: USA: Italian compressor manufacturer Frascold has established a subsidiary company in Seattle to look after the US and Canadian markets. Cooling Post 20150122
■Daikin（USA）：Offering increased access and insights into a building’s performance,
Daikin Intelligent Equipment is a viable alternative to traditional building
automation systems – and at a fraction of the cost. Contracting Business
20150121
■Intertek : USA: Multinational inspection, product testing and certification company Intertek has invested more than $20m in support of the refrigeration industry in North America. Cooling Post 20150121
■Smart Thermostats: Sweden -- The number of homes in North America and Europe with a smart thermostat grew by 105 percent to 3.2 million in 2014, according to a new research report from Berg Insight. ACHR News 20150119
■Copper Tubes: Smaller-diameter copper tubes strengthened with low percentages of alloying elements can withstand the higher pressures of the new refrigerants such as CO2 (R-744), according to the International Copper Association. ACHR News 20150115
■ASHRAE :The New Year ushered in new regional federal efficiency standards
for residential split system and packaged central air conditioners. Guidance
on how to meet those standards will be shared during a free session at
ASHRAE’s 2015 Winter Conference, Jan. 24-28, in Chicago. The rationale
for these standards is that the United States climate varies enormously;
higher standards that save money in Mobile may not save as much in Minneapolis.
Regional standards ensure that we can get as much cost-effective efficiency
as possible, evaluating the cost effectiveness more appropriately for different
locales. The standards took effect Jan. 1, 2015, although there are grace
periods before enforcement will start. Contracting Business 20150112
■BSRIA: For 60 years BSRIA has provided leadership for the industry, developed people and skills, promoted the advancement of the industry, promoted smart technology and its introduction to deliver a sustainable future, totally aligning its activities with the Government 2025 construction strategy. Bsria 20150108
◎Smart Home: Skyworth, a Chinese TV manufacturer, entered the air conditioner
market in a move that has caused a stir in the industry. Shenzhen Skyworth
established an air conditioner company on June 24 with capital of RMB 100
million (about US$ 16 million). Located in Longgang, Shenzhen, the site
of the new company covers total area of 450,000 m2, with planned annual
production capacity of 3 million air conditioners. It is expected to launch
mass production in March 2015, just before China’s peak sales season for
air conditioners. Currently, China’s home appliance industry is undergoing
a shift, and total smart home solutions are attracting attention. It is
inevitable that air conditioners will be a part of total smart home solutions
and that the air conditioner industry as a whole will align with the total
smart home appliance model. Many manufacturers promote their products using
a total solutions strategy. Key to the success of the strategy is development
of the platform. Haier, Changhong, and TCL have launched their own platforms.
For example, Haier has launched the U+ platform and is also the only authorized
user of HomeKit in China. HomeKit is a smart home appliance platform released
by Apple and leads development of smart home appliances in China. To develop
in the air conditioner market, Skyworth is also aiming to integrate its
air conditioners with total smart home solutions. New market entry by cross-industry
manufacturers is shaking up the business model in China. This trend may
gain momentum and spark industry shifts in the future. JARN Dec.
◎Daikin :HOUSTON -- Daikin Industries Ltd. announced that its board members have approved an expansion plan for its Goodman operations in the United States. Over the next several years, Daikin will be building a new state-of-the-art business campus that consolidates the current manufacturing and logistics operations to a location outside of Houston. The new campus is currently projected to be operational mid-2016. This commitment of approximately $417 million represents the largest single investment since the founding of the Goodman organization over 40 years ago. The construction is planned to commence in the coming months. The consolidated campus will enable Daikin to manufacture in one location its full range of ducted residential and light commercial products as well as various ductless products that are currently imported from other inter-company business units located outside North America. Texas and Tennessee operations that will be relocated to the new business campus include engineering, logistics, procurement, manufacturing, and marketing. Manufacturing operations at this new campus will consist of residential and commercial heating and cooling systems marketed primarily under the Daikin, Goodman®, and Amana® brand names. Goodman 20150108
■IAQ: The AQ Comfort by E Instruments is an all-in-one instrument that provides the latest in indoor air quality monitoring and real-time data logging for IAQ analysis in homes, schools, offices and other locations. Contracting Business 20150108
■Daikin USA : Daikin is to build a new 350,000m² factory in Houston as part of plans for a major medium- to long-term expansion of its US market. The $410m new base near Houston will integrate the four existing Goodman factories and consolidate marketing and customer support activities. Significantly, it is also seen as a move to increase production and sales of VRF technology in a country where ductless air conditioning sales are growing at 20% per year. Construction of the new base will begin soon with base operations scheduled to start in the middle of 2016. Daikin’s acquisition of Goodman in 2012 is said to have increased business in North America but the Japanese manufacturer sees greater production capacity as essential for achieving further growth. In March last year Daikin started producing its VRV IV heat pump on an assembly line at Goodman’s current Houston factory. Although ducted products are still the mainstream in North America, the ductless market is rapidly growing at an annual pace of more than 20%, and ductless products, such as Daikin’s VRV air conditioning systems, are beginning to gain a foothold. Daikin maintains that market recognition is growing with substantial growth also seen in the light commercial market. Cooling Post 20150107
■HFO-1234ze: Honeywell announced on Jan. 6 that it has started full-scale commercial production of a low-global-warming-potential (GWP) material used as an aerosol propellant, insulating agent and refrigerant. Profile of HFO-1234ze; HFO-1234ze is a next-generation material that is non-ozone-depleting, non-flammable per ASTM E681 and ISO 10156:2010 testing, and has a low-global-warming-potential of less than 1. It is also not a volatile organic compound (VOC), as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resource Board (CARB). HFO-1234ze is considered a preferred replacement for both HFC-134a . • It is also being considered to replace HFC-134a for large stationary and commercial refrigeration applications. Contracting Business 20150107
■UTC (Carrier) : Carrier owner UTC Building & Industrial Systems has completed its acquisition of CIAT, a France-based heating, ventilating and air-conditioning company. RAC Plus 20150106
■AHR Expo: USA: Products from international suppliers including Danfoss, Mitsubishi Electric and Sporlan are amongst a number of products to be honoured at this month’s AHR Expo in Chicago. The AHR Expo Innovation Awards represent the US industry’s best and brightest technology at the annual international exhibition taking place from January 26-28 at McCormick Place, Chicago. Cooling Post 20150102
■F-gas: The new F-gas regulations are now in force and the UK government, through DEFRA, has published full guidance documents for anyone unsure of their responsibilities under the new law. Cooling Post 20150101
■Daikin: Danfoss, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency electronic and mechanical components and controls for air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, industrial and water systems, has presented its fifth annual EnVisioneer of the Year award to Daikin Applied. Contracting Business 20141230
■Daikin : Danfoss, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency electronic
and mechanical components and controls for air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration,
industrial and water systems, has presented its fifth annual EnVisioneer
of the Year award to Daikin Applied. Contracting Business 20141230
■MHI：China: A joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Chinese manufacturer Dalian Refrigeration has produced its first centrifugal chiller. The chiller, an AART-70R with a capacity of 700-900 tons, was unveiled last week by the joint venture company at its new 12,000m² factory in Dalian. MHI Bingshan Refrigeration (Dalian) Co Ltd was established in November 2013 to produce centrifugal chillers. MHI own a 55% equity share and Dalian Refrigeration, China’s largest manufacturer of screw compressor chillers, hold the remaining 45%. The new factory was constructed on Dalian Refrigeration’s site and opened in April. The JV has been licensed to manufacture MHI’s medium- and large-size centrifugal chillers, and is currently capable capable of producing 500 units per year. Cooling Post 20141221
■Whirlpool : The Corporation said it is accelerating activities to integrate its recent acquisition of Italian appliance maker Indesit Company and majority interest in Hefei Rongshida Sanyo Electric Co. In advance of the company's Investor Day it provided guidance for 2015 and adjusting guidance for 2014 to include the expected impact from both acquisitions.Appliance Magazine 20141217
■DuPont：USA: The Chemours Company will be the new name for DuPont’s Performance Chemicals business when it is spun off next year. Chemours will be the new, publicly traded global business manufacturing and supplying refrigerants, titanium dioxide, other fluoroproducts and chemical solutions. The name is said to reflect a focus on the science of chemistry and the heritage of the du Pont family origins in Nemours, France. Cooling Post 20141219
◎MHI: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed 14 new models in its "Hyper Inverter" series of packaged air conditioners: 4 outdoor units and 10 ceiling suspended indoor units. All new models deliver outstanding efficiency complying with Japan's new 2015 energy saving standards1. 4 of the 10 new indoor units achieve one of the highest APF2 ratings in the industry3. All 14 new offerings are easier to install than current models thanks to significant reductions in both size and weight. Marketing of the new outdoor units in Japan will commence in mid-December; the new indoor units will launch in mid-January. Source: http://www.mhi-global.com
■LG Electronics : (LG) merged its Home Appliance and Air Conditioning &
Energy Solution business units to create a consolidated LG Home Appliance
& Air Solution (H&A) Company. The merger of the HA and AE Companies
will strengthen the company’s ability to provide total solutions for the
home based on LG’s proprietary core technologies. Appliance Magazine 20141212
■Daikin: USA: In an unusual move, Italian heat exchanger manufacturer Provides Metalmeccanica Srl is to set up a manufacturing facility in Verona, Virginia, “co-located” with Daikin Applied. Speaking about the announcement, governor said, “This project is a great example of what is possible when companies work to create opportunities for international suppliers in the US market and receive mutual benefit. Daikin Applied’s invaluable assistance offering Provides with space to launch its first US manufacturing operation made this announcement possible.”Virginia governor announced yesterday that Provides were to invest $6.1m to establish its first US manufacturing operation, Provides US Inc, in Augusta County. Cooling Post 20141212
■Refrigerant: The US EPA has evaluated the new HFO refrigerants as having similar or less global warming potential than CO2. The HFOs 1234yf, 1234ze and 1233zd are amongst a number of fluorinated greenhouse gases and fluorinated heat transfer fluids being added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Against the baseline GWP of 1 for CO2, HFO1234yf has been assigned a GWP of just 0.31. HFO1234ze(E), an HFO proving to be promising as an alternative for R134a in chillers and other stationary equipment, has been assigned a GWP of 0.97. Its “cousin”, HFO1234ze(Z), which is being touted as having potential for use in for high temperature heat pumps, has a GWP of just 0.29. Honeywell’s HFO1233zd(E), a possible replacement for R123 in centrifugal chillers and previously carrying a GWP of 6, has received a reduced GWP rating of 1.34. Cooling Post 20141212
■USA: A recent survey by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Journal publication and the AHR Expo, reveals growing optimism among HVACR manufacturers heading into 2015. The survey found 87% of respondents said their prospects for business were "excellent"(26%) or "good" (61%). Thirteen percent said prospects look to be "fair" for 2015. Contracting Business 20141211
◎Mitsubishi Electric is to expand the use of low GWP refrigerant R32 to its commercial air conditioning portfolio in Japan. From February, the Japanese air conditioning manufacturer is to introduce a range of Mr Slim ZR models using the new refrigerant along with a high efficiency inverter-controlled scroll compressor. Cooling Post 20141210
■Ingersoll-Rand:Ingersoll-Rand, parent company of Thermo King, is set to acquire Germany’s largest refrigerated transport company Frigoblock for €100m. Cooling Post 20141209
■Daikin and Panasonic are two companies expected to participate in future energy-saving projects in Latin America. The two Japanese manufacturers are identified by the Nikkei as two suppliers expected to participate in future projects by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), following the Japanese semi-governmental agency’s $10m investment in the MGM Sustainable Energy Fund (MSEF). According to the Nikkei Asian Review, strong candidates to receive JICA money include a project in Mexico that uses waste heat from new air conditioners installed in hotels in Cancun, and a solar power project in Costa Rica. CoolingPost 20141208
■UTC:EUROPE: The purchase of French air conditioning manufacturer CIAT by Carriers’ parent company UTC looks set to go ahead following approval by the European Commission. CoolingPost 20141208
■Danfoss has now acquired more than 90% of the shares in Finnish AC drives
and inverter company Vacon. ClimateControl 20141202
■LG：SOUTH KOREA: LG Electronics is to merge its Home Appliance and Air Conditioning & Energy Solution business units. LG says the the merger of the two businesses will strengthen the company’s ability to provide total solutions for the home based on LG’s proprietary core technologies. Coolingpost 20141127
■LG: LG Electronics (LG) said global sales of refrigerators with its patented Inverter Linear Compressor had topped 10 million units. This includes refrigerators sold in the United States, where the appliances have Energy Star certification. Appliance Magasine 20141126
■Sapa: Aluminium company Sapa has produced a manual on the use of aluminium in the manufacture of heat exchangers. The Oslo-based company says the new 88-page manual is designed to educate the manufacturers of HVAC&R heat exchange applications in the correct use of aluminium solutions and the metal’s basic material properties. Sapa offers support in the design process and is a leading producer of aluminium round tubes, manifolds and multi-port extrusions, or MPEs, for all-aluminium heat exchangers used in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration market. The HVAC&R Applications Manual describes some of the most important aspects related to using aluminium in heat exchanger manufacturing. It covers topics like corrosion, alloys, products and coating solutions, and is a follow-up to the company’s 2012 publication, Aluminium System Solutions for HVAC&R Applications. The manual is available by emailing tubing@sapagroup.com Cooling Post 20141125
■Arkema : FRANCE: Arkema has announced a 20% price increase across all its HFC refrigerants in Europe. A company announcement, today, says the increase is effective immediately or as contracts allow and applies to selling prices of packaged and bulk grades for all Forane HFC products. Cooling Post 20141125
■GE and Quirky：GE and Quirky have unveiled seven new connected home products - including a smart HVAC controller designed to replace thermostats - that are available now on the new Wink.com. At the website, consumers can purchase more than 100 Wink-compatible partner products from 15 brands. AHCR News 20141125
■Frozen food market : The new report, Global
Market Study on Frozen Food: Frozen Ready Meals to be the Largest Segment by
2020, values the global frozen food market at $122.1bn in 2013 and is expected
to grow at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of
$156.4bn in 2020. The global frozen food market grew from $1,11,400.0m in 2010 to
$1,22,084.6m in 2013 at a CAGR of 3.1% in value terms. The European frozen food
market (largest market in 2013) increased by 2.8% CAGR during 2010-2013, while
the Asia-Pacific frozen food market is expected to show highest CAGR growth of
6.0% during 2014-2020 to reach $46,014.4m in 2020. The global Frozen food
market is highly fragmented, with the top four companies holding 19% market
share. Nestle and HJ Heinz Company are among some of the major companies
operating at the global scale. Cooling Post 20141122
■AHRI: United
States shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled
539,628 units in September 2014, up 29.7 percent from 416,179 units shipped in
September 2013, according to the latest statistics from AHRI. U.S. shipments of
central air conditioners increased 22.9 percent, to 348,143 units, up from
283,307 units shipped in September 2013. U.S. shipments of air-source heat
pumps increased 44.1 percent, to 191,485 units, up from 132,872 units shipped
in September 2013. Year-to-date combined shipments of central air conditioners
and air-source heat pumps increased 8.2 percent, to 5,599,693 units, up from
5,176,909 units shipped during the same period in 2013.Year-to-date shipments
of central air conditioners increased 4.2 percent, to 3,713,244 units, up from
3,563,835 units shipped during the same period in 2013. The year-to-date total
for heat pump shipments increased 16.9 percent, to 1,886,449 units, up from
1,613,074 units shipped during the same period in 2013. AHRI 20141120
■Trane : Trane, a
brand of Ingersoll Rand, has expanded its ductless portfolio to include new Trane®
Water-Source VRF Ductless Systems. The company said the new systems provide
energy-efficient solutions for multi-tenant and diversely occupied buildings, including
commercial real estate, K-12 and higher education facilities. Trane 20141119
■Market Research : Appliance Magazine has
released its annual portrait of the U.S. appliance industry: Market Research:
U.S. Appliance Industry: Market Value, Life Expectancy & Replacement
Picture 2014. The annual report details the value of monthly shipments by the United
States appliance manufacturing industry. Monthly Value of Shipments spans the
period from January 1992 through August 2014. Categories detailed include:
Appliance Magazine 20141114
◎Daikin saw its
international air-conditioning business expand in the first half of its current
fiscal year. Daikin's overseas market includes China, Asia, and North America.
The first half of Daikin's 2014 fiscal year ended at the end of September. In
Japan in the first half of the fiscal year, demand for residential use
air-conditioners was down from the previous year due to unseasonable weather
and slow recovery in demand after the increase in sales tax. Daikin expanded
profits in the first half by increasing sales of high value-added residential-
and commercial-use products, thoroughly initiating a policy to maintain prices,
and striving to promote total cost reductions. Daikin's net sales in the first
half of fiscal year 2014 were 974.2 billion yen (approx. US $8.4 billion), up
about 5% from 924.9 billion yen in the first half of fiscal 2013. Daikin's
Air-Conditioning business segment had first-half sales of 884.4 billion yen, up
about 5% from 838.4 in the first half of fiscal year 2013. Operating income was
105.2 billion, up from 86.5 billion yen in the first half of 2013. Appliance magazine．20141113
■Haier wins 9
awards for its advertising. The presentation ceremonies of a host of major
marketing awards were held at China International Advertising Festival in
Guiyang. The event included the China Advertising Great Wall Awards and Effie
China Awards. Appliance Magazine 20141106
■AHR Expo:The 2015
AHR Expo, set to take place in Chicago on January 26- 28, will be the largest
AHR Expo ever held. There will be more than 60,000 HVAC&R professionals
filling the aisles looking for new products and services from more than 2,000
exhibiting companies from around the world.
■Aluminum Pipe: Armacell has launched DuoSplit Alu, an aluminium product variation in its range of system solutions for split air-conditioners. It is cost-effective, energy efficient, easy to install and durable, and is suitable for the connection of indoor and outdoor single and multi-split air conditioning systems. The pre-insulated pipes ensure fast installation and reliably provide not only substantial cost benefits, but also outstanding technical properties for long-term reliability. ACR News 20141103
■Hitachi：Hitachi has launched what it claims is the highest seasonal efficiency and lowest refrigerant charge VRF on the market. The company claims the Set Free FSXN1E also achieves a lower cost of installation and on-going maintenance, while a new compressor, with improved performance at low speed and optimised R410a refrigerant cycle, contribute to high seasonal efficiency values. Available from 8HP to 54HP and fully compatible with the full range of System Free indoors - including the new 0.6HP units - FSXN1E also features improved height differences, unlimited linear or radial-design main piping branches plus up to 64 connectable indoor units. RAC Plus 20141103
◎Mitsubishi : Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's Home Appliances business segment reported total sales of 477.1 billion yen in the first half of its current fiscal year (fiscal 2015). This is a 4% increase from the same period in the previous fiscal year. Increased sales from the business segment was credited to stronger sales of air-conditioners in Asian, North American, and European markets, stronger sales of package air-conditioners in Japan, and the weaker yen. Mitsubishi said the business environment in Japan in the first half of fiscal year 2015 saw an upward trend in the commercial sector, despite a backlash from the last-minute surge in demand experienced before the rise in Japan's consumption tax. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's Home Appliances business segment makes: • LCD televisions• room air conditioners• package air conditioners• air-to-water heat pump boilers• refrigerators• electric fans• ventilators• photovoltaic systems• hot water supply systems• LED lamps• fluorescent lamps• indoor lighting• compressors• chillers• dehumidifiers• air purifiers• showcases• cleaners• jar rice cookers• microwave ovens• IH cooking heaters (induction cooktops) Appliance magazine 20141103
■Carrier：Carrier announced Wednesday the completed installation of an innovative heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) solution for the Sistine Chapel, developed to help preserve Michelangelo’s masterpieces against deterioration caused by increasing numbers of visitors. Carrier 20141029
■Turbocor Chillers: Cool-Therm Ltd has acquired AC Air Con Ltd, the specialist supplier of chiller and compressor parts. The deal enables Cool-Therm, best known for its pioneering development of the Turbomiser chiller, to become a one-stop-shop for the supply of parts for all mainstream chillers and compressors. ACR News 20141029
■Toshiba and UTC：HARTFORD, Conn. - Toshiba Corp. and United Technologies Corp. announced that they have entered into an agreement to strengthen the strategic collaboration between the two companies through their joint venture, Toshiba Carrier Corp. (TCC). The agreement outlines the next stage of cooperation between Toshiba and United Technologies in the field of HVAC solutions through TCC. The companies have set a target to accelerate growth and double the unit’s $1.6 billion annual revenues by the next decade. The deal will expand engineering and sales resources outside of Japan, and will include the establishment of engineering centers in the United States and Europe to strengthen development activities and sales engineering support for these regions. The companies will also explore new opportunities for overseas manufacturing in India and North America. ACR News 20141020
■Panasonic : Beijing, China -On October 14, 2014 Panasonic Corporation of China celebrated 35 years in China in a celebration held at the China World Hotel Beijing. Approximately 300 government officials, partners, guests and 100 members of the media attended this celebration. President Kazuhiro Tsuga of Panasonic Corporation expressed his appreciation for the guests' understanding and support of Panasonic's business activities in China, touching upon Panasonic's history in China, and also introducing our vision for the future. Panasonic 20141020
■Emerson : Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson, broke ground today on its $35 million innovation center on the University of Dayton campus. The facility will foster an ambitious, collaborative approach to conducting research to create new technologies that address heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry challenges. Contracting Business 20141020
■F-gas Regulation: AREA, the European organisation of air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump contractors, has issued a guide on the new F-gas regulation. AREA Practical Guide on the application of the new F-Gas Regulation to refrigeration, air conditioning & heat pump contractors is available at www.area-eur.be ACR News 20141016
■Heineken : As part of its drive to reduce CO2 emissions, HEINEKEN has installed solar panels at its brewery in North Yorkshire. The company is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions right across the chain of their activities. Their goal is to lower emissions in production by 40% by 2020. Hvnplus 20141016
■Panasonic：Osaka, Japan - Panasonic Corporation announced it has signed an Official Worldwide Paralympic Partnership agreement with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for six years and two months from 2014 through to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Panasonic 20141015
■Trane : Series-E-CenTraVacGERMANY: Trane has revealed how it’s commitment to increase efficiency and reduce GWP led to the introduction of the first chiller using R1233zd(E). Trane’s introduction of the Series E CenTraVac marked the first introduction of a chiller using the new HFO was the result of cooperation with Honeywell. Cooling Post 20141014
■Water refrigerant : A German energy specialist has launched what it claims is the world’s first production-scale chiller using water as refrigerant at the Chillventa exhibition in Germany. Efficient Energy said its eChiller, available initially as a 45 kW unit features bespoke components to provide a highly efficient package - which the firm appears to claim could save up to 50 per cent over conventional chillers in its class. Products offering 20 kW and 90 kW capacitz are set to follow shortly. RAC plus 20141014
■Bitzer showcased its new OS.95 compressors for ammonia (OS.A95) at Chillventa
2014 in Nuremberg (Hall 4, Stands 310 and 408) from October 14 to 16. Based
on the tried-and-tested OS.85 series, this model is specially optimized
for ammonia. Because the volume flow is nearly double, BITZER has developed
a tailored oil separator. Bitzer 20141014
Toshiba:Toshiba Air Conditioning (a division of Toshiba Carrier UK Limited)
has published a comprehensive Technical Handbook for engineers, as part
of its programme of training and support for the industry. The 80-page
compendium is designed as a guide for engineers carrying out air conditioning
installations, commissioning and maintenance, and covers 39 key topics
in relation to Toshiba equipment and systems. Toshiba AC UK 20141009
◎Mitsubishi
Electric has launched its City Multi YLM VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) range
of air conditioners. The system includes a flat tube aluminium micro-channel
heat exchanger which the company believes is a pivotal step change in providing
more effective and efficient heat transfer. Protected with a special zinc
coating, the aluminium heat exchanger is ideal for the UK’s temperate climate. The world-first use of flat tube aluminium
micro-channel heat exchanger in a VRF system not only delivers greater
efficiency, it also means that the YLM delivers 26 per cent more contact with
the refrigerant and 30 per cent more piping per area. At the same time, it reduces both weight and
footprint and offers 10 per cent less system refrigerant volume than previous
models. Heatingandventilating.net
20141007
■Ray McKenzie and
Mac Chaney of Dothan and Madison, Alabama, have developed a new compressor that
they claim has the potential to revolutionize the HVAC and refrigeration
industries. The unit is said to be up to 50 percent more efficient than
conventional equipment, and is also small, lightweight, and quiet. In addition,
the “advanced linear refrigerant compressor” has a variety of applications,
including HVAC, heat pump water heaters, refrigerators, geothermal systems,
window air conditioners, and food preservation coolers. Raymaccompressor. Com 20141006
■DENSO
Corporation, has announced the release of a new Climate Pro 18 portable heat
pump, which combines both cooling and heating capabilities in a single,
self-contained unit. The Climate Pro 18’s cooling
capacity of 14,600 Btu/h, heating capacity of 13,700 Btu/h and minimum
operating temperature with plenum of 24F make this unit the best-performing
system in its class. 20141007
■Panasonic:
Panasonic Corporation is taking part in the 41st Home Care and Rehabilitation
Exhibition, H.C.R. 2014, which is being held at the Tokyo Big Sight from
October 1 to 3, 2014. On the main stage located in the center of the booth,
Panasonic is introducing 3 products as part of a cutting-edge age-free
solution. Moreover, by using sensing technology, Panasonic's "Mimamori
System" can keep an eye on the facility inhabitants' movement and
breathing to make sure they are safe and sound. Also being introduced is a
prototype of self-reliance support robot, which helps users stand up, walk, and
sit down. Panasonic 20141002
■LG Electronics is
the first home appliance manufacturer to announce gas dryers certified to new
Energy Star standards. The first energy efficiency standards for residential
clothes dryers got into effect in 2015. Appliance
Magazine 20141002
■Heatcraft：Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration provides solutions for commercial
refrigeration and industrial applications that control climate change in
more than 70 countries. It manufactures CO2 unit coolers, condensers, racks,
condensing units, refrigeration systems and supermarket display cases through
market-leading brands, including: Kirby, Larkin, Climate Control, Chandler,
and Kysor/Warren. Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration is a business segment
of Lennox International Inc., a leading global provider of climate control
solutions. R744 20141001
■Refrigerant Producers, Systems Manufacturers Meet at White House to Discuss
Alternatives, Phaseout Timetables; Daikin and its Goodman division were
also represented, by aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in 2020
to one-quarter of its 2005 emissions. Daikin is opening its basic technology
patents of R-32, a Daikin-developed refrigerant that significantly reduces
climate impacts from the air conditioning sector. This allows any company
to use R-32 without payment of royalties for manufacturing in developing
countries. In the U.S., Daikin will permit any company to use its R-32
basic technology patents without the payment of royalties for manufacturing,
provided that the company using the patents offers Daikin the use of an
equal number of that company’s patents without payment of royalties. Contracting
Business Com. 20140930
■ASHRAE, AHR Expo: The ASHRAE Conference takes place Jan. 24-28, Palmer House Hilton, while the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo is held Jan. 26-28, McCormick Place. Complete Conference information and registration can be found at www.ashrae.org/chicago, and Expo information at www.ahrexpo.com. ASHRAE 20140930
■Carrier Transicold: A new accessory from Carrier Transicold harnesses the power of the sun to charge transport refrigeration unit (TRU) batteries to maintain peak performance in an environmentally sustainable way. Carrier Transicold helps improve global transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment for refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers, and is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. Carrier Transicold solar panels provide up to 1.8 amps per hour and are compatible with 12-volt wet cell and absorbent glass mat batteries. Amorphous silicon solar cell technology performs reliably even in low and indirect lighting conditions. Weighing less than 2 pounds, the panels are highly flexible and measure less than one-eighth of an inch thick. Designed to withstand the harsh transportation environment, they are waterproof and puncture-resistant and have a five-year limited warranty on power output. Carrier 20140925
■Bitzer: BITZER has developed a new range of scroll compressors in two housing sizes - ELV21 and ELV51 - for bus, rail and many more vehicle applications. Bitzer
■Haier's new high capacity refrigerators, launching in the European market, feature a lifetime warranty on their compressors. The new refrigerators have storage capacity of up to 792L. Appliance News 20140924
■Trane : The first Trane Store in Europe has now opened and aims to provide better and quicker solutions to customers' needs. The new store opened in Bordeaux, France, on 18 September and provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals with local expertise, original parts and direct support service. ACR News 20140922
■AHRI: The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) president and CEO Stephen Yurek announces American HVACR industry will invest $5 bn in research and development funds over the next decade for new-generation refrigerants and equipment. The announcement took place at an event, sponsored by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. RAC Plus 20140916
■JC: Effective immediately, the North America branch business will be operating separately from Building Efficiency’s global products business. The company said the core HVAC products organization will drive global growth through investments in key HVAC product offerings such as the recent acquisition of Air Distribution Technologies (ADTI) and the planned Hitachi joint venture for variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology. This focus on product offerings, manufacturing, supply chain, and channel support for distribution will drive efficient and cost effective operations designed to serve the changing global marketplace. ACRH News 20140916
■DuPont： DuPont has announced plans for full-scale production of HFO 1336mzz, the new foam expansion and refrigerant, to meet growing demand for solutions that reduce global warming potential (GWP) and improve energy efficiency . DuPont previously announced that it expects to make small scale commercial volumes of HFO-1336mzz available in late 2014 and today announced that full-scale commercial capacity will be available from its China facility in the second half of 2016. RACPlus 20140915
■Johnson Controls announced the grand opening of its newest Source 1™ HVAC Supply Center in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The first of three new locations opening in the Chicago area, the center handles York, Guardian, and Source 1 products. Source 1 is the exclusive supplier of factory authorized service parts and residential accessories for all Johnson Controls Unitary Products residential and light commercial HVAC equipment. The company also offers a broad variety of universal HVAC parts, supplies, and accessories from many manufacturers. ACHR News 20140910
■R290 : Natural refrigerant propane (R290) is a climate friendly alternative for room air conditioners, and one of the only refrigerants that will enable China and India, significant growth markets, to develop in a sustainable manner. Not only does R290 result in considerably reduced direct emissions, it also increases energy efficiency, and can be used safely. The presentation by Leping Zhang from Danfoss Commercial Compressors on the paper “R290 Scroll Compressor Technology” examined the latest developments regarding R290 scroll compressors, comparing this technology to R407C fixed speed heat pump compressor and R410A variable speed air conditioner compressor applications. hydrocarbons21.com 20140910
■Home Automation : Nest Labs Inc. announced today the addition of Control4, Crestron®, Remote Technologies Inc. (RTI), and Universal Remote Control (URC) - along with Dropcam - to the increasing number of products, apps, and services that work with Nest products. By working with leading home automation companies, Nest said it is making it easier for professional installers to bring Nest into their business, and providing consumers with more ways to experience Nest in their homes. ACHR News 20140909
■Honeywell: Honeywell's Lyric on the Apple Watch revolutionizes home comfort and savings with innovative temperature adjustments, geofencing control, out of town settings and extreme temperature warnings, all right from your wrist. Honeywell 20140909
■Refrigerant: The US has proposed a range of acceptable uses for flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants – R600a, R290, R170 and R441A along with the mildy flammable R32 under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP). Residential and light commercial AC and heat pumps: The EPA proposes to list hydrocarbons propane (R290) and R441A, as well as HFC32 as acceptable subject to use conditions as substitutes in residential and light commercial AC for self-contained room air conditioners, including packaged terminal air conditioners and packaged terminal heat pumps, window AC units, and portable AC units designed for use in a single room. The EPA proposes that charge size limits be determined based on the type of equipment (e.g. window AC, wall-mounted AC, etc.), the alternative refrigerant used, and the normal rated capacity of the unit. For example, the maximum design charge size for a 10,000 BTU/h (2.93 kW) window AC Unit would amount to 260 g of R290, 280 g of R441A, and 3.47 kg of R32. iifiir.org 20140908
■Electrolux : AB Electrolux entered into an agreement to acquire the appliances business of General Electric for $3.3 billion. The deal also gives Electrolux 48.4% share in Mexico-based appliance company Mabe. Appliance Magazine 20140908
■Emerson : Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., a business of Emerson, provides helpful information to contractors and facility managers on the value and impact of compressor modulation through an eBook titled, “Understanding Compressor Modulation in Air Conditioning Applications.” Emerson 20140909
■Panasonic: Panasonic is also strongly promoting the relaunch of the Technics hi-fi audio brand. A special corner of the booth offers a relaxing atmosphere for experiencing Technics high-resolution sound. In addition, based on the DNA of Panasonic's home appliances, a variety of new developments are expanding Panasonic's product range in Europe, from homes to towns and cars. These include products such as automotive lithium-ion batteries and smart heat-pump heaters for BtoB applications. These and other Panasonic products are presented here under a single roof joined by a common design philosophy called "Future Craft." Panasonic 20140906
■Electrolux : Sources told Reuters yesterday that the Electrolux is near to making a deal with General Electric Company to acquire GE Appliances for $2.5 billion. Appliance Magazine 20140905
■Electrolux : Sources told Reuters yesterday that the Electrolux is near to making a deal with General Electric Company to acquire GE Appliances for $2.5 billion. Appliance Magazine 20140905
■Acquisition : A Swedish company Systemair has acquired Airwell France, which manufactures commercial air conditioning systems. The acquisition includes trademarks, product rights, sales organization and the production facility. The annual turnover is US$ 47 million. Systemair is able to extend its range of air conditioning products following this acquisition which follows the acquisition of the Italian production of Airwell chillers three years ago. Systemair has sales companies in 45 countries. JARN Aug. Edition
■Greenhouse gas : HFC emissions rose by 1.7% from 148.6 in 2011 to 151.2 in 2012. During the 2005-2012 period, US greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 10.0% while HFCs rose by 26.2%. HFCs represented 1.7% of greenhouse gases in 2005 and 2.3% in 2012. iifiir.org 20140827
■Haier: The test tower boasts a height of 106 meters, breaking the record of a 60-meter test tower built by Fujitsu General in Japan. Tests on actual operation and oil return drop are possible with the industry’s tallest height to ensure operation of commercial air conditioners in high-rise applications. JARN Aug. Edition
■2015 Efficiency Standards : While a number of HVAC contractors remain uninformed about changes in energy efficiency regulations coming in 2015, some are thinking ahead to how these changes will affect their businesses. The survey of 618 contractors, conducted via email by Emerson, finds that many are still uninformed about the changing efficiency regulations. The new regulations affect regional standards for residential unitary air conditioning and heat pump systems; part-load efficiency requirements for light commercial split, package, and rooftop systems; and chiller standards. The Emerson survey indicates that contractor awareness of the 2015 regulations is gradually improving. Of those residential contractors who were aware of the coming regulations, 35 percent have spoken with an OEM or distributor and attended product information meetings. More than 55 percent of commercial contractors have consulted with an OEM or distributor and attended product meetings. ACHR News 20140829
■Trane enhanced its Optimus helical rotary water-cooled chiller with an Adaptive Frequency drive (AFD). The AFD adjusts motor speed based on demand to reduce energy consumption and thus costs. The chillers have cooling capacities from 150 to 430 tons and are designed to be economical cooling solutions for high-occupancy schools, hospitals, hotels, and similar buildings. Appliance Magazine 20140829
■LG : The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave its 2014 Energy Star Emerging Technology Award to LG Electronics, for its EcoHybrid Heat Pump Dryer. LG spent three years developing a heat pump dryer that meets the expectations of U.S. consumers. The EcoHybrid dryer is the first commercially available dryer in the United States to use heat pump technology to capture and recycle energy generated during the drying process. Third-party test data shows it saves up to 50% more energy than conventional electric dryers. Appliance Magazine 20140828
■Secop: The new energy-optimized R290 compressors by Secop offer end users the option to switch from HFCs to climate-friendly hydrocarbon refrigerant propane, resulting in cost savings and reduced capacity demand. Hydrocarbon21 20140825
■Ammonia : A new ammonia test facility for industrial refrigeration offers the equivalent of a 25,000 ft2 cold storage facility for use by the research and development team at Parker. Located in Broadview, Ill., Parker's Refrigerating Specialties division has a full test laboratory staffed by full-time technicians as well as the new ammonia test facility with its full-time staff. They allow Parker to validate and verify products before they reach the market, says the company. Parker plans to add to the research and development facilities by installing a similarly sized CO2 refrigeration test system. The company expects to break ground for that industrial test facility soon. Process-cooling 20140827
■HEMS：According to a new report, “Home Energy Management Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019,” published by Transparency Market Research, the home energy management systems (HEMS) market was valued at $393.8 million in 2012, and it is expected to reach USD $1.9 billion by 2019, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 percent from 2013 to 2019. ACHR News 20140825
■Daikin Applied has expanded the Magnitude WMC chiller line to include four additional sizes - WMC125, 200, 225 and 275. “With the recent addition of sizes up to 1500 tons and now with these smaller sized models, Magnitude chillers are available from 100 to 1500 tons. These additional sizes allow us to help engineers simplify and streamline the design process and meet the needs of additional customers.” Contracting business 20140825
■Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire SmartThings, a leading open platform for the smart home. Samsung said that, with its resources, SmartThings will be able to expand its platform and support even more devices. Samsung 20140825
■Refrigerant: RS-70 is a new non-flammable drop-in replacement for R22 which has been designed to have the lowest possible Global Warming Potential (GWP) consistent with high thermodynamic performance having a similar cooling capacity and Coefficient of Performance (COP) as R22. Consequently, RS-70 can be used to replace R22 in both air conditioning and refrigeration applications across the temperature range where R22 is commonly used. ACR News 20140821
■Honeywell : The home of the future took another step toward reality today when Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced voice command capabilities for Tuxedo Touch, its touchscreen security and home automation controller that can serve as the central hub of a connected home or business. The technology now allows homeowners to use select voice commands such as “leaving the house” to perform a range of tasks, including arming their security systems, adjusting their thermostats, turning their lights on or off and locking their doors. Honeywell 20140821
■CO2: ATMOsphere Asia 2015 will take place from 3-5 February at the Shin-Maru Conference Square in Tokyo, Japan, the event is expected to attract even more participants from Asia and around the world. Several leading companies have already announced their sponsorship of ATMOsphere Asia 2015, including:Panasonic (Platinum), Mayekawa (Gold) ,Sanden (Gold) ,
Bitzer (Silver) - Carel (Silver) -Yamato (Silver) - Alfa Laval (Bronze) - Dorin (Bronze) - Itomic (Bronze) - SWEP (Bronze) - Temprite (Bronze). Hydrocarbons21.com 20140821
■Panasonic's : Panasonic Corporation released information on annual social and environmental initiatives on its corporate website on August 20, 2014. Panasonic Net 20140820
■Midea : CSA Group, a leading global provider of testing and certification services and a standards development organization, announced that the first certification to the new CSA/UL/ANCE tri-national standard for heating and cooling equipment has been presented to Midea Group’s dehumidifiers. The company received the certification well in advance of the mandatory compliance required by Nov. 30, 2022. ACHR News 20140820
◎Mitsubishi Electric’s heating and cooling division has introduced the Hyper-Heating Inverter (H2i) MSZ-FH ductless mini-split, a product the company said is the most energy-efficient heating and cooling system on the market. At 30.5 SEER, it’s the highest efficiency rating for heating and air-conditioning systems and can use up to 40% less energy per room than a conventional system, the company added. JARN August Edition
■Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire Quietside Corporation, a leading distribution channel for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products. Quietside has been the master distributor for Samsung HVAC products in the US and Canada since 1997. The company will continue to be headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. hvnplus.co.uk 20140819
■Danfoss Turbocor: The U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program recently evaluated the effect of new, high efficiency chiller technology on rising energy consumption and costs associated with space cooling in office buildings. In a test case, GSA replaced one of the two existing 150-ton rotary screw chillers with a 150-ton chiller that uses two magnetic levitation compressors with Danfoss Turbocor technology. Contracting Business. Com. 20140812
■GE: GE is in talks with Electrolux AB (ELUXB) on the sale of its home appliance business, the companies said. Quirky Inc., a consumer-product development startup, is also interested in the unit, two people with knowledge of the matter said.Bloomberg 20140815
■Danfoss Turbocor: The U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program recently evaluated the effect of new, high efficiency chiller technology on rising energy consumption and costs associated with space cooling in office buildings. In a test case, GSA replaced one of the two existing 150-ton rotary screw chillers with a 150-ton chiller that uses two magnetic levitation compressors with Danfoss Turbocor technology. Contracting Business. Com. 20140812
■Toshiba :Toshiba's Lifestyle Products & Services segment saw a sales decrease from its Visual Products business, which includes LCD TVs. The PC business saw higher sales, especially in Japan. Net sales were 289.0 billion yen (approx US$2.8 billion), up 3% from the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. An operating loss of 3.3 billion was still up 21.6 billion from the same quarter in the previous year. Toshiba Corp. as a whole had 1Q sales of 1,408.0 billion yen, an increase of 36.9 billion yen from 1Q of fiscal year 2013. Operating income was 39.5 billion yen, up 14.4 billion yen from the year-ago period. Appliance Magazine 20140812
■Trane (Ingersoll Rand): RGF Environmental Group Inc., a designer and manufacturer of air, water, and food purification systems, has announced an agreement to supply the company’s full line of patented and patent pending Guardian Air air purification and odor control systems for sale through Trane Supply stores and Trane and American Standard parts distributors. ACR News 20140812
■Copeland : The new Copeland™ Mobile application provides access to both air conditioning and refrigeration products used in a variety of HVACR applications. “We are now able to offer this information in a mobile app that will provide easy access to more than 30 years of Copeland compressor product information,” said marketing man. Emerson 20140811
■Johnson Controls : Johnson Controls announces a price increase from 3 to 7 percent on select products and solutions offered through its Building Efficiency branches in the United States and Canada, starting October 1, 2014. For additional information customers should contact their local Johnson Controls branch. JC 20140808
■BEMS: More than 53.8 million electronic control relays were sold in 2013, with 13.1 million classified as measuring and monitoring relays, according to the latest IHS study. The largest shipment share in 2013 came from electronic control relays sold to building automation applications. These applications accounted for an estimated 19.2% of the world market. Appliance Magazine 20140806
■Whirlpool：The Italian Court of Ancona has authorized the sale of some Indesit Company S.p.A. shares to Whirlpool Corp. In July 10, 2014, Whirlpool Corp., Fineldo S.p.A., and members of the Merloni family entered into binding agreements for Whirlpool's acquisition of Indesit shares, subject to court and antitrust approval. Appiliance Magazine 20140807
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