AIRAH initiates interest group for natural refrigerants

The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) is launching a new special interest group for all natural refrigerants, including CO₂. A first meeting will be held on 30 October in Sydney.

The special interest group, to be formed at a first get-together organised by AIRAH on 30 October, will provide up to date technical information on developments in the area of natural refrigerants in Australia and overseas. Moreover, it will provide future industry training via a formal training qualification and seminar information session about CO₂ and ammonia, and facilitate industry networking as well as the exchange of information. Another main target will be to strengthen communication channels worldwide and encourage a technical information exchange with the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).

AIRAH hopes that the first meeting will already result in the formation of the special interest group to serve as a committee developing further action plans in the field of natural refrigerants under AIRAH’s national programme. Particular emphasis will be put on latest and potential future applications of CO₂ in car air conditioning, commercial and industrial applications, office building heating and cooling, as well as district heating and cooling systems.

Communicating the success of natural refrigerants

The meeting will also discuss the use of AIRAH’s communication and publication magazines as effective tools to inform the special interest group members of future events. The organisation plans a series of seminars and conferences to facilitate information exchange across all industry sectors.

Already in 2007, AIRAH published case studies on natural refrigerants, highlighting, amongst others, a CO₂/R404a refrigeration system and a cascade CO₂/ammonia freezing plant – two examples of installations working reliably in Australia. Following the rapid growth of CO₂ refrigeration in Europe, AIRAH now wants to speed up its efforts to promote future-proof cooling and heating solutions “Down Under”. For this purpose, the organisation invites all interested individuals to attend this first get-together and help establish the natural refrigerants working group.

About AIRAH

The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating is a specialist organisation for air conditioning, refrigeration, heating and ventilation professionals. Formed in 1920, AIRAH is recognised by government and industry bodies for its expertise across a wide range of issues in the area of engineering services for the built environment. It represents over 10,000 professionals across Australia.