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ASHRAE to fund CO2 refrigeration research |
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For the first time the leading US society for heating and refrigeration will support the development of CO2 (R744) in industrial refrigeration, with an $90,000 grant to the Washington State University for its research on heat exchangers for sub-critical applications.
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2007-08-03
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The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) will fund a two-year research project on carbon dioxide condensation in chevron plate heat exchangers. The study, to be carried out by the Washington State University Vancouver (WSU), will explore the use of the natural refrigerant CO2 (R744) in low-temperature applications as an environmentally friendly alternative to current refrigeration systems.
It is the first ASHRAE fund ever awarded to a research project on CO2 in industrial refrigeration. So far, the organization has sponsored only one study involving carbon dioxide for small-scale residential and light commercial systems. The latest grant was awarded to the Washington researchers to address the need of today's industrial refrigeration industry for more environmentally friendly solutions.
Rising interest in R744 refrigeration in the US
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Given that several R744 refrigeration systems are already successfully operating in Europe, the Washington State University decided to reinforce the research into CO2 in industrial applications for the US market. The proposed project will help to understand the physics of condensing CO2 in complex geometries, such as plate heat exchangers, to optimize such heat exchangers for high-performance industrial cascade systems.
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Amir Jokar, Assistant Professor at the WSU responsible for the project, hopes that the findings will help speed up the phase-out of ozone-depleting and high global warming substances in the refrigeration sector: "If we can use new technology to produce a less expensive way of condensing CO2 for refrigeration purposes, especially in low temperature applications, it could have an enormous global effect. We are very fortunate to have this research project now at WSU Vancouver."
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More information:
› Press Release, 1 August 2007
› Washington State University Vancouver - Mechanical Engineering
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