World News
7th April 2021
R466A confirmed as inert by Japanese refrigeration society
USA: The Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE) has recognised R466A, Honeywell’s lower GWP, non-flammable alternative to R410A, as a “new inert…
7th April 2021
Syria ratifies the Kigali amendment
SYRIA: The Syrian Arab Republic has become the fourth Middle Eastern country to ratify the Kigali amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants. Joining neighbours Cyprus,…
7th April 2021
Bitzer opens office in Pakistan
PAKISTAN/GERMANY: Compressor manufacturer Bitzer has opened a sales office in Karachi – its first office in Pakistan.
6th April 2021
TEGA acquires Linde’s Austrian refrigerants business
AUSTRIA/GERMANY: Refrigerant supplier TEGA GmbH has acquired Linde's Austrian refrigerants business. Headquartered in Würzburg, TEGA (Technische Gase und Gasetechnik) GmbH employs approximately 100 people across…
5th April 2021
ASHRAE updates SARS-CoV-2 guidance
USA: In an update to its guidance, ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force has stated that the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is “significant” and should be controlled. …
5th April 2021
Daikin pledges JPY5bn to Kyoto University collaboration
JAPAN: Daikin will contribute JPY5bn (US$45m) to its collaboration with Kyoto University over the next 10 years.
4th April 2021
Ice machine firm selects R1234yf
JAPAN: A leading Japanese manufacturer of large industrial ice machines is said to have selected the HFO refrigerant R1234yf after evaluating a number of alternatives.…
3rd April 2021
Refra opens new plant in Vievis
LITHUANIA: Refrigeration equipment manufacturer Refra has commenced production at its new 12,000m2 facility in Vievis, near the capital Vilnius. The factory is around 40km north…
3rd April 2021
Polyimides could be alternative to dehumidification technology
USA: Researchers at Texas A&M University have been working with an organic material, called polyimides, that could provide an energy efficient and lower cost alternative to refrigerant-based dehumidifiers.
2nd April 2021
A-Gas increases US refrigerant reclaim capacity
USA: A-Gas has completed the construction of its latest refrigerant separation towers at its Rhome, Texas plant, located outside of Dallas/Fort Worth. The multi-million-dollar project,…
1st April 2021
Mitsubishi alliance targets US data centres
USA: Mitsubishi Electric has formed a strategic alliance to provide integrated power protection and IT cooling solutions for US data centres. This strategic alliance will…
1st April 2021
Hermann Renz retires after 50 years at Bitzer
GERMANY: Hermann Renz, Bitzer’s refrigeration guru, refrigerants expert, former board member and director of application engineering and product performance has retired after 50 years with…
31st March 2021
Burundi latest to ratify Kigali amendment
BURUNDI: The Republic of Burundi has become the 116th country to ratify the Kigali amendment to phase down HFC refrigerants. Under the Kigali Amendment to…
30th March 2021
Copper tube manufacturer fined for worker’s injuries
CANADA: A manufacturer of copper refrigeration tube has been fined CA$75,000 (€50,500) after a worker was injured by falling tube bundles. Ontario-based Great Lakes Copper,…
30th March 2021
Cooling manufacturers lack climate targets
UK: A new report claims the majority of refrigeration and air conditioning manufacturers lack defined climate targets, actions or plans strong enough to join the…
29th March 2021
Jackson named as AIRAH president
AUSTRALIA: Paul Jackson, associate director of Engineering Commissioning Services (ECS), has been voted in as president of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH).
27th March 2021
Danfoss announces family succession in 2022
DENMARK: Danfoss has announced plans to pass on its family ownership to the grandchildren of the company’s original founder, Mads Clausen, in 2022.
26th March 2021
Calls to illegal HFC “hot line” lead to significant seizures
BELGIUM: The EFCTC’s illegal refrigerant Action Line received 111 reports of suspicious black market trading in HFCs in 2020 – 30% of which originated from…
26th March 2021
Stulz and Rittal create data centre alliance
GERMANY: Data centre cooling company Stulz has entered into a global partnership with Rittal, the German provider of industrial enclosures and IT infrastructure.
25th March 2021
$1.25m grant for novel heat pump technology
USA: A leading US university has received a $1.25m grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a novel electrochemical heat pump technology. According…
25th March 2021
Beijer Ref and Bitzer extend trade deal
SWEDEN/GERMANY: Wholesaler Beijer Ref and compressor manufacturer Bitzer have extended their ongoing partnership agreement for another three years.
24th March 2021
Mitsubishi extends R32 City Multi portfolio
GERMANY: Mitsubishi Electric has announced an expansion of the use of the lower GWP refrigerant R32 in its City Multi VRF air conditioning portfolio.
23rd March 2021
Bitzer Digital Network is fully live
GERMANY: All Bitzer customers now have access to the refrigeration and air conditioning specialist’s key product and application-specific information through the Bitzer Digital Network. The…
23rd March 2021
Facility fined $90,000 for ammonia violations
USA: A Rhode Island cold storage warehouse and ice manufacturing company has been fined $90,000 for failing to implement a risk management plan for its…
22nd March 2021
Lab confirms Haier’s UVC effectiveness
CHINA: Texcell, the French independent viral test lab, is said to have confirmed that Haier Air Conditioning’s UVC Generator inactivates 99.998% of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.…
22nd March 2021
Proposal to add alternative refrigerant training and certification to F-gas
BELGIUM: European contractors’ group AREA has published its proposals for the F-gas certification scheme to include alternative refrigerants. With the F-gas regulations (517/2014) currently up…
22nd March 2021
Call for customs changes to stop illegal refrigerant activity
EUROPE: The refrigerant manufacturers’ group, the EFCTC, has called for changes to European transit procedures in order to tackle the persistent problem of illegal HFC…