CO₂ in the global spotlight at the ICR 2007

Under the title "Refrigeration Creates the Future", the International Congress of Refrigeration (ICR) will bring together scientists and industry leaders from 61 countries to exchange the latest knowledge of refrigeration technology. Organized by the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) once every four years, the ICR 2007, running from 21-26 August, will be located in Beijing, China. Being held in a developing country for the first time, the event will more than ever focus on environmental protection and energy efficiency in the refrigeration industry of both industrialized and developing countries R744 on the agenda As the global refrigeration industry is in need of sustainable solutions for the future, the natural refrigerant CO2 (R744) has taken center stage of the scientific debate. A glance at the ICR 2007 programme reveals: The focus on CO2 Technology is no longer limited to one region of the world but has become a global phenomenon. At the ICR 2007 alone, scientists from 20 countries will present their papers on R744, among them 13 European countries, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and the USA. More precisely, the short course "CO2 in supermarkets" and more than 60 technical papers from research institutes and universities will explore R744 in industrial and commercial refrigeration, heat pumps, or air conditioning. Presentations will mainly focus on: Components: expanders, compressors, evaporators, accumulators, heat exchangers, ejectors, gas coolers, tubes, … Commercial & industrial applications: supermarket cabinets, bottle coolers, chillers, ice-cream freezers Residential use: heat pump systems for water cooling and heating, air-conditioning System types: cascade and transcritical systems Two technical sessions on natural refrigerants will be co-chaired by scientists from the leading Norwegian research institute SINTEF. For more detailed information on two of SINTEF's studies presented at the ICR 2007, please read the articles: "SINTEF: Ejectors will make R744 systems even more efficient" "Efficient CO2 heat pumps for non-residential use" For more details on the plenary session chaired by Rajendra Shende from the United Nations Environment Programme, please read the following article: "UNEP calls for sustainable refrigeration"