Page 3
Recent CO2 transcritical training carried out by CA Group with City Facilities Management (City FM) refrigeration mechanics at retail sites around the country has proved a success – and highlighted an appetite for upskilling in the trade. The training sessions took place at supermarkets supported by City FM in Victoria and South Australia, making use […]
Changes in technology, legislation and the workforce have placed a strain on Australia’s refrigeration sector, and created a pressing need for education and training. That’s the view of SuperCool Group Business Manager Rene Le Miere, a member of the technical organising committee for the AIRAH Refrigeration 2022 Conference, to be held from May 16–17 in […]
Australian refrigeration pioneer James Harrison has featured in an episode of ABC rural affairs program Landline. Ahead of the Scotland-born innovator’s birthday on April 17, the program charted Harrison’s exploits in creating an ice machine in his adopted Victorian home of Geelong in the mid-1800s. Landline also explored reasons for Harrison’s lack of renown given […]
A zero-carbon refrigeration start-up company has received funding to commercialise its refrigeration technology, which aims to cut global emissions. Barocal, a spin-out from Cambridge University, has secured £1.3m to develop the solid-state temperature changing materials that work in both heating and cooling applications. The barocaloric materials offer a zero-carbon alternative to gas-compression cooling and heating. […]
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) is hosting the 26th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (ICR 2023) in Paris on August 21–25, 2023. The IIR is now calling for abstracts. The event will be organised by the French Association of Refrigeration (AFF) and will have the theme “Towards efficient, controlled and smart refrigeration”. The organisers aim […]
As professional registration schemes commence across Australia, practitioners in the refrigeration sector are looking for a clear statement from government on which parts of their work will fall under the new regulations – and calling for alternative qualification pathways. On July 1, 2021, the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 came into effect in New […]
A new feasibility study analyses Australia’s goal of halving food waste by 2030, and lays out the initiatives and investments that will be required to achieve the goal, including improvements to the cold food chain. Internationally, food waste is a huge issue. According to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, food waste produces […]
An international team of researchers has created a new cooling concept by combining thermodynamics with quantum theory. The team – consisting of researchers from TU Wien, in collaboration with FU Berlin, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Lisbon – have discovered quantum effects can be used to cool a cloud of ultra-cold […]
Woolworths has opened applications across five states for its 2021 refrigeration apprenticeship program, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The four-year program offers the selected apprentice refrigeration technicians the opportunity to gain experience with the latest global refrigeration technologies. Woolworths says its refrigeration systems are at the forefront of technology. […]
Geoffrey Craggs is proving it’s never too late to follow your passions, after switching roles from a duty manager to an apprentice refrigeration technician within the Woolworths Food Group. Craggs migrated to Australia from Belgium in 2012, and is now settled in Rockdale, Sydney. After working as a duty manager for nine years he wanted […]
Fundamentals of Refrigeration is a new manual published by Volker Stamer, Director of the international Bitzer training centre Schaufler Academy. According to Bitzer, the text is a comprehensive guide to refrigeration, with a wealth of basic information aimed at new entrants to the industry, and extensive reference material that will serve experienced refrigeration technicians. “The […]
A team of engineers from Purdue University, Air Squared Inc and Whirlpool Corporation are collaborating to build a refrigerator for astronauts that works in zero gravity – and upside down. The team ran tests last month on their fridge design at the Zero Gravity Corporation’s (ZERO-G) weightless research lab. The unique testing centre allowed them to test the […]
Despite its tag as an “outgoing” refrigerant in the HFC phase-down, there are signs that R404A remains a go-to option for key sectors of Australia’s HVAC&R industry. According to experts, pressure from end-users for low first-cost and straightforward, low-risk solutions, and a lack of incentives to move to new technologies have made R404A an ongoing […]
The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) has invited comments for the fourth public review of BSR/IIAR CO2-202x, Safety Standard for Closed-Circuit Carbon Dioxide Refrigeration Systems. The public review period runs until March 14. “Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary,” the IIAR […]
The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) has announced it is cancelling the face-to-face portion of the 2021 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference and Expo due to COVID-19. It will now be held online. The event was originally slated to be held in Palm Springs, California, USA, from June 21–23, 2021. The current regulations that affect meetings […]
A demonstrator project in Belgium has been set up to show how cryogenic energy storage could work at refrigerated warehouses. Three years in the making, the project was recently installed at Frigologix in the city of Lomell, and a free international webinar will be held on March 17 to share findings and results. The work […]
The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) has extended the abstract deadline for its annual conference until January 29. The conference is being held online from April 21–22, 2021, and is called “The Journey to Net-Zero Heating and Cooling – Beyond Refrigeration 2021”. The IOR is inviting presentation papers that explore innovations or initiatives that will help […]
GOTAFE is partnering with Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) and HVAC&R industry bodies in an innovative new training project for RAC trades. Last year the Hon. Gayle Tierney, Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education granted $2,000,000 toward the project that will be provided by the Workplace Training and Innovation Fund (WTIF). One of the […]
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has formally recognised five key refrigeration term definitions that were established by an international group of experts. AIRAH has joined a list of international partners – including the French Refrigeration Association (AFF), the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) and the Global Cold Chain Alliance – to officially […]
A product designed and manufactured in the UK and widely used in the northern hemisphere for the past 10 years has now made it to the Australasian market. The EndoCube has been designed to address a “fundamental flaw” in refrigeration and provide lower energy consumption and fresher food. According to EndoCube Southeast Asia Pty Ltd […]