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From 12-14 April 2010, experts, policy makers and stakeholders in natural refrigerants will gather in Sydney to discuss the state of play and ongoing developments in regards to natural refrigerants, network within an international community and explore together the latest research in the field. Early bird registration for the event supported by hydrocarbons21.com will expire in three weeks.

Hosted by the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), the 9th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“Natural refrigerants – Real alternatives” is the motto of the event that will present latest research as well as applications using natural refrigerants in heat pump, air conditioning and refrigeration systems and offer ample opportunity to discuss the consequences of recent policy developments on the sector.

The main topics on the agenda are:

• Natural primary refrigerants
• Secondary coolants and ice slurries
• Sorption systems
• Non conventional refrigeration systems
• Heat transfer and fluid flow
• Energy use and energy efficiency of natural working fluid systems

Papers on hydrocarbons

80 technical papers have been submitted so far, following of particular interest to the hydrocarbon community:

• “Preliminary tests about heat transfer during flow boiling of carbon dioxide and propane blend” by Mauro, A. W. (IT)
• ”Analysis of the use of different heat exchangers in propane heat pumps” by Vera, F. (ES)
• “Safe use of hydrocarbon based chillers and application solution” by Pachai, A. (DK)
• ”Performance Assessment of Air Conditioners with HC 290” by Padalkar, A (IN)
• ”SolarChill Technology - Solar powered direct drive refrigerators with hydrocarbon refrigerants” by Pedersen, P. H. (DK)

Renowned keynote speakers

Petter Nekså, a senior research scientist at SINTEF Energy Research in Trondheim, Norway, will speak about CO₂ as refrigerant, give an overview of the historic development and will elaborate on future potential of and challenges faced by natural refrigerants. Author of about 100 reports and publications within the area of refrigeration engineering, Petter Nekså has held some high-profile roles, including serving on the UNEP Refrigeration Technical Options Committee.

Risto Ciconkov, professor at the Ss. Cyril and Methodious University in Macedonia, will talk about the state of play of natural refrigerants in developing countries. He will discuss the reasons why natural refrigerants are limited to only a small number of applications in these countries and elaborate on the need for technical and financial support in order to facilitate a widespread successful adoption of natural refrigerants in developing countries. Risto Ciconkov has fulfilled numerous roles for the IIR and other prestigious organisations. He has been nominated as an international expert of UNEP and UNIDO on ozone portfolio projects.

Registration open

Registrations for the ninth IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids have opened, with an early bird discount price applying until February 28.

About Gustav Lorentzen

The conference is named in honour of Norwegian scientist and engineer Gustav Lorentzen who rediscovered how CO₂ could be used as a refrigerant in a simple and efficient way in heating and cooling applications.