The ‘2010 International Symposium on Next-generation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology’ was held between 17 and 19 February 2010 at the Tokyo International Exchange Center. Organised for the first time by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the event aimed to facilitate vigorous discussions on existing technologies, market trends and technological perspectives of various refrigerants.

One of the papers presented by MAYEKAWA at the event, provided insights to the NEDO project "Development of Non-fluorinated Energy-saving Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems", under which the company explored ways of introducing hydrocarbon refrigerants in commercial air conditioning.

A hydrocarbon air conditioning and hot water heat pump for commercial applications

With the aim of exploring ways of spreading the use of hydrocarbons in the commercial field, MAYEKAWA developed an air conditioning, hot water supply heat pump system for commercial applications. The developed system uses air and water as both the heat source and heat sink to provide cooling, heating and hot water production.

The main characteristics of the system, which was used to cool the media center in the last Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Japan, include:

• Blend of isobutane and propane refrigerants, which are zeotropic

• Plate and shell heat exchangers

• Semi hermetic screw compressor with a built-in motor without mechanical seals

• Explosion proof electronic equipment and blower fans in the machine casing

• Refrigerant leak detection sensors in the machine casing and a fan to secure ventilation in case of leakage

Tests indicated good performance of the system

Tests were carried out for six different operation modes of the system, combining two heat sources (air and water) and three supplies (cooling, heating and hot water production).

With the test results showing a Coefficient of Perfomance (COP) between 3.38 and 4.57 depending on the test conditions and operation mode, the performance of the hydrocarbon system was found to be comparable to that of a conventional R134a system. Moreover, MAYEKAWA expects that optimising the compressor and heat exchanger performances will further improve the system. 

About MAYEKAWA (MYCOM)

MAYEKAWA (MYCOM) is the compressor brand of the leading Japanese compressor and refrigeration systems manufacturer Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd. The company was founded in 1924 and since then has increased its market share to 70% from the Japanese industrial refrigeration market, and 30% from the world’s industrial refrigeration market. Now more than 25,000 MYCOM compressors are running in over 100 countries.