Chinese industry bodies present united NatRef front

In a very special panel session at ATMOsphere China 2018, representatives from China's top HVAC&R industry associations joined each other on stage during the 'Chinese HVAC&R Associations Session': showing a united front on leading China's industrial, commercial and consumer sectors towards a sustainable future with natural refrigerants.

Fresh food trend driving China retail

Representing the China Chain Store & Franchise Association, Wenhua (Wendy) Wang spoke during the policy session, showing how the organisation is actively encouraging its members to be more energy efficient through the use of new technology, including natural refrigerants.

Citing the recent trend of online retailers moving into the brick-and-mortar and fresh food delivery business, Wang said, "in China, we have different types of business".

"Companies like JD.com provide fresh food express delivery services and this is happening with other different e-commerce players. We, as CCFA, want to support this move towards providing fresh food and meat to consumers."

"We are focused on how we can accelerate the green revolution of these kind of cold chain technologies."

However, Wang cited several significant barriers that lie ahead before more natural refrigerant uptake can be realised.

"In China, supermarkets are located in locations with dense populations, that’s why safety regulations are strict," she said.

"We need the government to form these safety standards and help boost confidence in the market."

Growing NH₃/CO­­₂ industrial systems

Jin Ma was representing the Chinese Association of Refrigeration. He is deputy director of the association's Cold Storage and Cold Processing Committee.

Ammonia has gained a certain level of attention among the Chinese public and government since two fatal accidents occurred in 2013. This, in turn, Ma explained, has resulted in strict regulation of the refrigerant in the Chinese market. However, the Chinese Association of Refrigeration is being very proactive in creating and enforcing proper design and operational standards that guarantee safety when working with ammonia systems.

In addition, this has also resulted in the adoption of a large number of NH₃/CO₂ systems in the industrial sector in China in recent years.

"Based on my observation in the past few years, we can see obviously that cascade NH₃/CO₂ large-scale refrigerant systems will become the mainstream," said Ma.

"We now have 100-200 sets of these systems that have come up in the last few years. This will be the future trend."

R290 the final solution for RAC

Representing the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, Vice-President Lei Wang discussed the widespread use of R600a in China's household refrigerators and the industry's commitment to the use of R290 in room air conditioning units as long-term solutions for their members to achieve energy efficiency.

"In the air-conditioning sector, we have come to realise that R290 will be the ultimate and final solution for us because it will meet our environmental sustainability requirements, and the efficiency is very high," said Wang.