The Heat Pump and Thermal Storage Technology Center of Japan (HPTCJ) recently announced the 3rd International Seminar on Natural Refrigerants, which should take place on February 15, 2008, at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, coinciding with the last day of the 35th exhibition of refrigeration, air conditioning, and heating HVAC&R JAPAN 2008, which will be held on February 12–15, 2008, sponsored by the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA).

The first and second Natural Refrigerant International Seminars were held in 2004 and 2006, and there was a lively discussion on the present technology, market trend, trend of the standard, and future prospect of various natural refrigerants. Thereafter, the interest in natural refrigerants has increased every year, and peculiar products such as a carbon dioxide heat pump water heater, an isobutene domestic refrigerator, and a vending machine have appeared in the market.

According to the organization’s press release, for this seminar, specialists in the fields of refrigerants and refrigeration from all over the world will be invited to participate in a lively discussion on energy conservation and the possibility of the choice of a new refrigerant, as well as to exchange opinions from different points of view.