Modine Manufacturing Company, a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions, announced recently that it has been awarded its fifth in a series of contracts with the United States Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to continue developing alternative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that use transcritical carbon dioxide (CO2) technology for military applications.

The $2.3 million research and development contract supports Modine’s ongoing development of Environmental Control Unit (ECU) and vehicular HVAC systems to provide air conditioning and heating using carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigerant for military vehicles and Army tent enclosures with special effort to cool and heat heavy tactical vehicles and some of largest tent enclosures.  Work is scheduled to be completed over a 12-month period, reveals the company’s press release.

“We are pleased that the Army continues to recognize our work in developing heating and cooling systems that are efficient and environmentally responsible,” said Samuel J. Collier, Program Manager – Army Programs of Modine’s North America Passenger Thermal Management Products. “The systems we have been working on for the last four years have supported the Army’s effort to evaluate new technologies that heat and cool our armed forces, whether in vehicles or living enclosures, in ways that produce significantly lower amounts of greenhouse gas emissions than those using the current R134a refrigerant.” Moreover, because CO2 is a natural refrigerant, it poses no threat to the environment if it leaks into the atmosphere, releases no harmful hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) gases, and is non-toxic and non-flammable.