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Natural Refrigerants Fund website launched |
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
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The website for the Initiative to establish a Natural Refrigerants Fund was recently launched (http://www.nrfund.org). Organized by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University "Sv. Kiril & Metodij" (Skopje, Republic of Macedonia), the purpose of this website is the implementation of technologies with natural refrigerants in developing countries together with developed countries.
Generally, the aims of initiative to establish the NRF are:
- Providing financial and technical support to enable using of new technologies with natural refrigerants;
- Organization of workshops, giving lectures (especially in developing countries);
- Training courses (designing, maintenance, safety);
- Support for demonstration projects with transfer of technologies from developed countries;
- Modernization of existing ammonia refrigeration plants (especially in developing countries);
- Support research and innovation in natural refrigerant technologies to institutions and companies;
- Integration of research activities, dissemination of results from research to more stakeholders;
- Promotion of natural refrigerants (ozone and climate friendly technologies) through dissemination of information;
- Organization of public campaign;
- Web site hosting, presenting all activities and news, case studies, sponsors.
Under the Montreal protocol the application of CFC refrigerants in developed countries is forbidden since 1996, and in developing countries the phase-out will be implemented in 2010. HFC alternative refrigerants which are harmless to the ozone layer have appeared on the market, but they have a big potential for global warming, and they are put in groups covered by the Kyoto protocol. This was the reason for the use of natural refrigerants that were known before, such as ammonia, carbon-dioxide, hydro-carbons (isobutane, propane etc.), air and water, as well as new researches towards other alternative refrigeration technologies. |