International.
The Q-NET (Quantum Nanoelectronics Training) project is a European network aimed at promoting the technical training of experienced researchers in different fields of application of this technology; among them, the one referring to the refrigeration industry. Researchers are tasked with developing new concepts, materials and application methods in order to create new types of nanostructures.
The French and Italian partners of the Q-NET Project have proposed a new design for a superconducting cooler where cooling takes place in a cascade system. Thanks to this multi-stage operation, the refrigerator can cool a normal metal with improved performance compared to similar refrigerators.
In Finland, another success of the project is given by the demonstration of electronic thermometry on a time scale of microseconds. The device is based on the union of a superconducting insulating metal tunnel coupled to a resonant circuit in radio frequency.
In Spain, movements are also made in the study of nanotechnology in refrigeration. One of the greatest exponents of them is the study "Prospective Technological on the application of Nanotechnology in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector", promoted by the IDEA Agency (Agency for Innovation and Development of Andalusia) and carried out by Dr. Rafael Serrano, Technical-Industrial Design coordinator of the IAT (Andalusian Institute of Technology), at the request of AFAR (Association of Andalusian Manufacturers of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning).
Among the conclusions of the study are, as technological areas of greater relevance, the replacement of metallic materials by polymeric compounds, research into new cooling cycles applying nanotechnology, the development of new insulators and the research of new refrigerants and gas sensors. On the other hand, the construction and health sectors are identified as areas with the greatest development potential, especially in terms of refrigeration and air conditioning in terms of thermal insulation and protection against aggressive environments.
The work includes among its main conclusions the need for financing for R&D projects for the sector in areas such as the use of protective coatings, new refrigerants, insulators and "nanocomposites" that replace metallic materials, as well as the convenience of promoting previous technological and market feasibility studies.
As for the way to carry out these works, generally expensive from the economic point of view, the study emphasizes the convenience of the sector acting through the creation of consortia formed by the main companies in the sector.
Source: www.aefyt.com
