Inauguration of a laboratory for air refrigeration units at Hof University of Applied Sciences

Last week, with the inauguration of a laboratory on the Münchberg campus, a joint project of the Viessmann refrigeration solutions with Hof University of Applied Sciences has been launched.

The refrigeration market is currently undergoing a change: on the one hand, it has grown strongly due to increasing prosperity. On the other hand, the F-Gas Regulation, an international agreement to reduce global warming, bans previously used refrigerants. As a result, however, prices for refrigerants on the market have also risen enormously.

The core objective of the agreement is to reduce the greenhouse effect and reduce CO2 emissions. This requires a switch from conventional to natural refrigerants with much higher technical requirements fort he refrigeration unit. Of course, this challenge must be met and a way must be found to implement the undergoing change technically.

At the Campus Münchberg of the University of Applied Sciences of Hof, a laboratory for air-to-air refrigeration sets was developed in a one-year planning and construction phase. Two scientific employees of the university are currently working on this test bench and the research and optimization of refrigeration technology for the future. The testing laboratory is also supervised by the university by Prof. Dr. med. Schlosser, who holds the endowed professorship for refrigeration technology. The professorship was created as part of Hof's key performance as a refrigeration competence center. The Hans Viessmann Technology Foundation took over 50% of the costs for the construction of this test laboratory.

Main purpose of the laboratory is to help finding meaningful solutions that can be used medium-term due to the comprehensive changes in the framework conditions on the refrigeration market using scientific methods. It is about practice-oriented science and how to further optimize the application technology scientifically.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann, president of University of Applied Sciences Hof, gave a speech at the official inauguration of the laboratory. Besides some representatives of the Hans Viessmann Technology Foundation as well as participants from the R&D department of Viessmann Kühlsysteme GmbH have been on-site to introduce the test laboratory at the university and talk about trends in the refrigeration market and future developments.

The aim of the test laboratory should also be to carry out scientific bachelor, master and doctoral student theses on relevant refrigeration technology topics and to profitably use them for Viessmann. Eventually, further test laboratories will be formed in the same constellation between the co-operating parties.

Click here to see the German article in the Frankenpost.