Page 24 - Climate Control News November 2018
P. 24

Innovative Products 2019
Solutions set to power the future
Researchers claim the paint could be used in combination with air conditioning.
try that cooling buildings accounts for a signifi- cant proportion of electricity consumption — a major contributor to global warming.
Currently, air conditioning accounts for 10% of global energy consumption. Researchers at Colum- bia University and Argonne National Laboratory in the US said their polymer “paint” could be used in combination with conventional air conditioning.
They have created a film of polymer with na- nometre- and micrometre-sized air voids trapped inside. “There are a lot of examples of substances that are white from air voids – like snow for example,” according to Nanfang Yu, as- sociate professor in Applied Physics at Columbia University in the US. “Snow is white because there are a lot of air bubbles inside, otherwise you have ice which is transparent – it’s as simple as that. We are just pushing this to the extreme by this chemical process.”
The solution process they use is based on “phase inversion” and involves mixing the poly- mer with a solvent alongside water, in which the polymer is insoluble. After painting the mixture onto a surface, the solvent evaporates leaving just the polymer interspersed with water drop- lets. Finally the water evaporates leaving air voids. Adjusting the percentage of water in the mix allows precise control over the size and den- sity of the air voids, so that they can be tuned to maximize reflection of solar energy. In addition the micrometre-sized voids give the coating a thermal emissivity close to that of a black body, that is, a perfect radiator of heat. This high ther- mal emissivity of the polymer coating can be used to cool objects that are already hot. ✺
CCN PREVIEWS THE MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FOR 2019 AND IDENTIFIES THE TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGIES SHAPING THE FUTURE.
THIS MONTH'S FEATURE showcases the lat- est product releases and examines the latest re- search to influence the current and future prod- uct landscape.
For example, researchers have revealed details of a new paint that reflects 96 per cent of the sun’s heat, meaning it leaves a building’s walls 6C cooler than the surrounding air.
According to an article published in the jour- nal Science, this paint could greatly reduce the need for air conditioning.
It is common knowledge in the HVACR indus-
High traffic temperature control
TEMPERATURE CONTROL BETWEEN
areas is a challenge for many commercial and industrial applications, especially when there is a lot of personnel movement through the doorway.
DMF can provide the solution, with their cus- tom made high impact insulated Traffic door.
The DMF Traffic Door is a “push through”, two way swing type door, constructed with 40mm thick insulated panels, comprising a compressed foam providing both thermal and sound insulation. The surface finish is a heavy duty ABS, complete with option of double glazed polycarbonate windows. For greater impact resistance, a variety of bump-
er types are available to ensure a highly du- rable product for busy openings.
Up to 2.4m width doorways can be accom- modated with pairs, and height up to 3m. The doors swing 180 degrees, with automat- ic closing by a concealed spring action, which has variable torque control.
They are quiet in operation, and are de- signed for supermarkets, trading areas, hos- pitals, commercial kitchens, coolrooms and processing areas.
Contact DMF on 1800 281170 from any- where in Australia.
Visit www.dmf.com.au or email sales@ dmf.com.au. ✺
DMF's custom-made high impact, insulated traffic door.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
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