§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the letter of 11 November (td-235-11) from the Minister for Energy and Industry to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what progress he has548W made in considering air products refrigeration systems using air as the coolant as an alternative to CFCs and other ozone-depleting refrigerants. [65407]
§ Mr. BattleMy officials have contacted Air Products Europe Inc. to obtain further information about the Closed Cycle Air Refrigeration (CCAR) system. Their response suggests that the current technology is not yet an economic proposition for domestic refrigeration, but has potential for specialised industrial and buildings applications such as large food storage facilities. The promotion of air cycle refrigeration is being addressed by 2 special interest groups set up with MAFF assistance at the Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre at Bristol University, which has received UK and EU funding. Air Products have been in contact with the Centre and have given a presentation on the CCAR system.