The following five stories from China are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."
Feng Jiang
After graduating from university in 1982, I was assigned to work in the Household Electrical Appliances Bureau, Ministry of Light Industry of China. My main responsibility was industry management, such as formulating industry development plans, annual production plans and industry policies and standards, as well as promoting technology and so on. In 1992, I joined the China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA) as Deputy Secretary-General. From 1999 to 2009, I was the Vice President and Secretary-General of CHEAA, responsible for managing the operations of the association. Since January 2010, I have been the President of the association and take full responsibility for its operations.
As CHEAA’s team leader for coordinating industrial strategy, and especially the technical options for the phaseout of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in the domestic RAC sector, in light of the commitment made by the Chinese Government at the beginning of the 1990s, I have been increasingly engaged in the RAC sector.
In the early 1990s, the RAC industry globally worked hard for the phaseout of CFCs, with a view to protecting the ozone layer. My office coordinated the CFC phaseout work in the manufacturing sector of the domestic refrigerator, which had just been introduced to Chinese families. However, two different technological alternatives to CFCs for domestic refrigerators were dominating the market. One was man-made chemicals such as HFC-134a, supported by the world’s chemical companies; another was natural gas such as R 600a. Even though natural refrigerants are widely recognized as more environmentally friendly and could be a long-term solution without the worry of a second conversion, the industry was still divided. In consulting with national and international experts and holding extensive discussions with industry stakeholders, I was convinced that natural refrigerants were the right option. Therefore, we organized the Chinese industry to visit international refrigeration companies to gain experience in using hydrocarbon technology in the domestic refrigeration sector. I also personally encouraged and lobbied Chinese companies to develop research and development and line conversions on using hydrocarbons in the domestic refrigerator sector. Now, HC-600a and cyclopentane are widely used as refrigerants and foaming agents respectively in the domestic refrigeration sector in China and in the world. The annual production of domestic refrigerators in China has increased from several million units to more than 70 million units.
When attention shifted to the phaseout of HCFC-22 in the residential AC sector at the beginning of the 2000s, I noted that the alternative was facing similar challenges as in the 1990s with the CFC phaseout in the refrigerator sector. In about 2007, I initiated and facilitated a project to conduct a feasibility study to replace HCFC-22 with HC-290, in close collaboration with China’s government departments, manufacturers and CHEAA. The study revealed that HC-290 was an excellent refrigerant for residential AC, except for the challenge of its high flammability, which could be overcome through technology and engineering. To promote further R&D and global cooperation on this technology, in the following years, I initiated a series of international workshops and domestic seminars on alternatives to HCFC-22 in the residential AC sector so that domestic and international experts could exchange views and come up with options in areas such as techniques, standards, policy and servicing related to the adoption of HC-290. I, as the leader of the technical committee for the phase-out of HCFCs in the AC sector, led and promoted the development and adoption of international standards and other activities to promote the use of HC-290, not only benefiting the protection of the ozone layer, but also contributing to mitigating climate change. With the strong leadership of CHEAA, China’s industry finally adopted R 290 as the alternative and converted 19 residential AC production lines and four compressor lines.
In addition to the work on the protection of the ozone layer, I led a series of initiatives to improve the energy efficiency of domestic refrigerators and residential AC. From 1999 to 2007, I, as the domestic specialist of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project on promoting energy-efficient refrigerators in China, played a leading role in designing and implementing the project. This project successfully removed the market barriers for commercializing highly energy-efficient refrigerators in China. Through this project, the daily power consumption of average refrigerators improved by 28.7%, from 0.794 kWh in 1999 to 0.566 kWh in 2005. In the following years, we cooperated with China’s Government to design and implement the GEF project on promoting energy efficient residential AC in China. I, as the leader of the CHEAA team, undertook a series of activities to promote the commercialization of energy-efficient residential AC in China.
Additionally, to promote the sustainable development of the industry, I participated in the formulation of several national policies for the home appliance industry in recent years, including Home Appliances going to the Countryside, Household Appliance Trade-in Subsidies, subsidizing and popularizing efficient home appliances, and China’s approval of rules governing the waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). As a representative of the Chinese home appliance industry, I have offered the Government ideas, comments and suggestions to make such policies more conducive to industrial development.
I have worked with China’s domestic RAC industry for more than 30 years. I am proud of myself for being part of industrial development and the leading role China played in the phaseout of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and the improvement of energy efficiency. As a working woman, I found that more and more women started to work in the home appliance industry in China. For example, there were about eight female engineers from residential AC compressor manufacturers who participated in the technical training for energy efficiency organized by CHEAA in 2013. They accounted for 25% of the total number of trainees. The women in the domestic RAC industry are in positions spanning the whole product chain such as management, research, testing, assembly and servicing. I feel that women are playing an increasingly important role in the development of the domestic RAC industry in China.
Jiang Shaoming
My interest in the RAC sector started during my graduate studies at Tianjin University, where my tutor was developing carbon dioxide (CO2) expander technology. Once I learned that this gas could be used as a refrigerant, I became determined to develop CO2 technology to bring about a positive social impact.
At the time, working with environmentally friendly substances was becoming a trend within the European Union, the United States and Japan, so I was convinced that the research and development (R&D) on CO2 as a natural refrigerant would be promising. MOON Environment Technology Co., Ltd, where I started working in 1987, was already a well-known leader in the development of screw compressors, heat exchangers and high efficiency refrigeration systems, so I became convinced that there would an opportunity for me to explore my new passion.
I work for MOON Tech to this day and am devoted to the development of applications for refrigeration equipment and technology, and R&D on environmentally friendly refrigerant systems. I am the technological founder of the MOON NH3/CO2 cascade and secondary refrigerant system.
In the early stages of the project, we conducted extensive research and made calculations on refrigerants, and evaluated each refrigerant objectively. Based on a comprehensive consideration of safety, environmental protection and energy efficiency, we decided to use NH3 and CO2 refrigerants as substitutions to R 22. NH3 is used in the high temperature stage of refrigeration due to its good refrigeration properties, while CO2 is used in the system’s low temperature stage because of its good yow and heat transfer properties in low temperatures.
In 2006, I led the team in starting the performance test on the NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system in the MOON laboratory. Meanwhile, we successfully developed the first high-pressure CO2 screw refrigeration compressor in China. We tested the materials and heat transfer technology for various types of heat exchangers such as plate and shell exchangers, shell and tube exchangers, tube exchangers and air-cooled exchangers. We then studied the applied technology in CO2 refrigeration systems.
The hardest part of the project was neither R&D nor system optimization, but market promotion. As the technology was new, clients were hesitant to adopt it early on, especially as the pressure on the compressor, valve and pipe was relatively higher for the new system than the old, which meant that investment costs were about 10% higher. However, the new system was not only energy efficient, but, in time, would reduce operation and maintenance costs, as CO2, as a natural refrigerant, was cheaper. To promote the project, I invited MOON Tech’s first target client, Yantai Fengrun Food, to witness the system’s safety, efficiency and reliability during the testing phase, which helped to win the client’s confidence in the system. Additionally, as a senior manager of MOON Tech, I promised Yantai Fengrun Food that we would provide excellent after-sales and maintenance services. This was crucial to convince the client to adopt the new technology. Thus, after more than two years of work and continuous improvement, in 200n, China’s first NH3/CO2cascade refrigeration system was successfully operated in the factory of Yantai Fengrun Food Co., Ltd. The safe, environmentally friendly, efficient operation results broadened the application scope of the NH3/CO2 refrigeration system so that it flourished everywhere. The NH3/CO2 refrigeration system, initially used for quick-freezing, aquatic food processing, then found applications in beer, dairy, logistics, ice making, ice and snow projects and, currently, in artificial environments. The NH3/CO2 refrigeration system has provided guidance in finding a replacement for R-22 in China’s commercial refrigeration sector. It also encouraged R&D for the NH3/CO2 refrigeration system at home and abroad.
According to statistics, more than 200 units of the NH3/CO2 refrigeration system have been sold in the Chinese market and all of them work well.
My dedication and determination resulted in the development and implementation of the demonstration project that replaced HCFC-22 technology with a NH3-CO2 cascade refrigeration system, in which I played a leadership role. In addition to researching solutions, I was responsible for reviewing every design of technology and choosing which would be applied in the project. The project was listed globally and received the “Exemplary Project Award» from the Secretariat of the “Montreal Protocol» at the 201ÇOzone Awards. It was a result of continuous hard work and learning by myself and my team. Moreover, R&D for the NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system has spearheaded the development of innovative technology in the industry and created a boom in R&D for the NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system. Since 2014, the NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system has been a popular product in every Chinese refrigeration exhibition and, in China’s second phase of eliminating R-22, it has also become the main alternative technical route in the refrigeration weld.
Until now, I have led the Yantai MOON team to complete the application, construction and industrialization work for the “Demonstration Project Using the NH3/CO2 Cascade Refrigeration System to Replace R-22”, the “Industrialization Project Using the NH3/CO2 Secondary Refrigerant System to Replace R-22” and the “Heating Demonstration Project with an Environmentally Friendly and Low Carbon Heat Pump” and I am currently working on the replacement of R-22 with R-290 in the industrial refrigeration sector. With the implementation of the project, the application of China’s two national standards, namely, “Safety Regulations for CO2 Refrigeration Systems» (approved draft) and GB/T29030-2012 “Volumetric CO2Refrigeration Compressors (Unit)”, has also been completed.
Regarding R&D, I believe that all phases must combine theory and practice and that technology should be something practical that requires people to experience, calculate and compare. Such a mindset is particularly important at the beginning of your design tasks. Taking CO2 as an example, right at the start of your design, you should have a deep understanding of the characteristics and uniqueness of the gas and know where to locate compatible materials. No one should create designs based only on imagination – they have to be underpinned by knowledge and practice. My personal motto is “practice is the only standard to verify theory”.
As for being a woman in the RAC sector, I think of myself as contributing to protecting the Earth just like the goddess Nüwa, from ancient Chinese mythology, who worked to mend the patches in the heavens to fix the destruction caused by evil forces. I believe that, in our industry, women have greater awareness than men with regards to environmental conservation, safety concerns, and energy-saving. Perhaps we are stricter about these aspects, as well.
Jing Yang
Educational background
1999-2003
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Major: Thermal Energy and Power Engineering - Degree: Bachelor’s degree
2003-2006
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Major: Fluid Mechanics and Engineering - Degree: Master’s degree
March 2013-October 2013 Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Guangdong Province
Major: Refrigeration Equipment Repair - Senior Technician
Work experience 2006 – present
I work as a vocational teacher in the weld of refrigeration at Guangzhou Light Industry Senior Technical School. I am mainly responsible for daily teaching and equipment maintenance. Otherwise, I am the key teacher of the refrigeration research team, as I am responsible for teaching refrigeration. I am a member of the National Training Center for repairs in the Chinese refrigeration industry.
Other relevant experiences activities
1. I have an operator license for refrigeration equipment and can undertake all kinds of operation and maintenance work in that weld;
2. I played a role in the declaration process of the National Training Center for repairs in the Chinese refrigeration industry. Now I am a trainer and have provided theoretical knowledge and practical training to over 260 trainees.
3. I have participated in Guangdong Province’s teacher training course specializing in refrigeration. As a trainer, I provide theoretical knowledge and practical training to students.
“I am a trainer and have provided theoretical knowledge and practical training to over 260 trainees.”
Chun-hui Liu
Chun-hui Liu began to work for Shanghai Highly Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd (formerly known as Shanghai Hitachi Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd) after graduating from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where she received her doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering in August 1999. She has been working as the manager of the R&D Department, as well as the Compressor Development Department, and is currently acting as the head of the R&D Department. She was named Senior Engineer in April 2002 and Professorate Senior Engineer in 2008.
Chun-hui Liu has been responsible for a number of difficult compressor development projects. She is in charge of exploring and organizing basic and key technology in the company, as well as promoting numerical simulation technology, establishing the computer-aided, engineering analysing capabilities for fluid, noise, nonlinear structures, fatigue, materials and oil, and setting up the evaluation of material compatibility tests. In addition, she has cooperated with a large number of domestic and international universities and research institutions to support the company’s technical research capabilities and, at the same time, promote the development of the entire industry.
Chun-hui Liu has, so far, been granted 52 patents of 126 applications. Among nine patents for inventions, one Japanese patent and one U.S. patent have been approved. She has published 35 papers in journals and academic conferences, both in China and abroad, and has won high recognition in the industry.
With the signing of the Montreal Protocol, RAC technology is evolving to develop refrigerant products that protect the environment. Chun-hui Liu’s research focus has thus changed to embrace this new trend and develop new compressors with environmentally friendly refrigerants such as R-407C, R-161, R-290, R-32 and CO2. Her priority is mainly to establish a platform for the development of environmentally friendly compressors, develop key technology and promote the wide application of compressors with such refrigerants. Her main tasks are as follows:
1. Establish an evaluation platform for refrigerating machine oil for environmentally friendly compressors.
Refrigerant oil has been known as the blood of the compressor and has an effect on the performance and reliability of compressors. Each refrigerant needs the corresponding refrigerant oil and evaluating the refrigerant oil is one of the most important steps in the development of the new compressor. A comprehensive evaluation platform for compressors intended to protect the environment has thus been set up in the company. Through this platform, the lubricating oil of the refrigerant oil, the solubility of the new refrigerant and the compatibility of the material can be evaluated so that the suitable refrigerant oil can be developed quickly, and the development process of the compressor can be accelerated.
2. Establish environmentally friendly performance optimization tools for compressors.
In order to further improve the performance of environmentally friendly compressors, compressor performance optimization tools have been established according to the characteristics of the ecological refrigerant. Through this optimization tool, the thermodynamic process and dynamic process inside the compressor can be thoroughly analysed. According to the results of the analysis, the structural parameters of the compressor can be optimized to improve the performance of the compressor to give it advantages in the protection of the environment and energy saving.
3. Solving the application problems of environmentally friendly compressors.
Each environmentally friendly refrigerant has its own, unique physical properties. For compressors, it is necessary to solve the application problems according to the characteristics of the refrigerant.
For R-290, because of its combustibility, it is necessary to reduce the amount in the compressor, thus reducing the amount of R-290 filling the system and improving its safety. The study of various methods of reducing refrigerant consumption in compressors has made it possible to develop an R-290 compressor with a low refrigerant volume.
For CO2 refrigerants, the system is transcritical. The characteristics of the cycle are very different from those of the traditional subcritical cycle. Based on the CO2 heat pump water heater, the characteristics of the transcritical cycle have thus been studied in depth, providing technical support for the promotion of CO2 compressors.
For R-32, the exhaust temperature of the compressor is high, which will affect its reliability. The suction belt fluid of the R-32 compressor must thus be studied. To ensure the reliability of the compressor, the degree of suction dryness is clearly defined and used to guide manufacturers so they can balance the system.
On the basis of the above platform, Chun-hui Liu is responsible for developing R-407C, R-161, R-290, R-32 and CO2 compressors and placing them at the forefront of the industry. Environmentally friendly compressors have achieved mass sales and also received a series of awards from the relevant organizations.
Chun-hui Liu’s achievements in developing compressor products, including variable capacity compressors and independent temperature and humidity control compressors, have been extraordinary, bringing the industry to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from a new perspective.
Many female researchers have been involved and trained in her group, including three technicians specializing in compressor refrigeration technology and two in simulation technology under her guidance. They have made major contributions to the company. Thanks to her achievements in the weld of refrigeration, the company has always held a leading position in the industry in terms of environmentally friendly and highly efficient compressors.
Lin Shi
I received my Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees from Xi’an Jiaotong University, which is the best university for refrigeration research in China. At the time, I was focusing on the other side of the refrigeration cycle: the power cycles for the generation of electricity. I then pursued my post-doctoral research at Tsinghua University, the top university in China, still working in the weld of power cycles. In 1994, I started my academic career at Tsinghua by assisting Prof. Zhu Mingshan in a first project to introduce R-134a to China’s refrigeration industry. That set me on the road to the study of refrigerants, which I have been walking for more than 20 years.
The field of refrigerants was an entirely new research field for me at the time, with many new words and concepts: CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, ozone layer protection, greenhouse effect, Montreal Protocol, air conditioner, chiller and so on. Everything begins from nothing, full of challenges. Thanks to the formal education I received, I learned quickly and taught others as I learned. At that time, less people in China knew and cared about the importance and urgency of refrigerant substitutes. I was involved in helping China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection to introduce the international conventions and China’s programme on the protection of the ozone layer and suppression of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the country’s refrigerant industry.
At the time, the refrigerants industry was emerging in China and the newly built production lines for refrigerators and air conditioners using R-12 faced elimination. If the substitute technology from western countries was indiscriminately imitated, there would be huge economic losses. Our task was thus to help Chinese companies to meet environmental requirements while minimizing changes to production lines. Consequently, I began to study the feasibility of direct filling technology, which meant finding the alternative refrigerant mixture with the closest performance to that of the original refrigerant. The study needed to be supported by a large number of experiments and answer many questions, including whether the thermophysical properties of the two refrigerants were similar, whether the original refrigerant oil could be used, whether the materials used in the original systems needed to be changed, how the system performed and how flammable the mixture was. I tested the flammability of different refrigerants over and over again, dozens of times a day, for half a year, suffering from the bad smell of the hydrofluoric acid resulting from the combustion of the refrigerants. I visited various air-conditioner, refrigerator and compressor companies to test the performance of the refrigerant mixtures we developed. I needed to prepare a great deal of materials to apply for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Programme (THR01, THR02, THR03 and THR04) and ASHRAE serial numbers (R-415A, R-415B and R-418A). We also needed to teach Chinese refrigerant manufacturers how to produce these refrigerants, assist them with developing product manuals and offer guidance for users in how to use the refrigerants. It is really tough to get people to accept a new refrigerant. What drove me onwards was confidence, together with my woman’s tenacity.
My efforts were rewarded. I received a national award for my contributions to the development of refrigerants. Through books and articles, I published on refrigerants to inform more people about them, I gradually became a specialist in the eyes of others. In the second stage of the international action on refrigerant replacement, I was selected as a member of the HCFC replacement technology expert committee for the national Ministry of Environmental Protection. I took part in developing the national programme on HCFC replacement in China’s refrigeration industry and proposed R-32 as an alternative to R-22 in 2009, which garnered much attention and was included in the national programme. I have participated in the review of China’s implementation project for the Multilateral Fund. I have attended the Ozone2Climate industry roundtable co-hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) and the Chinese Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (CRAA).
I work in a field in which men are in the majority and in which I have received respect and a sense of achievement, instead of isolation. As a matter of fact, unlike the large scale of power plants, refrigerators and air conditioners are on a relatively small scale and they are close to our life, making the sector more suitable for women. I thus hope that more and more women will get involved and approach the beauty of the refrigerant world, becoming the new force in the field of refrigeration.
