Ok, great headline, but the only tangible point in the article basically says it uses less refrigerant. No claimed efficiency gains, which is where widespread AC use really kills us. In fact, this bit comes off as blowing a bit of blowing smoke. In a typical HVAC unit, the refrigerant is in a sealed system, where it can do nothing to improve indoor air quality. Marketing speak from the CEO? Or is there something vastly different that the (non-technical) author failed to capture? I was hoping for something more substantial...
Like this too. Creates its own energy storage so it can help absorb excess renewable capacity The potential benefits don't stop and end there either. Betts explained that Blue Frontier's air conditioning units can also store energy for later use. "The storage also allows us to consume the bulk of our energy when renewable energy is abundant and when electric grid congestion is low. We avoid consuming electricity during peak demand periods that are powered by fossil fuel peaking plants," said Betts. As the planet comes to rely more on electric sources of clean energy, using stored energy will serve as a good way to mitigate the extra stress power grids will feel. Which in turn can cut down on the risk of blackouts.
Would be interesting to see cost, energy efficiency, and cooling efficiency. Seems like a dehumidifier.
The potential benefits don't stop and end there either. Betts explained that Blue Frontier's air conditioning units can also store energy for later use. "The storage also allows us to consume the bulk of our energy when renewable energy is abundant and when electric grid congestion is low. We avoid consuming electricity during peak demand periods that are powered by fossil fuel peaking plants," said Betts. As the planet comes to rely more on electric sources of clean energy, using stored energy will serve as a good way to mitigate the extra stress power grids will feel. Which in turn can cut down on the risk of blackouts.
Will these AC’s sync up to the 5G chips in our blood (from the vaccine?). AC units wirelessly connected and regulating body temps. Think about it.
From the article. Traditional air conditioning units work by leveraging refrigerants. These refrigerants degrade the ozone layer and contribute to carbon emissions. Blue Frontier has reformatted air conditioning to use 1/5 of the refrigerants that current models use. Additionally, the refrigerants that its model uses are not as impactful to the environment. "The combined effect is an 85% to 87% reduction in our system's contribution to global warming," said Blue Frontier CEO Daniel Betts to CNBC. I'll venture most of the older generation on this board recall the US banning the use of CFC(s) as a refrigerant back in the 80's and phased then out in 90's in favor of HCFC(s). Production of HCFC-22 and HCFC-142B were banned in 2010 (12 years ago). Production, import and use of all HCFC(s) was banned in 2015 (7 years ago). A solution is already in place for those that use HCFC(s) as a refrigerant and most traditional air conditioning have been replaced. Other than being a new technology I see no benefit for newer air conditioning units that use the replacement of HCFC(s) with R-410A. As mentioned above the refrigerant is a closed loop so I fail to see any sifnificant benefit concerning antiseptics and bactericides. One other mention concerning the article is the storing of energy for use in during peak hours of electricity usage. There is no mention on how this is to be achieved or how the unit can determine times of peak usage and draw from the bank so to speak. My suspicion is IOT and central control. Without further information the article is a sounds good feels good solution without beef. HCFCs and the Ozone Layer The most common alternative to R-22 is R-410A, a non-ozone-depleting HFC refrigerant blend. R-410A is manufactured and sold under various trade names, including GENTRON AZ-20®, SUVA® 410A, and PURON®. EPA reviews alternative refrigerants and maintains a list of acceptable substitutes for household and light commercial air conditioning. It is illegal to intentionally release refrigerant substitutes when making repairs. Technicians must take efforts to avoid releases during service.
Gates isn't the type of carnival barker to promote a product with only marginal improvements. I knew he was working on small scale nuclear plants using different materials to increase safety and be able to store energy thermally but I wasn't aware of their foray into A/C although this seems to be just a capital investment to allow for concept to go full scale commercial. With so much of the world getting ready to add AC, this could be revolutionary at a very opportune time. more here. tech was attempt to pull anthrax out of ventilation systems. it appears that the chemicals do interact with the air stream in an open loop system where the chemicals with low vapor pressure capture the water particles . this is a totally different way of cooling air. Bill Gates' BEV backs air conditioning startup Blue Frontier (cnbc.com) Blue Frontier uses one-third to one-fifth the amount of refrigerants that would be required for a conventional system, and because the construction of the machine is different than a conventional air conditioner, it can use a refrigerant with a lower global warming potential. “The combined effect is an 85% to 87% reduction in our system’s contribution to global warming,” CEO Daniel Betts told CNBC. The technology was actually discovered in efforts to kill airborne anthrax, which is a potential bioterrorism weapon, according to Betts. It’s based on liquid desiccants, which are chemicals with a lower level of vapor pressure than water. When humid air is passed over that liquid desiccant, the water is pulled out, dehumidifying the air. “Liquid desiccants are excellent antiseptics and bactericides. So the contact of anthrax with the liquid desiccant would kill it. This initial research led to innovations and discoveries that form the basis of Blue Frontier’s technology,” Betts told CNBC. “In fact, one of the advantages of Blue Frontier air conditioning technology would be a general improvement of indoor air quality and a healthier indoor environment.” Blue Frontier uses one-third to one-fifth the amount of refrigerants that would be required for a conventional system, and because the construction of the machine is different than a conventional air conditioner, it can use a refrigerant with a lower global warming potential. “The combined effect is an 85% to 87% reduction in our system’s contribution to global warming,” CEO Daniel Betts told CNBC. The technology was actually discovered in efforts to kill airborne anthrax, which is a potential bioterrorism weapon, according to Betts. It’s based on liquid desiccants, which are chemicals with a lower level of vapor pressure than water. When humid air is passed over that liquid desiccant, the water is pulled out, dehumidifying the air. “Liquid desiccants are excellent antiseptics and bactericides. So the contact of anthrax with the liquid desiccant would kill it. This initial research led to innovations and discoveries that form the basis of Blue Frontier’s technology,” Betts told CNBC. “In fact, one of the advantages of Blue Frontier air conditioning technology would be a general improvement of indoor air quality and a healthier indoor environment.”
Maybe the skeptic in me but it felt like next up in the Shark Tank..... I do applaud Gates for putting his money to potentially good use.
My guess is that this A/C system will function differently than the conventional systems that pass air over a sealed cooling coils. From the description, it seems that there will be ariflow through a chamber that allows for gas-to-liquid/solid interactions (air to dessicant). That would be a fairly radical departure in how the mechanisms work.
I am a retired HVAC rep, about 30 years ago I rep'd a liquid desiccant system design to remove moisture from outdoor air makeup. The system was made in Atlanta, and I managed to sell several units because it worked great in theory. That said, a year later none were still in service, they were maintenance headaches. The desiccant was hard to balance, and was constantly being pulled to the wrong side. The science is not new, so Gates' company better have a new wrinkle to actually succeed. Be careful if you're considering investing based on what I just read.
I like the effort but nothing in there is a breakthrough in technology. It's easy to cool things off but removing the humidity is the big energy usage, and the Pacific NW doesn't have a whole lot of that to deal with. That's why a lot of the LEED guidelines work well out west. You can use a lot of passive systems like trombe walls and stack effect when you don't have humidity to deal with and have larger temperature swings from day to night.
I would hope that in 30 years they have advanced the tech. I can't believe that Gates invested that sum without asking some very pointed questions and receiving data / answers that satisfied his concerns.
seems legit as they just recently won a national competition, using same desiccant method. The cooling method using dessicants scored highest in all 4 categories tested. Judged by scientists and really smart people. I wonder if they are also seeking venture capital. Group from Gainesville finished in honorable mention category. Lot of winners from MA, guess all MIT related. DHS Prize Winners Announced in Challenge to Counter Extreme Temperatures | Homeland Security The Grand Prize Winner is Zephyr Innovations, Inc. (Jacob Miller, CTO), of Somerville, MA. Zephyr Innovations will receive $50,000 for the Ultra-Efficient Air Conditioning via Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification and Evaporative Cooling solution. Zephyr Innovations’ solution is a cooling system that uses a compressor-free/refrigerant-free technology to significantly reduce energy consumption and the associated carbon emissions. The cooling solution scored the highest in all judging criteria. ... Four “Use Case” Category Winners will each receive $10,000: TAC Jacket Cooling Solutions (Nanohmics, Inc., Austin, TX), for first responders’ personal use or helping survivors who are at risk from heat-related stress. Hybrid Cooling Wrap (Team: Young Ko, Evelyn N. Wang, and Jeffrey C. Grossman, Cambridge, MA) for personal use and helping cool individuals in indoor or outdoor environments. Fuel-Flexible Ultra-Efficient Air Conditioning System for Improved Resilience (Micro Nano Technologies, Gainesville, FL) for household, group quarter or multi-person use as an alternative to conventional air conditioning or built-in cooling solutions. Radiative Cooling of Structures (Hal Greenberger, Better Stuff LLC, Natick, MA) for use in indoor/outdoor venues to cool homeless or displaced populations in public settings.
Humidity control is a major factor in air conditioning. I can be comfortable with the AC set at 75 blasting out ice cold air in FL or at 85 in AZ with just a ceiling fan on low.
They run out of greentown labs which is MIT related somehow. No compressor or refrigerant. They rebranded from M2 Thermal a while back. I remember their energy use claims were impressive. Wish they were public - would place a bet
I was just pointing out that some systems can be proven to work well in perfect environments, but if asked to perform in day to day changing environments don't continue to perform as designed. If difficult to maintain they won't survive.
