Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DAC (Dynamic Air Cooling) (Breakthrough cold generation technology for efficient & environmentally-friendly cooling.)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-07-01 al 2025-01-31
Cooling plays a key role in health, food preservation, industrial efficiency, and economic development. However, the growing global demand for cooling presents a major environmental challenge and an urgent need for innovation.
Currently, cooling systems rely on century-old vapor compression technology, which is highly energy-intensive. In many regions, cooling accounts for a substantial share of electricity consumption—the U.S. alone uses more energy for air conditioning than the entire continent of Africa consumes for all purposes. This trend will accelerate rapidly as incomes rise and climate change increases cooling needs. By 2060, global energy demand for cooling is expected to overtake that of heating.
Most AC and refrigeration systems depend on fluorinated gases (HFCs), which have an extreme global warming potential (GWP)—trapping up to 4,000 times more heat than CO2 when leaked.
Dynamic Air Cooling (DAC) introduces a fundamentally new approach to cooling, offering a sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional technologies. Instead of relying on refrigerants, DAC cools air by reducing its internal energy, eliminating the need for harmful fluorinated gases .
This innovative system is designed to significantly reduce energy consumption and environmental impact:
● more energy-efficient than traditional vapor compression cooling.
● Zero refrigerants, eliminating HFC-related emissions.
● Up to 30% lower CAPEX due to its simpler design and compact size.
● Versatile applications: DAC can be implemented in residential cooling, industrial refrigeration, automotive air conditioning, and even large-scale infrastructure such as data centers and LNG terminals.
By addressing the growing global need for sustainable cooling, DAC contributes to multiple EU strategic priorities, including energy efficiency, industrial innovation, and climate action.
Currently, cooling systems rely on century-old vapor compression technology, which is highly energy-intensive. In many regions, cooling accounts for a substantial share of electricity consumption—the U.S. alone uses more energy for air conditioning than the entire continent of Africa consumes for all purposes. This trend will accelerate rapidly as incomes rise and climate change increases cooling needs. By 2060, global energy demand for cooling is expected to overtake that of heating.
Most AC and refrigeration systems depend on fluorinated gases (HFCs), which have an extreme global warming potential (GWP)—trapping up to 4,000 times more heat than CO2 when leaked.
Dynamic Air Cooling (DAC) introduces a fundamentally new approach to cooling, offering a sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional technologies. Instead of relying on refrigerants, DAC cools air by reducing its internal energy, eliminating the need for harmful fluorinated gases .
This innovative system is designed to significantly reduce energy consumption and environmental impact:
● more energy-efficient than traditional vapor compression cooling.
● Zero refrigerants, eliminating HFC-related emissions.
● Up to 30% lower CAPEX due to its simpler design and compact size.
● Versatile applications: DAC can be implemented in residential cooling, industrial refrigeration, automotive air conditioning, and even large-scale infrastructure such as data centers and LNG terminals.
By addressing the growing global need for sustainable cooling, DAC contributes to multiple EU strategic priorities, including energy efficiency, industrial innovation, and climate action.
Over the project’s duration, DAC technology advanced significantly, achieving major milestones in cooling efficiency, system optimization, and industrial validation. The team successfully developed and refined the airflow generation module, electricity generation module, and control unit firmware. Further improvements in high-speed turbine efficiency enhanced airflow performance, while noise levels were significantly reduced from 114 dB to 80 dB, making the system more suitable for commercial and industrial environments. The compressor system was further optimized for automated cooling regulation, improving system adaptability across different operational conditions.
Prototyping reached 85% completion, with three industrial prototypes developed and adapted for HVAC, food storage, and automotive applications. These prototypes underwent initial performance testing, confirming DAC’s suitability for industrial environments, particularly in mining and underground facilities, where its refrigerant-free cooling technology provides unique advantages over conventional systems. Tests demonstrated stable cooling capacity, reduced operational costs, and improved environmental performance in enclosed industrial spaces.
As the project moves toward commercialization, additional performance testing is planned for 2025 to refine the system’s efficiency benchmarks and optimize key components before large-scale deployment. These final validation phases will ensure full compliance with international cooling industry standards and accelerate market adoption across multiple industrial sectors.
Prototyping reached 85% completion, with three industrial prototypes developed and adapted for HVAC, food storage, and automotive applications. These prototypes underwent initial performance testing, confirming DAC’s suitability for industrial environments, particularly in mining and underground facilities, where its refrigerant-free cooling technology provides unique advantages over conventional systems. Tests demonstrated stable cooling capacity, reduced operational costs, and improved environmental performance in enclosed industrial spaces.
As the project moves toward commercialization, additional performance testing is planned for 2025 to refine the system’s efficiency benchmarks and optimize key components before large-scale deployment. These final validation phases will ensure full compliance with international cooling industry standards and accelerate market adoption across multiple industrial sectors.
The DAC project demonstrated significant potential for various cooling applications and completely eliminated refrigerant emissions, proving its viability in HVAC, food storage, and mining applications. Key improvements include optimized turbine efficiency, reduced noise levels from 114 dB to 80 dB, and enhanced compressor automation, ensuring better performance control under various conditions. Prototype validation confirmed DAC’s suitability for industrial environments where traditional refrigerants pose regulatory and operational challenges, particularly in mining and underground facilities.
To ensure full market uptake, further performance testing in 2025 will be crucial, followed by third-party certification to validate the system against international industry standards.
Collaboration with key industrial partners will support large-scale deployment, while securing IPR protection and patents will help safeguard technological advancements. Additionally, aligning with regulatory frameworks such as the EU F-Gas Regulation and Kigali Amendment will further accelerate commercialization.
For international market expansion, DAC must comply with EU and global cooling standards, ensuring recognition in North American, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets. Further investment and financial support will be required to scale production, optimize manufacturing costs, and establish supply chain resilience, facilitating broader adoption of this sustainable, refrigerant-free cooling technology.
To ensure full market uptake, further performance testing in 2025 will be crucial, followed by third-party certification to validate the system against international industry standards.
Collaboration with key industrial partners will support large-scale deployment, while securing IPR protection and patents will help safeguard technological advancements. Additionally, aligning with regulatory frameworks such as the EU F-Gas Regulation and Kigali Amendment will further accelerate commercialization.
For international market expansion, DAC must comply with EU and global cooling standards, ensuring recognition in North American, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets. Further investment and financial support will be required to scale production, optimize manufacturing costs, and establish supply chain resilience, facilitating broader adoption of this sustainable, refrigerant-free cooling technology.