Most industrial production processes require cooling to ensure appropriate temperature for effective operations. Data centers, manufacturing facilities, petrochemical plants, processing plants, refineries, steel mills, etc. need cooling system at precise temperature to work properly. Cooling systems (i.e. chillers) control temperatures and pressures by transferring heat from hot process fluids to cooling fluids (i.e. refrigerants) piped throughout chillers and carrying the heat away.
These refrigerants often contain fluorinated gases which have many interesting properties (e.g. high density, low boiling point) but whose Global Warming Potential and Ozone Depletion Potential pose a threat to the environment: contribution of fluorinated gases is up to 23,000 times higher than Carbon Dioxide. Therefore, fluorinated gases CFCs and HCFCs have progressively been banned by the 1985 Montreal Protocol, while the 2016 Kigali amendment will gradually cap and reduce the use of fluorinated gases HFCs. The latter is already being phased out in accordance to the Regulation n°517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16th April 2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases. Chemical industry is promoting a next generation of fluorinated gases called HFOs with lower global warming potential than HFCs. However, HFOs remain highly polluting and pose operational risks due to their highly flammable properties.
For most operators, this problem of unsustainability is very expensive. When a new regulation is made on cooling systems, operators must shut down their facilities to proceed to the weighty and costly work needed to comply with new regulations. After having to change twice their installations in a period of 30 years, operators of such facilities are now being wary of new fluorinated solutions such as HFO. In addition to that, the current monopoly around HFO makes this solution very expensive. As society’s demand is leaning toward more and more environmental friendly solutions, regulations are promoting more and more clean, natural and sustainable solutions.
In this context, Alan CHAUVIN and Karino KANG created Leviathan Dynamics to develop the first water-based refrigeration system cooled by air. Water as a refrigerant offers various advantages. This basic fluid ordinarily is plentiful and inexpensive in most industrialized regions of the world. Water has exceptional thermodynamics properties for all positive temperature applications. However, compared to other refrigerants, Water is complex to operate. Leviathan Dynamics is working to lift these complexities by using the most advanced technologies and with the vision that for all positive temperature applications, water will replace all other polluting and/or hazardous refrigerant.
