The Natural Refrigeration Award prizes were awarded to three winners June 22 during the eurammon Symposium. Every two years, eurammon, the initiative for natural refrigerants, rewards young scientists for pioneering research in the field of natural refrigerants. The award recipients presented and discussed their research work and results relating to the use of natural refrigerants during the symposium.

First prize went to Peng Gao from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. His dissertation related to the development of a solid sorption freezing system for refrigerated trucks. The system uses the exhaust gas — generated by combustion of the fuel in the truck engine at temperatures between 392 and 932°F (200 and 500°C) — for refrigeration in a two-stage, solid sorption freezing cycle operated with ammonia.

Second prize went to students Dennis Lerch and Stefan Brinkmöller for their project assignment as part of their engineering course at HsKA Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany. They developed a mobile, high temperature heat pump that has a cold and a hot water basin for cooling 35 bottles of wheat beer from 68 to 41°F (20 to 5°C) while at the same time heating 70 Bavarian Weisswurst sausages from 68 to 176°F (20 to 80°C).

A dissertation by Marco Cefarin from the Università degli Studi di Udine in Italy received third prize. The aim of the parametric study was to design an ammonia and water (NH3-H2O) absorption refrigeration system that is capable of making maximum use of industrial waste heat at low temperatures.