Germany’s Chillventa show was held in Nuremburg on October 16-18. The biennial event, now into its 10th year, is considered “the meeting place for the international refrigeration, AC, ventilation and heat pump community”.

Numbers this year were up. For the fi rst time there were more than 1,000 exhibitors, who displayed their wares to a total of 35,490 visitors. According to organisers, about twothirds of the exhibitors and around 60% of the attendees were from outside Germany. It was evident that natural refrigerants (both CO2 and fl ammable refrigerants) have been taken up enthusiastically, given the impending HFC phase-down and restrictions in Europe for large installations. The number of manufacturers now building transcritical CO2 packs is impressive, showing that the industry in Europe has embraced the change to natural refrigerants. The availability of small CO2 condensing units, which fi ll the gap for small installations that are not suitable for multi-compressor packs, was also interesting. This will allow the takeup of natural refrigerants across the refrigeration spectrum, and not limit it to large supermarkets.

A takeaway from Chillventa was that Europe is ready for an increase in the charge limit for flammable refrigerants. The increased limit could become a reality by early 2019. This will allow hydrocarbons a larger market of the small refrigeration sector, plugging a gap where CO2 is an expensive option. Another takeaway from Chillventa was the changes to control systems and how interactive and intuitive they are becoming.