Natural refrigerants like CO2 (R744), ammonia (R717) and hydrocarbons are set to be a major focus at the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR)’s inaugural Adaptation 2025 conference, taking place August 10–13 in Manchester, England.
Organized by the Institute of Refrigeration (IoR), the four-day event will explore how rising global temperatures are impacting refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) systems. It will also examine the sector’s broader role in advancing climate adaptation and resilience efforts worldwide.
Topics will span sectors including retail, transport, hospitality, district heating and residential air-conditioning and heat pumps, with a focus on how each is being reshaped by the climate crisis.
“The Adaptation 2025 conference will address many aspects of the challenges we face as a result of climate change,” Andy Pearson, Chair of the conference’s organizing committee and Group Managing Director of Scottish industrial engineering company Star Refrigeration, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. “One of these is that rising design temperatures push all refrigerants closer to their critical point.”
“The Adaptation 2025 conference will address many aspects of the challenges we face as a result of climate change.”
Andy Pearson, Chair of the Adaptation 2025 organizing committee
At least 12 sessions on the conference agenda will specifically focus on natural refrigerants. Presentations on CO2-based systems will largely examine ways to optimize performance under high ambient temperatures, such as through pressure exchanger technology or integration with heat pumps.
“We have seen lower and lower critical temperatures in the replacement HFCs introduced over the years, but using natural refrigerants enables higher COPs to be achieved at elevated ambient temperatures – a built-in advantage that is not often talked about,” explained Pearson.
Other sessions will explore the potential of low-charge ammonia packaged units and safety and risk management strategies for hydrocarbon-based systems – two key factors in accelerating the adoption of natural refrigerants across a variety of applications.
Presenting organizations include Italian OEM Epta, Danish refrigeration systems and components manufacturer Danfoss and Norwegian research institute SINTEF.
On the final day of the conference, attendees can choose to join one of two technical tours – including a visit to Lineage’s automated warehouse, which features a low-charge ammonia refrigeration system – or a hands-on workshop focused on the EU’s ENOUGH Project, which looks at emissions reductions throughout the global food cold chain.
