Weekly Wrap-up: Carrier Donates CO₂ TRUs to Berlin University, ebm-papst Heads to InnoTrans, China’s New CO₂ Cold Storage Facility and More

Carrier Donates CO₂ Transport Refrigeration Units to TU Berlin

Carrier Transicold has donated two CO₂ (R744) NaturaLINE container refrigeration units to Technische Universität (TU) Berlin to support commercial-scale research into transcritical CO₂ refrigeration technology. The university’s Institute of Energy Engineering will use the units for hands-on teaching for graduate students, while researchers will integrate and evaluate prototype components contained within for the development and testing of new heating and cooling systems.

“As regulatory requirements tighten and the industry moves toward more sustainable refrigeration solutions, advancing this technology is critical,” said Professor Stefan Elbel, Chair of Heat Transfer and Heat Conversion, Institute of Energy Engineering at TU Berlin, in a press statement. “We hope this marks the beginning of a long-term research collaboration with Carrier Transicold.”

Ebm-papst to Bring Its Propane Turbo Compressor to the Rail Sector

Germany-based OEM ebm-papst is bringing its oil-free turbo propane (R290) compressor to the rail sector. The company announced that it would exhibit the “CompaNamic” compressor at InnoTrans 2026, a transportation trade fair being held in Berlin from September 22 to 25. The company recently built a 23kW (6.5TR) monobloc air-to-water demonstration heat pump fitted with its turbo propane compressor.

LU-VE Provides New Air Coolers for New CO₂ Cold Storage Facility in China

Italian manufacturer LU-VE said it has provided more than 50 air coolers for a new cold storage facility in China using a CO₂ refrigeration system. The fully automated facility is located in the city of Yancheng and is 62m (203ft) tall, which LU-VE said makes it one of the tallest fully automated cold storage facilities in the world. Goods are stored between −22 and −25°C (−7 and -13°F).

Madagascar Ratifies the Kigali Amendment

Madagascar has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, making it the 174th country to do so. With Madagascar’s ratification, the number of African countries to have ratified the global agreement to phase down HFCs is now 48 out of a total of 54. Madagascar joins Haiti as the only countries to have ratified the Kigali Amendment so far in 2026.