Global heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP was in the news recently for its work with CO2 (R744), specifically the CO2 refrigeration system used by CERN to cool the Large Hadron Collider’s particle detectors. The company developed a new brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE) type specifically for the project.
In an interview with NaturalRefrigerants.com, Joakim Palmberg, SWEP’s Marketing Director, touched on its work on natural refrigerants and shared insights into the company’s expansion in China last year along with its decision to join the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace as a silver partner.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What natural refrigerant products is SWEP currently working on?
Joakim Palmberg: Recent policies such as the European F-gas Regulation are driving the market demand for heating and cooling systems toward natural and low-GWP refrigerants. The heating and cooling sector accounts for a significant share of global energy consumption, and the industry is challenged to find highly efficient and safe heat transfer solutions to help improve this.
SWEP has tested small sized capacities (residential heat pump size) with propane since 2019. [Our] new rig enables in-house testing of large capacity units, crucial in the development of new BPHEs that are optimized for systems based on natural refrigerants. We are working closely with our customers to develop products that meet system design requirements of next-generation heating and cooling systems.
“[Our] new rig enables in-house testing of large capacity units, crucial in the development of new BPHEs that are optimized for systems based on natural refrigerants.”
Joakim Palmberg,
Marketing Director at SWEP
In what sector is SWEP seeing the most growth for its natural refrigerant products, and what is driving this?
JP: Natural refrigerants are growing across all applications [because they are] an endgame refrigerant compliant with all refrigerant regulations globally.
SWEP expanded its manufacturing facilities in Suzhou, China, last year. What opportunities does SWEP see in China and the APAC region?
JP: We see a broad range of opportunities across APAC. The wide product portfolio of SWEP gives us scope to support our customers in many different applications. Complementing our traditional core market areas of air conditioning and residential heating, we are seeing high demand from customers connected to data centers and electronics cooling and heat recovery in line with global trends for AI infrastructure investments.
Why did SWEP decide to join the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace?
JP: Sustainability is in a broad sense central to how SWEP operates and a defining factor for our vision to significantly lower energy usage in heat transfer solutions. We want to make a lasting impact. Joining NaturalRefrigerants.com reflects SWEP’s commitment to exploring the potential natural refrigerants that can benefit our customers in addressing critical global challenges with low or no global warming potential refrigerants.
We are proud to join the NaturalRefrigerants.com marketplace as a trusted source of expertise, news and information on natural refrigerant-based technologies. We believe NaturalRefrigerants.com can support SWEP to promote its expertise and products in this important and growing market.
