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Cambridge Enterprise portfolio company Camfridge, which specialises in gas-free cooling technology, is partnering with the UK’s largest seller of refrigerators in a major pan-European consortium examining energy efficiency from farm to plate.
The objective of the multi-million FRISBEE (Food Refrigeration Innovations for Safety, consumers Benefit, Environmental impact and Energy optimization along the cold chain in Europe) project is to provide new tools, concepts and solutions for improving refrigeration technologies along the food chain.
The project will develop new innovative mathematical modelling tools that combine food quality and safety together with energy, environmental and economic aspects to predict and control food quality and safety in the cold chain.
This is a great opportunity for us to connect to users of refrigerant technology across the entire food chain; this project will allow us to considerably expand our partner network increasing awareness and uptake of our technology into new business areas.
Neil Wilson
Camfridge is concentrating on how energy efficiency can be improved in the home, and, among other partners, is partnering with Turkish company Arçelik, which retails in UK under the well-known Beko brand name, to develop highly efficient fridges.
Refrigerators in Europe are graded by efficiency. A new class of efficiency, labelled A+++, is due to be introduced by 2011, and market studies project it to be the dominant sales category by 2015.
Current refrigerators maintain cool temperatures by incorporating gas compressors, which are heavy, noisy and harmful for the environment. Camfridge has developed a high efficiency gas-free cooling technique using magnetic refrigeration.
Magnetic refrigeration promises a number of benefits over conventional methods, including up to a 50% reduction in energy consumption, elimination of gas and ease of recycling.
“This is a great opportunity for us to connect to users of refrigerant technology across the entire food chain; this project will allow us to considerably expand our partner network increasing awareness and uptake of our technology into new business areas,” commented Neil Wilson, Camfridge’s CEO.
The FRISBEE project involves 26 partner organisations from 12 countries. The project began last month and will run for four years. For more information, click here.