There are calls for further improvements in product performance and the introduction of even more significantly lower GWP refrigerants. However, it is common knowledge in the industry that it will not be easy to achieve further significant improvements in the performance of equipment by extending the current status quo. There are also doubts about whether the introduction of highly flammable refrigerants and mixed refrigerants is really the right direction. While there is a common understanding that heat pumps are an excellent technology that should be further promoted, it is also true that we are facing an era in which it is extremely difficult to determine what direction heat pumps should take as products in the future.
Therefore, we will investigate the technology, refrigerants, evaluation methods, and economics related to the products, and analyze them using simulations and evaluation devices. While we tend to be preoccupied with the immediate future, we will consider the direction in which product development should proceed, including the evaluation of equipment performance and refrigerants from a step ahead, including academia, in a joint effort between industry and academia.
