The 51 participants — 50 male and one female — advanced to the national competition by successfully competing in regional and state SkillsUSA events.

So what can you do with natural refrigerants and where can you do it? That formed the basis of case studies presented at the second Atmosphere America Natural Refrigerants Conference in Washington, D.C.

President Barack Obama’s recently announced Climate Action Plan specifically references the future of the familiar HFC refrigerants all HVACR contractors work with on a daily basis.

At the second Atmosphere America Natural Refrigerants conference, attendees got a report on the most recent — at the time — U.S. government proposal for a worldwide agreement on what to do with HFCs.

Making ammonia work in traditional HFC territory, trying transcritical CO2 systems in ice rinks, and examining ways to apply refrigeration principles to heat transfer rates were just three topics of 13 papers (five in Spanish) presented at the most recent Industrial Refrigeration Conference and Expo.

The media event drew trade press from the U.S. and Canada, representing all six disciplines the company serves: plumbing, electrical, HVACR, building, remodeling, and maintenance.

It certainly appears that impartial judges have taken a liking to the practical HVACR components frequently added on to freezers and coolers, which help the units run efficiently and accurately.