By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
A team of South Korean scientists has developed air conditioning technology that doesn't involve chemical compounds believed to cause global warming.
The team, headed by Prof. Vahc Young-woo at Yonsei University, took the wraps off a prototype of the environmentally friendly air conditioner, Tuesday.
``We created technology designed to generate a refrigeration cycle without having to depend on widely used refrigerants such as freon,'' Vahc told reporters at a press meeting in Seoul.
``In addition, the next-generation air conditioner does not need the huge external section that is typically installed on apartment balconies,'' the 56-year-old said.
This is not the first time that scientists have unveiled a freon-less air conditioner but their functionality failed to meet up with that of existing products.
By contrast, Park's team demonstrated that their prototype can produce a temperature drop from 26 degrees Celsius to 16 degrees in just three minutes during the press conference.
``Our technology can chill air by 12 degrees in several minutes and this performance is good enough to be applied for commercial purposes,'' Vahc said.
``More than anything, the new solution will cut down on the use of freon that is blamed as one of the main culprits behind global warming,'' he said.
Freon is widely thought to be sharing some of the responsibility for global warming.
``Another advantage of our new system is that it consumes almost the same amount of electricity as traditional air conditioners. Plus, its price will be cheaper when produced en masse,'' Vahc said.
The professor predicted that the refrigerant-free cooling techniques will help the country preempt the global air conditioner market which amounts to $30 billion a year.
Park and his associates, who spent four years developing the eco-friendly techniques, applied for patents both at home and abroad for the new technology.