HT Materials Science a sustainable materials technology company based in Ireland and Italy, has announced the successful trial of its heat transfer fluid Maxwell.
The trial was undertaken with Tabreed, the world's leading district cooling company with 89 district cooling plants and 1.3M refrigeration tonnes of cooling across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Developed and manufactured by HTMS, Maxwell is a drop-in, nanofluid additive for cooling systems that can increase energy efficiency by up to 15 per cent in most commercial and industrial HVAC systems.
The pilot program with Tabreed has the potential to save approximately 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per annum, according to Thomas Grizzetti, co-founder and CEO of HTMS.
"One of the most stubborn obstacles to fighting climate change has been figuring out how to make industrial-scale cooling systems more energy efficient,” Grizzetti said.
“Maxwell represents a significant step forward in this area and can be implemented immediately. We are thrilled that Tabreed recognizes this opportunity for progress.”
Maxwell was trialled in the summer of 2023 at a Tabreed district cooling plant in Khalifah City, Abu Dhabi, which supplies chilled water to a 600,000 square foot educational campus.
The performance of Maxwell at Tabreed's facility demonstrated an increase in efficiency of the plant's chillers by 13.6 per cent compared with the same period in 2022 under comparable load and temperature conditions.
Tabreed CEO, Khalid Al Marzooqi, said this successful pilot project proves the power of international partnership and technological collaboration.
“We look forward to working with HTMS to further the application of their technology to advance sustainable cooling solutions that benefit communities and industries across the world,” he said.
Named after the pioneering scientist James Clerk Maxwell, who first developed the concept of nano fluids in the 19th century, Maxwell is an engineered suspension of sub-micron aluminum oxide particles in a base fluid of water or water/glycol ('nanofluid') that enhances heat transfer in HVAC systems.
Tabreed and HTMS will introduce Maxwell to other district cooling facilities in the company's global portfolio.
With cooling accounting for an estimated 70 per cent of energy consumption in the GCC, and global demand expected to triple by 2050, Maxwell could play a critical role in reducing the environmental impact of commercial and industrial cooling systems.