25 RAC trainers from the Colombian state’s job training institution SENA successfully participated in the technical training on the natural refrigeratn CO2. The event was organised by the Colombian NOU with the support of GIZ Proklima and UNDP.
From 29 November to 3 December 2021, the XVI National Meeting of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Instructors of SENA took place in Colombia. As part of the meeting, the Colombian Association of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ACAIRE) held a training for refrigeration and air conditioning instructors on the use of CO2 as a refrigerant. The five-day meeting, which took place in Barranquilla, was attended by 25 instructors from the Colombian state’s job training institution SENA. By training these instructors, hundreds of refrigeration technicians-in-training will gain knowledge on the application of the natural refrigerant CO2 and thus contribute to a green transition of the sector in Colombia.
On the first day, the XVI National Meeting was opened with welcoming remarks by Leydy Suarez, National Coordinator of the Colombian NOU, Paul Fernando Urzola, Manager of the Electronics and Automation Knowledge Network of SENA and Victor Fabian Arbeláez, Deputy Director of the National German-Colombian Centre of SENA Barranquilla. The NOU then presented the progress made in implementing the Montreal Protocol in Colombia.
The actual training started on the second day. It consisted of a theoretical and a practical session. In the first part, the participants learned the basic concepts of using CO2 as a refrigerant, the relevant safety aspects when handling CO2, as well as the structure of and trends in the industry.
Impressions of the theoretical sessions
Following up on the theoretical session, the second day covered control systems and accessories, the installation process and the start-up sequence. The practical session was carried out in a demonstration unit that allows for an interactive training of the participants in the use of CO2 as a subcritical and transcritical refrigerant.
Impressions of the practical sessions
During the third day, a series of talks on the available technologies and equipment for the use of CO2 as a refrigerant in the country were given by representatives of large national and international companies in the sector such as Emerson, Danfoss, Bitzer, Mayekawa and AG Cooling. During the XVI National Meeting, participants also had the opportunity to visit the facilities of two of the country’s largest supermarket chains that already have CO2 refrigeration systems in operation.
On the last day of the training the SENA National Sub-Network of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning presented the progress made in the revision and updating of the training plan for RAC technicians. All participants completed the final knowledge test with great success and received their certificates of attendance before returning to their home cities.