LAUDA brings natural refrigerants to five temperature control product lines

LAUDA’s natural refrigerant equipment range now spans laboratory and industrial applications across five product lines

(Image courtesy of LAUDA)

LAUDA has expanded its temperature control equipment portfolio to include natural refrigerant variants across five product lines, covering laboratory and industrial applications that include battery production, EV manufacturing and electromobility supply chains.

Natural refrigerant temperature control addresses EV manufacturing requirements

The expansion follows LAUDA’s earlier introduction of CO₂-based process thermostats and Universa bath thermostats running on natural refrigerants. Two refrigerant classes underpin the new variants. CO₂ (R744) carries an A1 safety classification – non-flammable and non-toxic – and LAUDA identifies it as suited to applications requiring high cooling capacity and stable output at temperatures below 0°C. A3 refrigerants, including propane (R290) and propene (R1270), are flammable hydrocarbons with a global warming potential below 10, covering temperature ranges down to -100°C.

The EU F-Gas Regulation (EU 2024/573), in force since March 2024, creates what LAUDA describes as a strong incentive to develop and implement technologies using natural refrigerants. The transition forms part of what LAUDA calls its long-established sustainability strategy.

Expanded product lines cover laboratory to industrial scale

For laboratory use, Alpha bath thermostats now run on propane and achieve higher cooling capacity below 0°C than their F-gas predecessors. The Microcool circulation chiller range extends to four natural refrigerant models covering 0.35 to 2 kW, all using a magnetic coupling pump that eliminates shaft seal issues. Variocool process thermostats are available in natural refrigerant variants covering a temperature range down to -25°C.

At industrial scale, the Ultracool circulation chiller line is being expanded with natural refrigerant variants across multiple cooling capacity ratings. The Integral process thermostat line gains natural refrigerant models running on propane and, in higher-capacity variants, CO₂. All Integral XT units operate on the flow principle with cold oil overlay. Units carrying more than 150g of A3 refrigerant include an integrated gas detection sensor, quick-stop button and interface for connection to a central emergency stop system as standard.

Compact models cleared for air transport

LAUDA states that laboratory models using less than 100g of A3 refrigerant can be transported by air under applicable provisions, with separate logistics processes required above that threshold.

LAUDA lists electromobility alongside hydrogen, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors as core served markets. The availability of natural refrigerant temperature control options across laboratory and industrial scales gives engineering and procurement teams options aligned with current regulatory requirements and their own sustainability targets.

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