Every manufacturer strives for efficiency, but it’s rare that gigantic leaps forward are made in favour of incremental improvements. But that’s exactly what happened to the air conditioning business with a new technology to reduce weight by a whopping 40% while reducing the amount of coolant required, driving efficiency skyward.

What is a heat exchanger? Heat exchangers simply transfer heat from one substance into another, removing from one area and resulting in a cooling effect. They’re found in air conditioners, refrigerators and the radiator in your car’s engine, where they take heat from your engine’s coolant, transfer it into water and lower the temperature with high-speed airflow, leaving the engine coolant to suck up more heat as it goes around the system. The most efficient heat exchangers feature a large surface area between fluids, while also allowing fluid to flow through quickly. Fins and corrugations are often used to achieve this effect. Sharp’s new all-aluminium heat exchanger also reduces weight, resulting in easier to install and reducing the amount of coolant it requires.

Last week, a select number of building contractors, consultants and architects were shown Sharp’s next generation Orchid air conditioners, using a newly-developed all-aluminium heat-exchanger, they reduce the bulk of their predecessors by almost half.

Morisaki Akito, senior technical manager for air conditioners at Sharp Middle East FZE promised the new technology would “bring about a seismic shift thanks to the lighter and more efficient outdoor units.” He explained that the innovation also reduces its refrigerant requirement by 50%.

In addition to new all-aluminium heat exchangers, Sharp’s newest AC units feature Plasmacluster Ion technology, which neutralises impurities in the air and can even remove pet smells from buildings.

Showcasing the technology in Muscat, Sharp says its all-aluminium heat-exchanger ACs, which are an industry-first, are the solution to challenges for the air conditioning industry, which constantly battles size restrictions and is striving to improve efficiencies and eco friendliness.