Press Release
JAL Collaborates with Toppan Forms to Develop and Introduce New Refrigerant
Tokyo, October 18, 2010: JapanAirlines (JAL) and Toppan Forms Co., Ltd (TOPPANFORMS) have successfully developed a high-functional refrigerant, named MechaCool, for in-flight beverage services (soft drinks, beers, wines, etc) and are the first to introduce the product to the airline industry.MechaCoolwas introduced on JAL flights between Narita and Honolulu from October 18, 2010 and the airline plans to gradually extend the use of this new refrigerant to other flights.
Until now, in-flight beverages have been rapidly cooled on the plane by dry ice a few hours before flights. In addition to its high costs, handling of dry ice at very low temperatures of -79°C can also cause beverages to either freeze or not be cooled enough when using a buffering agent.
Since summer 2009, JAL has been exploring a wide range of options in search for an alternative solution and decided on using TOPPANFORM’s MechaCoolrefrigerant for its functionality and eco-friendly feature.
MechaCoolis a cold storage solution utilising the high-functional refrigerant technology developed by TOPPANFORMS which can replace the conventional use of dry ice. It is easy to use, maintains cool storage for long hours and controls the temperature efficiently. Its innovative design and reusability also helps to significantly reduce costs, and can be handled safely without concerns about low temperature burn.
The high-functional refrigerant can be re-used repeatedly without releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, compared with dry ice. By introducing the solution on JAL’s Honolulu flights (5 roundtrips per day), the carrier can reduce approximately 350tons of CO2 per annum. JAL has a target to reduce CO2 output by 2,000 tons per annum by extending to other flights, the use of this new cooler which is also 30% to 40% more cost effective.
JAL and TOPPANFORMS are in the developing stage to expand the application to other cold materials, in-flight meals for example, continuing to improve and utilize more eco-friendly and cost effective cooling systems.
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20101018 - JAL Collaborates with TOPPANFORMS to Develop and Introduce MechaCool.pdf
