ABRAVA highlights sustainable technologies at VI Commercial & Industrial Refrigeration Seminar

As part of World Refrigeration Day celebrations, ABRAVA held the VI Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Seminar on June 24 at the FIESP headquarters in São Paulo. The event focused on innovations in commercial and industrial refrigeration, emphasizing sustainability, energy efficiency, and professional training in the HVACR sector.

Organized by ABRAVA's National Department of Refrigeration with co-organization from SINDRATAR-SP, the seminar brought together specialists, companies, and institutions for a full day of technical presentations and panel discussions. Topics included decarbonization, natural refrigerant systems, and refrigeration solutions for data centers.

The opening ceremony featured Mauro Gomes, president of ABRAVA's Refrigeration Department, who stated: “This seminar is a unique opportunity to address urgent issues in the sector, such as technological innovation aligned with sustainability and operational safety.” Other participants included Arnaldo Basile, former ABRAVA president, Anícia Pio, FIESP’s sustainability manager, and Renato Majarão, former DN president. Luiz Villaça, vice-president of the DN Refrigeração, served as the event moderator.

Morning highlights included presentations by Anícia Pio on the challenges of decarbonization; engineers Maurício Barbosa Jr. and Mauricio Barbosa Neto on low-charge ammonia systems; Thiago Pietrobon on life-cycle management in refrigeration; and Alisson Souza on liquid injection in ammonia systems. A panel led by Lucas Fugita, DN Refrigeração secretary, concluded the morning session.

The event also marked the launch of the "Família Refrigeração" campaign, a joint initiative by ABRAVA, GIZ, and the Ministry of the Environment to recognize and promote professionals in the sector.

Afternoon sessions covered developments in commercial refrigeration for supermarkets, presented by Rogério Marson; natural refrigerants and inverter technology by Erik Pereira Martins; industry and innovation connections by Fernanda Moreira from SENAI-SP; and data center refrigeration by Marcos Santamaria.

The seminar aligned with the June 26 World Refrigeration Day theme, “Cool Skills – Profissões do Frio,” underscoring the importance of technical training and recognition for HVACR professionals. Representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, GIZ, UNDP, UNIDO, IBF, and SENAI Oscar Rodrigues Alves also attended.