Modine To Present HMMWV with Alternative CO2 HVAC System at U.S. Army Proving Ground
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"This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our technology to members of the military, the U.S. Army, and the Department of Defense," said Steve Memory, Modine's Manager of Global HVAC Technology. "Usually this is a market research event, where the government sees product demonstrations of projects in which they aren't currently involved. But this year the Army asked us to demonstrate our CO2 air conditioning system so more people inside the military could see it. We are the only system at the Yuma Rodeo contractually related to and requested by the government."
The Yuma Proving Ground is the Army's desert environmental test center. Here the military uses a 1,300 square mile area to test ground combat equipment in harsh conditions. The invitation to participate in the event, officially titled the Expedited Modernization Initiative Procedure (EMIT) and Technology Demonstration, came from the U.S. Army after Modine demonstrated its HMMWV with the CO2 technology at an Under Secretary of Defense kick-off reception. That reception in Arlington, Virginia in November honored continuing projects and 2005 new start projects for the Comparative Testing Program.
"They liked what they saw in Virginia and invited us to demonstrate the HMMWV in Arizona so more people could see it. It's a great chance to show the technology that Modine and the Army are developing and furthers our relationship," added Sam Collier, Modine's Advanced Systems Development Manager.
Last fall, Modine was awarded a nearly $3 million contract with the United States Army, Research, Development and Engineering Command, to optimize the design of the HMMWV cooling system. The first generation contract, awarded in September 2003 for $1.35 million, allowed Modine to develop climate control systems and outfit the first CO2 cooled HMMWV and Environment Control Units (ECU) used to provide space heating and cooling for equipment and personnel.
These alternative HVAC systems utilize transcritical carbon dioxide (CO2) technology, which provides a number of advantages over the current R134a refrigerant. CO2 is a "natural" refrigerant that is pulled from the air and if leaked, poses no threat to the environment. It also releases no harmful hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) gases. It is non-toxic and non-flammable and enjoys the highest safety rating established by commercial standards.
Modine has been working on CO2 HVAC technology since 1995, demonstrating systems on various vehicles including a BMW 3-series and X5, Volkswagen Jetta, Jeep Liberty and HMMWV. "Partnering with the U.S Army has allowed us to develop the components and prove that Modine's system has the durability to operate very well under extremely challenging conditions like the military sees in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Collier.
Modine, with fiscal 2004 revenues of $1.2 billion, employs more than 8,500 people worldwide at 35 facilities, and specializes in thermal management components, bringing heating and cooling technology to diversified markets. Modine's products are used in light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles, HVAC equipment, industrial equipment, refrigeration systems, fuel cells and electronics. More information about Modine can be found on the Internet at www.modine.com.
