FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE		FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
15 June 1999					Glenn Hourahan, Vice President
703-524-8800, or hourahan@ari.org

21-CR FUNDS INITIAL PROJECTS

ARLINGTON, VA -- On April 27, 1999, the ARTI Steering Committee for the HVAC&R Research for the 21st Century (21-CR) program authorized the start of eleven projects, budgeted at $1,050,000.  Over the course of four weeks, starting on 17 June 1999, the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute will release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for seven projects:

•	The Efficiency Limits of Water Vapor Compressors Suitable for Air-Conditioning Applications;
•	Microchannel Heat Exchangers with Carbon Dioxide;
•	High Performance Heat Exchangers for AC&R Applications (non-circular tubes);
•	Investigation of the Causes of Black Soot Phenomena;
•	State-of-the-Art Review of Whole-Building and Building Envelope Simulation and Design Tools;
•	State-of-the-Art Review of HVAC Component and System Simulation, and Design Tools;
•	Flexible and Adaptive HVAC Distribution Systems; 

Perspective bidders are encouraged to visit the 21-CR website (www.arti-21cr.org) so that they can sign up for the automated Email list-server.  Persons interested in receiving future notices (e.g., status updates, press releases, final report availability, etc.) on the 21-CR effort are also encouraged to sign up on the list-server.

In addition to the seven projects noted above, there are four projects that ARTI expects to seek sole-source contracts to support on-going research efforts of others: 

•	Investigation of AC&R Systems Operated Near and Above the Refrigerant Critical Temperature;
•	Health, Energy, and Productivity in Schools;
•	High Temperature Mold Materials to Die-Cast Copper Motor Rotors;
•	Hybrid AC Systems for Energy Efficient Dehumidification;

These 11 projects represent a broad cross-section of the 21-CR scope, which is to identify, prioritize, and undertake precompetitive research that focuses on decreasing energy consumption, increasing indoor environmental quality, and safeguarding the environment. 
The ARTI 21-CR Steering Committee assures that 21-CR work is of value to the industry, has a path to commercialization, assigns priority levels, and approves funding support of individual projects recommended by its five Subcommittees.  The Steering Committee will meet again in September 1999 where it will review additional projects for funding consideration. 

ARTI is a not-for-profit organization established in 1989 to undertake scientific research in the public interest.  ARTI strives to be responsive to the research needs of the HVAC&R community with an emphasis placed on precompetitive investigations.  It is ARTI's role to provide guidance and cohesiveness to research efforts while providing an umbrella for related research by others. Monetary support for the ARTI 21-CR program is provided by the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute (ARI), the Copper Development Association (CDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES). 

For more information on 21-CR research, contact the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI) at 703-524-8800 or visit the ARTI web site at http://www.arti-21cr.org. 
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