Product News
Zambeef turns agricultural waste into renewable power
Zambeef Products PLC, Zambia’ s largest vertically integrated agribusiness, is advancing a renewable energy initiative at its Chisamba Huntley farm through the ReHEATZ project, which harnesses waste-water heat recovery to improve operational efficiency and reduce energy costs while supporting the country’ s clean energy transition.
France-Belgium team standardises cooler validation
Researchers from Belgium, France, and Poland have proposed a unified classification for evaporative coolers and compiled 18 standardised datasets to support model validation. The work aims to make validation against literature data faster and more consistent as evaporative cooling gains attention as an alternative to vapour-compression air conditioning. According to the paper, the terminology used for evaporative cooler configurations is not unified across the literature, and existing classifications do not cover all indirect evaporative cooler variations. The authors said this creates difficulties when comparing configurations and using published experimental data for simulation and validation. The paper introduces a vertical classification based on channel characteristics and common configuration changes, including primary air regeneration and perforations between dry and wet channels. It also provides schematic representations of air-condition
Launched in 2023, the pilot project brings together partners including the Irish Government through Irish Aid, the Embassy of Ireland in Zambia, SAIPAR, and the University of Dublin. The initiative is designed to demonstrate how industrial waste-heat recovery can be scaled into a commercially viable energy solution applicable
evolution inside seven evaporative coolers on a psychrometric diagram and identifies the strengths and limitations of each configuration. To support model validation, the authors reviewed the literature and assembled 18 datasets from existing experimental and numerical studies. The datasets cover various operating conditions, use a standardised presentation format, and follow the nomenclature proposed in the paper. The full
across agriculture and other sectors. A key feature of the project is its strong local integration, with more than 80 % of materials and equipment sourced within Zambia. This has contributed to local job creation and increased domestic value addition, reinforcing the project’ s broader socioeconomic impact. The initiative has attracted attention from government and diplomatic stakeholders, including the Irish Deputy Ambassador and representatives from Zambia’ s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency( ZEMA), and SAIPAR. The collaboration highlights growing international support for decentralized renewable energy solutions in Africa. Zambeef emphasizes that reliable and sustainable energy is critical to agricultural productivity and national food security. The company positions the project as a scalable model for wider adoption across sectors such as manufacturing, mining, and healthcare. The Chisamba farm deployment demonstrates how waste-heat recovery systems can be used to convert otherwise lost thermal energy into useful power, supporting both sustainability goals and long-term operational resilience in Zambia’ s agricultural sector.
datasets are available in an online open-source database intended to be collaborative and regularly updated. The study is part of the International Energy Agency’ s Annex 85 project on indirect evaporative cooling, launched in 2020. The authors said the work also forms part of scientific cooperation between France and Belgium, supported by the Hubert Curien Programme and Belgium’ s INEScot project.
Carrier launches the AquaForce ® 61XWHVZE heat pump
Carrier has launched the AquaForce ® 61XWHVZE, a ready-to-use hightemperature heat pump package designed to accelerate building and industrial decarbonisation while simplifying project delivery and system integration. The unit is part of Carrier Global Corporation( CARR), a global provider of intelligent climate and energy solutions. The AquaForce 61XWHVZE is engineered for real-world operating conditions and is designed to convert available heat sources into reliable high-temperature heating with precise control and certified performance. It features a variablespeed compressor equipped with GreenSpeed ® Intelligence, combined with Carrier’ s heating-optimised system architecture to deliver strong seasonal efficiency while maintaining robust full-load performance. As Europe advances toward carbon neutrality and energy costs continue to rise, electrified heating technologies such as this system are positioned to support district heating networks and industrial applications. The 61XWHVZE enables decarbonised heating by using ultra-low-GWP refrigerants and delivering zero direct emissions at the point of use, eliminating reliance on fossil fuels while remaining adaptable to multiple heat sources, including wastewater, data centre waste heat, geothermal resources, and groundwater. Designed as an industrialised plug-and-play solution, the system is intended to reduce installation complexity and shorten project timelines. Its compact footprint supports containerised deployment, making it suitable for spaceconstrained sites. Performance is validated through Eurovent certification and factory testing standards. The system is also designed for integration with Carrier’ s PlantCTRL™ platform, enabling coordinated control of pumps, valves, and auxiliary systems, and supporting hybrid configurations across modern heating infrastructure.
54 Heat Exchanger World May 2026 www. heat-exchanger-world. com