The following six stories from China are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."
Wang Da
I come from the city of Tianjin, China. I am a secondary school vocational teacher. I graduated from Tianjin Normal University (TNU) in 2003. Since then, I have worked as a teacher. My job is teaching students the operation and maintenance of RAC equipment. They are enthusiastic and energetic but lack professional knowledge and skills. These young people learn to be qualified workers. In 2014, I joined the project team for the smooth operation of refrigeration work in our school. In past years, many people, including students and workers, have obtained their certificates. Doing so will help them release less harmful refrigerants into the atmosphere in the course of their work.
Life resides in the world, hurried for decades. Happiness is most important. The world is always fair and rewarding, it is better to do than to say, to be a happy teacher. How to explain the word “happiness”? One of the headmasters once said: students may not remember the name of the headmaster and what he looks like, but they will definitely remember the headteacher. A teacher who demonstrates the art of living in a classroom is a teacher who is remembered. It is happiness that is remembered or resented. It depends on how we become a teacher.
Be a happy teacher and love this educational cause. I am able to hold peace in my mind and have a dedicated spirit. I have great love and tolerance for my students, and I have a strong sense of responsibility for society. Because of love, we are deeply moved; because of love, we seek relentless pursuit; because of love, we are extremely happy.
Over the years, I have taught many professional courses, including theoretical and training courses. I have taught more than 120 students each year since 2003. I also train students to participate in the Tianjin Skills Competition and the national Skills Competition. Those students were awarded the first, second or third prize. I tell all my students “Air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk, responsible for about seven million deaths annually, which are preventable.” I tell them that to protect the atmosphere at work is to protect themselves.
To be happy teachers, we should pay attention to our own growth. Education is not only about students getting higher marks, but also seeing if our students have good hearts and stable personalities. Students’ abilities are not suitable for the needs of the times. We are responsible for students’ overall and lifelong development.
Consequently, I improve my level in various ways. In 2013, I obtained my Master’s degree from Tianjin University of Technology and Education (TUTE). In 2014, I participated in the National Vocational Backbone Teachers National Training.
I was awarded two professional senior technician qualification certificates (for AC installation and maintenance and electrics and electrical technology) by the National Occupational Qualification Certificate Refrigerant Senior Technician.
We often say to students happy learning and happy growth. If our teachers can enjoy teaching, then our educational career is a happy life and our students can enjoy their work. Under the blue sky and white clouds, we should enjoy every day of work and live happily ever after.
Wu Zhijuan
I started university in 1982 and studied refrigeration. Growing up in a time of material and spiritual scarcity, I did not have much ambition but thought mostly of feeding myself. I had no hesitation choosing my major at the time, merely because my father told me that I could work at a meat processing factory and get more meat after graduating. That was years ago, of course. In the last thirty years, since my graduation from university, my country has achieved significant economic growth. Meanwhile, refrigeration technology also developed substantially from merely food preservation to all kinds of applications in production and life. Personally, I have worked in the following areas: the operation and maintenance of refrigeration systems, the design and installation of refrigeration equipment, vocational teaching and so on. In the above jobs, I worked on energy consumption in the operation of refrigeration systems, selected appropriate components for refrigeration equipment and designed matching pipe systems, as well as trained students so that they could work professionally in the RAC sector.
In 2010, I joined the Chongqing Association of Refrigeration. By accident, when I was cleaning an AC filter screen, I suddenly found that by merely cleaning AC filter screens and reducing the standby power consumption of air conditioners, we could reduce electric power consumption in Chongqing by hundreds of millions of Watts each year (ten million families in Chongqing). That meant that we could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of thousands of tonnes. From then on, we began to carry out the popular science education activities “The Participation of the Chongqing Public in Energy Saving Action”, which was supported by the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) in 2014. Activities aim to raise the awareness of Chongqing primary and secondary school teachers, parents, high school students and local residents on the correct use of household air conditioners and methods to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions.
In 2014, as a member of the first group to receive regional training on good practices for the maintenance of Chinese refrigeration equipment, I was aware that the impact on global warming of 1 kg of refrigerant released into the atmosphere was equivalent to the CO2 emissions generated by driving a car for thousands of kilometres. It was a profound realization that led me to recognize my responsibility as a refrigeration professional. Following that, we started to organize public activities advocating for the protection of the ozone layer and against climate change, including the responsible use of refrigerants and training on good operation methods for the maintenance of refrigeration equipment. In addition, we organized professional training on the installation and maintenance of RAC systems, systematically explaining refrigeration principles and the application methods for refrigeration equipment. Now, more than 50 trainees have obtained a national vocational qualification and obtained vocational technician qualifications at senior, intermediate and junior levels. We also set up the “technical and artificer working committee” of the Chongqing Association of Refrigeration so that the association can improve technicians’ skills and artificers’ ability.
Come on, girls, join the air conditioning sector! This is a sector with millions of career opportunities, which can contribute to combatting climate change and protecting our living environment. For the sake of our common Earth, you are welcome to join us!
Xu Guofen
I majored in refrigeration at Tianjin University of Commerce from 1982 to 1986 and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree. I worked in the power engineering department of Suzhou Aquatic Refrigeration Plant as a member of staff from 1986 and was promoted to refrigeration engineer in 1993. Then I worked for Suzhou Vocational School, which was renamed and is now Suzhou Senior Technical Institute. I was promoted to senior lecturer in 2000 and was certified with a professional senior refrigeration worker qualification in 2004. I am a member of the Suzhou Institute of Refrigeration, an Expert Committee Member of Occupation Skill Appraisal in Jiangsu Province, and one of the National Primary Evaluation Staff (Refrigeration Major).
My job back at the Suzhou Aquatic Refrigeration Plant was refrigeration engineering related R&D, equipment management, power technology energy saving and environmental protection, etc. I was also responsible for training workers, not just in the refrigeration plant, but also in city-wide training courses. I continued to provide professional training and theoretical tutoring in refrigeration after working for Suzhou Vocational School. I published The Calculation Method of Homemade Air-conditioner Evaporator, in Cold Storage Technology, and Experience for Skill Improvement in Practice Education, in Vocational and Technical Education. I was also in charge of professional teaching and skills assessment for Suzhou refrigeration and air conditioning.
I was one of the professional trainers in the Suzhou central AC technical re-employment training programme between 2002 and 2007 and also participated in the Feasibility Study Report for Refrigeration Equipment Maintenance Personnel Vocational Skills Appraisal Environmental Protection Requirements Project, which was hosted by China’s Association of Worker Education and Vocational Training. I have submitted the investigation report on Environmental Protection of Refrigeration Equipment Repair Industry in Suzhou and Suzhou Refrigeration Equipment Maintenance Training Pilot Proposal listed in the appendix section of the report.
I became a social training lecturer for HVAC workers in 2013 and a lecturer in the Suzhou Refrigeration Maintenance Theory and Practice Training in 2014. I participated in the China Refrigeration Maintenance Training Workshop Application for Suzhou Public Training Institutions and was a trainer in their training programme. In 2015, I edited the Refrigeration Equipment Maintenance Worker Basic and Intermediate Vocational Skills Certification Collection, which is a project of institution-wide priority. I participated in a training programme hosted by Landesinnug KBlte-Klima Technik Bundesfachschule, Germany, in December 2015, and obtained my BFS Refrigeration Training Certificate.
I served as a referee for the first RAC skills competition in the refrigeration industry of Suzhou and the Gusu District RAC Good Operation Skills Competition in 2017. “To protect the ozone layer and save lives” is our common mission. I will keep working to preserve resources, save energy and regulate pollution in the refrigeration industry to protect our environment more effectively.
Zhang Xiuping
Zhang Xiuping is currently the chief engineer and researcher of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Division of the environmental company Hefei General Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd. She is also the Deputy Secretary-General of National Technical Committee 238 on Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Equipment of Standardization Administration of China.
She has been committed to research on energy-saving, the protection of the environment and test and evaluation technology in the weld of RAC for a long time and is the academic and technical leader of Anhui province. In 2008, she won the Special Government Allowances of the State Council. In 2015, she was selected for the “National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project” and was awarded the honorary title of “Outstanding mid-aged expert”. In 2017, she was appointed chief expert of the China National Machinery Industry Corporation. In the same year, she was awarded the honorary certificate “Make valuable contributions and efforts” by five institutions: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Bank and the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) of China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Zhang Xiuping has conducted technical research in the field of RAC for more than 20 years, always working on the front line of scientific research. Facing the problem of insufficient research and testing capabilities in China’s RAC industry, she has actively developed RAC detection technology and finally filled in the major domestic technical gaps. For the first time, performance test methods were proposed for multi-connected air conditioning units, total heat exchangers, large, air-cooled heat pump units, etc., and the first product performance testing device in the world was built. Meanwhile, key technology – the screw and centrifugal refrigeration compressor testing device – was rendered outdated, providing support for the localization of large refrigeration compressors.
Since 2010, given the major national demands to implement international conventions, Zhang Xiuping has led the research team working on refrigerant alternatives for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and other ozone depleting substances (ODS) with the support of the Technology Research Center of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering in Machinery Industry and the State Key Laboratory of Compressor Technology. HCFC refrigerants were clearly outlined as controlled substances in the Montreal Protocol. To overcome the technical bottleneck in alternating and reducing certain varieties of refrigerants in China’s industrial and commercial refrigeration industry, she actively undertook research on HCFC phaseout projects, such as “Standard revision of industrial and commercial refrigeration products”, “Study on the applicability of the application of R-32 refrigerants” and “Study on the applicability of the application of natural substances”, etc. She also focused on carrying out major projects such as “research on the testing technology of new refrigeration equipment and key components using environment-friendly alternative refrigerants”. All her unremitting efforts have successfully laid the foundation for the implementation of international conventions and the promotion of the HCFC phaseout. Comprehensive analysis and test evaluation led to several positive outcomes. First, a systemic solution for applying R-32 in small RAC equipment was devised. Then, the long-standing “forbidden zone” in utilizing weak flammable refrigerants at home and abroad was transcended. Finally, the safe use of alternative refrigerants and the development of the industry’s technical level were simultaneously promoted, and the industry’s scientific and technological progress in R&D, safety risk assessment and environmental impact assessment in the areas of internal parts and complete machines were all accelerated. The implementation of the project gave a new impetus to the replacement and elimination of traditional refrigerants and laid a solid foundation for the promotion of new refrigeration technology that would protect the environment. In addition, she made important contributions to the implementation of international conventions by China and its industry. Thus, China could present a good international image of a “responsible country” to the world.
While carrying out common technical research, she also paid attention to the transformation of scientific research results into standards. This led her to preside over the formulation and revision of many national standards that could solve the bottleneck problem of the promotion and application of alternative refrigerants. Moreover, she actively promoted the international integration of technical standards for environmentally friendly CO2 compressors. Under her guidance, product manufacturing and industrial development improved and became steadier.
Zhao Yang
Introduction
Prof. Zhao Yang was born in Zhangjiakou City in northern China, a famous city that was appointed to host the XXIV Olympic Winter Games together with Beijing. In northern China, heating is necessary for winter and air conditioning indispensable in summer. In Zhao’s childhood, at night, it was her great joy to play with her tiny toy near the stove with her parents, but she disliked the nuisance of smoke and the smell of the burning coals. Little Zhao wished to be satisfied with both effects, without knowing how to achieve such an outcome. The problem puzzled her until she went to Tianjin University in the 1990s. There, she met Prof. Canren Lv, her doctoral supervisor and one of the well-known pioneers in heat pump technology in China. Ms Yang found she was quite interested in refrigeration and heat pump engineering in her postgraduate years and decided to devote all her efforts to developing the RAC technology that would improve quality of life and protect the environment. At the age of 37, she was promoted to the rank of professor and, only two years later, she qualified as a young female doctoral supervisor.
In the past 20 years, Prof. Yang has made a great many contributions to the following areas: novel RAC technology (for energy efficiency and sustainable development), refrigerant substitution (for the environment and climate), flammability characteristics and inerting mechanisms (for the safe operation of RAC technology), gas engine-driven heat pumps (for remote areas that are off the grid), the cold chain (for food storage) and subway ventilation (for urban development). All of these are financially supported by nearly 50 research projects. Scholar Yang has published more than 260 research papers, which have been quoted more than 2,500 times. Teacher Yang has earned many honours and is hailed as the young and middle-aged backbone teacher of China’s Ministry of Education. She is diligent, gracious and respectable in the eyes of her 60 Master’s and doctoral graduates, as well as those of hundreds of undergraduates.
Day to day, she works with great enthusiasm, and, at the same time, she lives with fascinating elegance. Lady Yang is seen as a successful career woman by society and an excellent wife and mother by her family.
The sun rises and sets, spring goes, and autumn comes and age increases as time goes by, however, Prof. Yang still harbours the same desire: that of doing something well to improve the quality of human life. Best wishes for the Earth.
Detailed Information
Zhao Yang is a professor, doctoral supervisor and the academic leader for Refrigeration and Cryogenic Engineering at Tianjin University. She has worked in education and research in the weld of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly refrigeration systems since she obtained her PhD at Tianjin University more than twenty years ago.
Experience and achievements in the field of scientific research
Prof. Yang has a rigorous attitude towards scientific research and always encourages her students and partners to seek the truth. Her team has undertaken and completed a total of nearly 50 research projects to solve some key scientific problems in the welds of energy and the environment. These projects include six National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) projects, one National High-tech R&D Program project, and 13 provincial and ministerial level projects.
The relevant results have been published in more than 260 research papers, which have been quoted by other researchers more than 2,500 times. Among them, more than 50 papers have been published in internationally renowned journals. Many internationally renowned scholars have highly praised some of her achievements.
Because of her outstanding contributions, she has received many certificates of honour such as:
• the 2017 Tianjin Natural Science Award for her research on the heating-refrigerating combined cycle and leakage-combustion characteristics of alternative working fluids,
• the 2008 Science and Technology Invention Award of the Chinese Association of Refrigeration for her research and development of a new expander for CO2 transcritical cycle systems,
• the 2006 Tianjin Technical Invention Award for her work on highly efficient, environmentally friendly refrigerants and new, optimal, matching technology,
• the 2005 National Award for the harvest of Agricultural, pastoral, fisheries.
• Prof. Yang has obtained more than 30 patents for her inventions, some of which have been put in practice.
Experiences and achievements in the field of international communication and cooperation
Prof. Yang was invited to be a member of the following bodies: Commission B1 of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), the IIR Working Group on Refrigeration Safety and the IIR Working Group on Life Cycle Climate Performance Evaluation (LCCP). As a reviewer for several international academic journals, she has reviewed many papers every year.
Prof. Yang has carried out many missions at an international level and accomplished remarkable achievements in the welds of energy conservation and environmental protection.
The specific missions she has completed are as follows:
She has carried out the related research on the accelerated elimination of CFCs and HCFCs and completed research on and the technical promotion of new lower GWP refrigerants. She has supervised and reviewed the progress and implementation of the Montreal Protocol in China.
She has been the reviewer for many national energy saving standards in refrigeration, air condition and heat pump systems.
In collaboration with UNEP, she also completed the review and acceptance of the cancellation and transfer of HCFC production lines in Chinese companies under the Montreal Protocol.
Experience and achievements in the field of Education
Prof. Zhao Yang has been teaching at Tianjin University for over 20 years. She has taught and trained several outstanding students. She is diligent, gracious and respectable, as viewed by her 60 Master’s and doctoral graduates and hundreds of undergraduates. Two of her students were honoured by Tianjin University for their excellent dissertations in 2016 and in 2017. Five of her graduates have become university professors and 20 have become the leaders of well-known companies.
Prof. Yang has also made remarkable achievements in her teaching career. She published a textbook “Energy and Environment Technology” for the common higher education. Up to now, the textbook has been used by the undergraduates of several majors in many universities of China. She also participated in editing an international academic book for postgraduate students entitled “Energy Efficiency Research” as well as three other local textbooks.
Experience or social services in some academic organizations
As well as her position of professor at Tianjin University and some IIR expert appointments, Prof. Zhao Yang also serves in the editorial committees of several international and national journals. She has actively been performing her duties as a member of the China National Standardization Technical Committee of the energy system and participated in revising or approving more than 20 national industrial energy efficiency standards. Not only that, but she also serves some academic organizations in this field. Finally, she has evaluated some research projects for the State and the Ministry of Education.
Zhou Yanrui
Bad Start, Happy Ending
My name is Zhou Yanrui. I am from China. I will now tell you the story of how I came to work in the refrigeration sector.
Getting into the refrigeration industry was a beautiful mistake for me. When I chose to specialize in refrigeration and cold storage technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University in 1996, I didn’t know what ‘refrigeration’ was, or what I would do in the future. Now, however, I’m a teacher at Shandong Institute of Commerce & Technology. My research field is alternative refrigerant technology. I spent a great deal of time learning how to maintain RAC equipment so I could teach those skills to students and maintenance workers. Because of my excellent performance over the years, I earned the titles of “Outstanding Worker” and “Youth Teaching Expert” and won the “Moon Gardener Award”.
In recent years, I have presided over many projects related to new refrigerant technology and submitted several papers. I won the second prize for Scientific Advancement in Shandong Province, and the third for Scientific Advancement in China. I participated in R&D for R-404a/NH3 cascade refrigeration units that were exported to France.
I now work as a technical consultant for many refrigeration enterprises to find an alternative route for refrigerants such as the CO2/NH3 cascade system of Shandong Shenzhou Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. I am also a leader at the Training Center of Good Operation for Refrigeration Maintenance Industry, supported by UNEP, which was selected by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection. Our centre has successfully held multiple training courses on new refrigerants for about 900 trainees, inspected by Dr Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, the then director of OzonAction, and Mr Hu Shaofeng, the senior project official, in March 2015, and received high praise.
I love the RAC industry, I love my work and I want to do more for alternative refrigerant technology.
