Welcome news this hot summer! An air conditioner that runs without ozone-depleting refrigerant invented by an award-winning Engineering student and James Dyson awardee, Maria Yzabell Angel Palma, may soon be commercially available – that is if the young inventor receives investment to mass-produce the eco-friendly aircon.
Palma invented the aircon that uses the air disc cooling system in 2017 when she was still studying at the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) Bicol. She is now studying Mechanical Engineering at De La Salle University-Manila.
Palma revealed in an interview with ANC in late 2019, that a lot of investors have been emailing and setting up appointments with her. She is targeting to put up the factory as soon as possible, possibly this 2020.
She also revealed that she will be needing 3 million dollars of investment for the factory to produce 100 thousand units of her eco-friendly invention.
“The business plan and the business set-up will be, I will be the one giving licensing and franchise to those who want to manufacture it, and then you know for a certain number of units only. If they don’t actually do it, if they kill it off then we’d cut contract” she said in the interview.
An Eco-friendly Aircon
Palma actually invented her AirDisc Cooling Technology while working on another school project, an eco-friendly oven.
“Iyong Airdisc po kasi ginamit niya iyong cool part ng principle na ginamit ko. So mas madali pong ikontrol iyong coolness kaysa sa hotness. So sabi ko why not use nalang the cool part of the principle para sa invention ko na Airdisc,” she said.
She later found out while she was testing her invention that it only consumes 150 watts compared to the 1,200w – 1,500 watts electrical consumption of prevailing air conditioners in the market.
Palma’s AirDisc uses low compression and high-volume air molecules to generate cool air instead of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that contribute to the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer.
“Widely used refrigerants are considered as super greenhouse gases since one kilogram of it is roughly as much as 20,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide when global warming potential is taken into account,” Palma said.
The features of Angel Palma’s Airdisc Cooling Technology:
- earth-friendly refrigerant; pocket-friendly electric consumption
- open system low pressure direct air conditioning minimal operational costs
- air refrigerant zero global warming potential. No ozone depletion
- Durable cost-efficient components assembly type mass production modest maintenance
Palma and her AirDisc Cooling Technologies invention have been recognized internationally:
- 2017 World Inventors contest in Korea (Gold medalist)
- 2017 International RMC Young Scientist contest and
- Exhibition contest in Malaysia (Silver medalist)
- 2017 International young inventors award in Indonesia (Silver medalist)
- 2017 International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (Gold medalist)
- 2018 International Intellectual Poverty Innovation and Technology Exposition in Thailand (Gold medalist)
- Best Invention Award in Taiwan
- Leading Innovator Awards in Indonesia
- International Best Young Inventor in Romania
- National winner of the James Dyson Award 2019
Like Angel Palma, eco-friendly research has been pursued by De La Salle University Dasmarinas Senior High School students who developed an alternative to plastic straw using Saba fruit peelings. Justice Cecilia Munoz Palma High School students in Payatas converted dog poo into Bio-Bricks.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to Maria Yzabell Angel Palma for her eco-friendly aircon invention!
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