Formula One technology will power fridges
ACOMPANY which uses Formula 1 technology to cut down energy use in supermarket fridges is in line for a top engineering prize.
Aerofoil Energy, based in Bollington, has been selected for its work on aerodynamic shelf-edge technology, which significantly reduces energy consumption in fridges.
Its collaboration with Oxford-based Williams Advanced Engineering will see them go up against two other firms in the 2018 MacRobert Award, the UK’s longest running and most prestigious award for engineering innovation.
The aerofoil tech is inspired by the state-ofthe-art Formula 1 engineering used on cars to make them more aerodynamic.
Applying the tech to fridges offers significant potential energy savings.
Sainsbury’s is rolling out the technology in all 1,400 of its stores.
Aerofoil Energy’s CEO Paul McAndrew said: “The collaboration between Williams Advanced Engineering and Aerofoil Energy created Aerofoil, an aerodynamic device that significantly reduces the energy consumed by refrigerators in supermarkets and convenience stores.
“It is estimated that shops with chillers account for over 10 per cent of the UK’s total energy use, and over 40 per cent of the energy used by a supermarket or convenience store is used by the refrigerators them- selves. “Reducing the amount of cold air spilling into the aisles can cut energy use, reduce carbon emissions and provide a more pleasant shopping experience for customers.
“Use of aerofoils on open-fronted fridges in lab testing yields a 30 per cent energy saving, with in-store testing typically yielding 15-18 per cent.
“Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second largest supermarket chain, is installing Aerofoils as part of a significant retrofit programme across its 1,400 stores this year, while all new fridges are now fitted with the technology as standard.”
Previous winners of the award have transformed the world we live in, delivering innovation, commercial success, and tangible social benefit.
The first award in 1969 was won jointly by RollsRoyce for the Pegasus engine used in the iconic Harrier jets, and Freeman, Fox and Partners for designing the Severn Bridge.
In 1972 the judges recognised the extraordinary potential of the first CT scanner developed at EMI - seven years before its inventor Sir Godfrey Hounsfield received the Nobel Prize.
This year’s winner will also walk away with a prize worth £50,000.
The winner will be revealed at the Academy Awards Dinner at the Tower of London on June 27 in front of an audience of top engineers, business leaders, politicians and journalists.
Aerofoil Energy is up against two other finalists: Oxford Space Systems for its work developing a new generation of origamiinspired, innovative and cost-competitive satellite antennas and structures; and Owlstone Medical, for its ReCIVA Breath Sampler, which can identify chemical biomarkers in human breath for a variety of diseases, including cancer.
Chillers account for over 10 per cent of the UK’s energy use