The Butterfly Effect refers to the long-term, huge chain reaction of the entire system in which small changes in initial conditions can be driven by small changes in a dynamical system. It's a chaotic phenomenon where butterflies flap their wings lightly in the rainforest and can cause a hurricane to a distant country. Sandvik MaterialScience's recent introduction of a new generation of compressor valve plate steel belt Freeflex is like this little butterfly – a small piece of steel belt, but can make a huge impact.
On July 16, 2021, the national carbon emissions trading officially opened. This is a crucial step in the "double carbon" strategy after China committed to the world in September 2020 to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. At this critical juncture, the reporter of "Electrical Appliances" interviewed Stefan Jonsson, a technical expert in valve plate steel belt products of Sandvik Material Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sandvik), and Remco Jongen, global product manager of the strip division, to gain an in-depth understanding of how Sandvik's newly launched valve plate steel belt can help Chinese companies reduce carbon emissions.
Develop new thinking in design
Sandvik has a 140-year history of developing and producing steel belt products. From the 1880s onwards, Sandvik began producing hot-rolled steel strips in Sandviken, Sweden, cold-rolled strips in 1883, and a world record for the longest cold-rolled strip in 1893. In the 1960s, Sandvik developed the first generation of valve disc steel strip Sandvik 20C; in 1972, Sandvik released the second generation of valve disc steel strip Sandvik 7C27Mo2; in 2003, Sandvik launched the third generation of valve plate steel strip Sandvik Hiflex; in June 2021, Sandvik brought the innovative fourth generation of valve plate steel strip freeflex.
Stefan Jonsson, a technical specialist for valve disc steel belt products, is confident in the quality of Sandvik's products. "All of our valve disc steel strip products are of Swedish origin," he says. This is also an effective way for us to ensure the quality of the valve disc steel belt for many years. Sandvik has unique steelmaking technologies, and the energy used in steelmaking, such as wind, hydro and nuclear, is very much in line with low-carbon requirements. We start from steelmaking, all the way to the final slitting, packaging and logistics distribution, are in our own hands, which ensures the traceability of the product. ”
"Valve plate steel belts are considered niche products. Although the size of the valve plate is very small and the market sales are not large, it has a great impact on the compressor and the air conditioner and refrigerator. Because we know the importance of valve discs for the production of large-scale home appliance industry, valve disc steel belts have always been one of sandvik's core products. Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and other equipment that requires compressors are currently produced in the hundreds of millions, and even a small reduction in compressor energy consumption can have a huge impact on total CO2 emissions. Freeflex, as a new generation of valve plate steel belts, can bring revolutionary changes to the energy efficiency of compressors. Stefan Jonsson said.
According to reports, this revolutionary change stems from freeflex is a quenched tempered martensitic stainless steel with a unique chemical composition, and its chemical composition is different from previous generations of products. The main difference comes from 3 chemical elements, Freeflex adds more C elements, more Cr elements, and the newly added Cu elements. From an alloy design perspective, changes in chemical composition give Freeflex even better performance, giving it high strength, toughness, excellent surface finish and wear resistance in applications ranging from air conditioning systems to refrigerators and freezers, heat pumps and other industrial sectors.
"At present, hundreds of millions of compressors are produced worldwide every year, and Sandvik mainly protects the environment by reducing the consumption of materials and resources. Imagine if the compressors all used Freeflex valve plates, Sandvik would make a huge contribution to global energy conservation and emission reduction. In addition to improving energy efficiency, Freeflex also contributes to the development of compressors that are miniaturized and lightweight. It allows compressor developers to have a higher degree of design freedom, under the premise of ensuring compressor life and reliability, by optimizing the compressor valve system design, developers can develop more efficient, lighter and quieter compressors. Stefan Jonsson emphasized Freeflex's environmental significance and design freedom.
It is precisely because of its innovative research and development capabilities of world-class steel belt products that Sandvik can constantly challenge itself to meet the needs of its customers. The latest generation of valve disc steel belt Freeflex is evidence of the response to customer needs and constant self-challenge. "Sandvik attaches great importance to the Chinese market. Because we realize that whether it is from the scale of production, or marketing, or even technology research and development, Chinese home appliance companies have been actively seeking breakthroughs. All along, in addition to ensuring a stable long-term supply of products, we also provide innovative solutions that continuously exceed customer expectations. Freeflex is a new generation of products that have entered the patent application period and not only meet the needs of a variety of compressors that are miniaturized and lightweight, but also meet new industry standards. Stefan Jonsson believes that "for compressor designers, exploring new design thinking initiated by Freeflex will be a fun and challenging journey." ”
At the same time, Stefan Jonsson added: "In addition to complete control of production and processing and logistics, in order to improve service quality, we have also set up steel belt service centers and R&D centers around the world. In Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, we have a service center and a research and development center. The establishment of the Zhenjiang service center has greatly shortened the supply cycle of the product; the establishment of the R&D center has provided more efficient technical support for Chinese customers using valve plate steel belts. ”
"Relevant statistics in 2021 show that different countries emit the lowest total amount of carbon dioxide when producing 1 kWh of electricity. The largest source of China's current carbon emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels in the production sector of the electricity and heating sectors. This share of carbon dioxide emissions accounts for about 54% of China's total carbon emissions. Therefore, if our products can be applied on a large scale, they can reduce electricity consumption and contribute to carbon emissions. Stefan Jonsson confessed.
Accurate role positioning
Remco Jongen, global product manager of Sandvik Material Technology's Strip Division, pointed out that compared with other markets in the world, the biggest difference in the Chinese market is: first, in the past 20 years, the Chinese market has been in a period of rapid growth; second, whether it is the field of home appliances or the field of automotive intelligent manufacturing, China has the most important and most important market in the world. At present, whether from the perspective of market size or technology development, China is in a global dominant position. Therefore, Sandvik attaches great importance to the expansion and promotion of the Chinese market.
Commenting on the significance of freeflex's release for the development of the compressor industry, Remco Jongen admits: "I think it will bring more reliable compressors, longer warranty machines, greater design freedom, and a wider choice of materials. Of course, Sandvik will continue to innovate on the steel strip material of the valve plate. Because we are not only a material supplier, but also an industry partner in material supply and technical services. He has a deeper understanding of the company's role in the future market.
According to Remco Jongen, large domestic compressor manufacturers are facing a growing market for household air conditioners and are looking for new compressor designs to improve energy efficiency. When choosing a high-quality valve disc steel belt material, many compressor companies will think of Sandvik for the first time. That's because Sandvik can not only provide high-quality steel strip materials for valve discs, but also participate in the design of compressor discs and valve systems, and solve problems with customers. "Since 2014, we have often had open discussions with technicians from domestic compressor plants, and some solutions are often new sparks that collide in the discussions. We think and solve problems like a team, which is also a cooperation model unique to the Chinese market. Remco Jongen was impressed.
"In view of the all-round improvement of Freeflex's performance, its application positioning mainly focuses on three aspects: one is to develop a new generation of compressors with higher performance; the other is to improve the capabilities of existing compressors in some aspects, such as life and COP value; and the third is the application of valve plates that require stronger wear resistance." Although Freeflex improves the strength and toughness of the material, it does not lose thermal stability and can still meet the upper limit of 300°C operating temperature. Remco Jongen affirmed Freeflex's application positioning.
"First, the service frequency of the compressor has been increased from 120Hz to 180Hz, which allows the compressor to be miniaturized with the same displacement. Imagine if a compressor factory produces 45 million to 50 million compressors per year, although a single compressor uses less than 2g of Sandvik's valve plate steel, but for the above application process, the parts and materials that can be saved and the corresponding energy consumption, as well as the energy savings in the subsequent put into use process, will be very amazing. Remco Jongen added.
A small piece of valve disc steel belt can change the development results of a new generation of energy-saving compressors. For example, valve valves are for the human heart, and compressor valve plates are also key components of the compressor system. Therefore, the characteristics of the valve disc steel material not only have a significant impact on compressor performance, but also have a profound impact on global sustainability. "The 'double carbon' strategy is not only a solemn commitment made by China to the world, but also a major choice to urge us to contribute to the world's environmental protection cause." At present, Sandvik operates in more than 150 countries and regions, cooperating with customers around the world and providing quality services. For us, win-win cooperation is the only way to success. Remco Jongen's words also convey Sandvik's determination to deploy the world.
In the face of increasingly stringent energy-saving standards, how to improve the fatigue resistance of compressors under extreme working conditions and ensure that the compressor runs smoothly for a long time in an environmentally friendly and energy-saving manner is crucial. In the future, Sandvik will continue to explore and provide advanced material solutions for China's refrigeration industry.
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