Refrigerants

While we have yet to identify life on any other planet or anywhere else in space, a new study has revealed the telltale signs which could indicate a planet being inhabited.

Large amounts of climate-warming refrigerant gases from China and Turkey are being smuggled illegally into Europe, undermining a global pact to phase them out, a report by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said on Monday.

In Romania, the investigation into the causes of the explosion on Saturday night at a propane-butane depot 30 km from Bucharest continues. The accident took the lives of two residents of the town of Crevedia, and 58 people received severe burns. The majority of the injured are firefighters, policemen and gendarmerie.

With air conditioner demand surging, scientists are looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of cooling systems and limit damaging emissions that accelerate global warming.

Innovation is focused on three major fronts, with much of the attention on energy consumption. Air conditioning units account for 6 percent of electricity used in the United States.

A sharp increase in the price of methane, which is used by cars equipped with methane systems, has been registered in recent days. The average price of methane is currently BGN 4.65 (EUR 2.38) /kg according to the data of the specialized platform fuelo.net and it increases literally by the hour.

 Fuel prices across Turkey rose significantly, prompted by a rise in special consumption tax (SCT), according to an industrial group.

Evacuation of part of Karnobat residents due to gas leaks at the city's train station. Many people spent the night outdoors, NOVA reported.

Around 1:00 am a tank loaded with propane-butane passed through the Karnobat area. A train station employee sensed a smell and a specific sound.

In January 2017 compared to December 2016, there was a decrease reported in the production of solid fuels - by 5.0% to 3,328 thousand T; of unleaded gasoline - by 8.3% to 165 thousand T; diesel fuel - by 6.9% to 256 thousand T; natural gas - by 20.0% to 12 million m3; electricity - by 10.8% to 4,056 GWh.

The chief source of new problems is solutions to old problems. The ammonia that we used in domestic fridges as a coolant in the early-20th century was poisonous if it leaked, so in the 1930s we replaced it with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which you can breathe all day without harm. Problem solved.

A man and a woman aged 77 and 74 respectively were severely injured Wednesday after explosion of a gas cylinder in their home in the Sofia Geo Milev neighborhood.

After the explosion wave hit, the window pane at the balcony of the appartment fell down and smashed right in front of the building. There have been no injured pedestrians.