In one of the more unusual examples of technology transfer from motorsport to the wider world, an aerofoil system developed by Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is to be used to improve the efficiency of fridges at 1400 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.
As previously reported by The Engineer the device, which has been inspired by the aerodynamically efficient rear wing on a Williams Formula One car, attaches onto each refrigerator shelf and controls the airflow, ensuring that more of the cool air stays inside the refrigerator cabinet. It has already shown significant reductions in energy consumption in lab tests and is expected to drive an energy reduction of up to 15 per cent across the supermarket’s UK stores.
Developed in collaboration with UK start up Aerofoil Energy Ltd, the technology has already been trialled in 50 Sainsbury’s stores and will now be rolled out across every one of its UK supermarkets where it will either be retrofitted to existing fridges, or fitted as standard to new equipment. An added benefit of the technology for shoppers is that by ensuring less cold air escapes from chiller cabinets, temperatures in the aisles are expected to increase by up to 4°C.
Commenting on the rollout of the technology WAE’s Managing Director Craig Wilson said: “Working with Sainsbury’s shows how Formula One can be a vehicle for change and is another example of how we engineer advantage for our customers. As air quality and sustainability concerns revolutionise traditional industries, there is huge growth potential for our business in deploying energy efficient technology in a range of sectors, not just automotive. Formula One is the ultimate R&D platform which can be applied beyond the racetrack to solve some of society’s most demanding challenges.”
I seem to remember in the not too distant past fridges were fitted with transparent slatted plastic screens, which I’m sure were more efficient at cold retention.
This is more an ergonomic / visual enhancement than solving an engineering or energy saving problem.
In fact my local T**co express has all its fridges with double glazed glass doors. Surely the ultimate way to maintain visibility and cold retention.
Great! My wife always complains about the cold in supermarket aisles. They can save energy, improve food storage protection – and keep customers happy. Well done Williams and well done Sainsburys for adopting a bit of F1 technology!
Wonder what aforementioned supermarket will think about the photograph (above) accompanying this article !
Did W* just get new cabinets and not realise?
Does the picture show the correct aerofoil additions?
I’m confused now having read Jonathan’s comment and looked more closely at the picture.
Unless we are careful, someone is going to remind us that the single most important spin-off of the Space Race? was non-stick frying pans?
This is a rumour that deserves to die and should not be repeated by anyone involved in emgineering. Teflon was invented in 1941 and used in non-stick pans since the 1950s. Wikepedia maintains
this excellent page on commercial spin-offs from NASA research, although it does not separate out which ones came from the ‘Space Race’ years.
Actually delving into my memory -and time spent with Woods of Colchester, my first employer- I am sure that the brand-name of their range of fans for industrial purposes was ‘Aerofoil’ -is there a clash here? I am sure courts full of lawyers will argue their wigs off if there is!
According to dictionary.com the word “aerofoil” originated in 1907, so it would appear to be a descriptor related to air flow that has been in use for more than a century and not a trademark.
Now, if I had registered aerofoil as the trademark for my range of cakes and someone tried to sell aerofoil scones then that would be a matter for the chaps in wigs (not the pantomime dames).
Actually, if supermarkets are serious about energy saving(s) how about starting with the packaging superfluity which appears to have taken over. We all have silly stories, but I recently purchased a cucumber (which has a perfectly good outer protective layer built in by nature) encased in a plastic film, itself covered with a flexible plastic bag seems belt, braces, and sticking plaster. Is that a simile?
Justin King, Sainsbury’s (former) MD, was questioned on BBC’s Newsnight programme about the plastic wrapping of supermarket cucumbers and stated that this practice doubled fridge life, thereby saving energy overall and reducing food waste.