Education
From niche to core: teaching natural refrigerants
A perspective from UCLL University of Applied Sciences, Belgium
Interview with Walter Reulens, Research & Expertise UCLL
eurammon Student’s Day 2026 at UCLL Belgium
What role do natural refrigerants play in your curriculum today, and where do you see room to strengthen them?
At UCLL University of Applied Sciences, natural refrigerants are becoming an increasingly important part of our RACHP education and professional training. Within our Sustainable Resources expertise centre, we combine education, applied research and services to industry. Our facilities in Houthalen allow students and professionals to work with real CO2 and propane systems, covering refrigeration, heat pumps and air-conditioning applications. The recent evolution of the European F-gas certification framework reinforces this need. The new certification requirements explicitly include alternatives such as hydrocarbons, CO2 and ammonia, meaning that future technicians need competencies that go beyond traditional F-gas handling.
We therefore believe natural refrigerants should no longer be treated as a specialised topic, but as an integral part of modern RACHP education. In particular, practical skills, safety, risk assessment and understanding the specific characteristics of each refrigerant need to become core competencies.
The RACHP sector is growing and offers real career potential, yet stays invisible to young people. What would change that?
We need to show young people what modern RACHP technology really looks like. At UCLL, we try to do this by giving students hands-on experience with real installations and by connecting education directly with companies and the professional field.
RACHP combines thermodynamics, electrical engineering, digitalisation, energy efficiency and sustainability. It is therefore a high-tech sector with an important role in the energy transition. More practical projects, company visits and closer cooperation between schools and industry could make these career opportunities much more visible.
“Natural refrigerants should no longer be treated as a specialised topic, but as an integral part of modern RACHP education.”
Walter Reulens, UCLL
Looking ten years ahead, what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities?
Technically, we will have to deal with increasingly efficient and complex systems, higher pressures, flammability and new applications.
At the same time, the new European certification framework means that technicians are increasingly expected to work safely with a broader range of refrigerants and technologies. The certification requirements explicitly address safe handling of equipment containing flammable or toxic gases and equipment operating at high pressures.
The biggest challenge may therefore be finding enough skilled people who understand both the technology and the associated safety requirements. This is also a major opportunity for education. We need to move beyond teaching people simply how to install and maintain equipment, towards understanding systems, assessing risks, troubleshooting and working safely with different refrigerants.
What is needed from industry, and from a network like eurammon, to prepare the next generation?
We need a strong and continuous connection with industry. Access to modern equipment, real-life cases, technical expertise and practical experience is invaluable. Industry can help education understand which skills will actually be needed in the workplace. Networks such as eurammon can help connect universities, training providers, manufacturers, contractors and end users, while sharing knowledge and best practices across Europe. A good example is the eurammon Students Day organised together with UCLL, which brought students into direct contact with experts and companies from the natural refrigerant sector. Initiatives like this are valuable because they give students a broader view of the industry, its technologies and the career opportunities it offers.
For UCLL, this fits very well with our role as a university of applied sciences: bringing together education, applied research and the professional field, and translating technological developments and new regulatory requirements into practical knowledge for students and industry.
Part of our anniversary publication “30 Years of Championing Refrigerants by Nature”.
