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UK-based refrigeration technology specialist Enviro-Cool has launched V-Tex, a technology that chills cans and bottles on demand. The low-energy drink-chilling unit uses a Rankine vortex, a mathematical model of a vortex in a viscous fluid, combined with ice and water to chill drinks rapidly. Drinks are placed in a unique gripper and subjected to ‘forced convection,’ rather than the natural convection of existing equipment. According to Enviro-Cool, the technology can chill drinks in a matter of minutes as well as offer energy savings of 50-90% compared with conventional chilling solutions. V-Tex also eliminates the need for commonly-used chemicals and glycol. It has been developed as an ‘eco-friendly solution to refrigeration’, Enviro-Cool said, and is designed to overcome the challenge of agitating carbonated liquids without fizzing. While pre-packed beverages are usually kept cold 24/7 in commercial environments, businesses could utilise V-Tex to chill beverages at the point of sale or consumption. The unit’s universal holders can accommodate any size can, plastic or glass bottle drink from 150ml to two litres. Larger volumes of drinks can also be chilled using fewer refrigerators, an advantage for large-scale operators such as contract caterers. Colin Rodgers, director at V-Tex, said that he hopes the technology will, in time, become the ‘global standard’ for beverage chilling. He added: “The idea of on-demand drinks chilling has been around for many years, and several large companies have tried to achieve it, but without success. V-Tex enables large quantities of drinks to be chilled in a brief time, from a small footprint, whilst using significantly less energy than conventional methods.”