Dacris Project
Freon-free Cooling for Underground Mines
DACRIS develops an innovative, air-cycle based cooling system designed for deep mining operations. It eliminates synthetic refrigerants, lowers operational costs, and enhances worker safety in high-temperature environments.
Rethinking Mine Cooling for a Sustainable Future
Deep mining operations face rising temperatures and energy demands that strain both productivity and safety. Traditional chillers using HFCs or ammonia are costly to operate, difficult to maintain, and environmentally unsustainable.
DACRIS offers a clean alternative: a dynamic air-cycle cooling device that operates without refrigerants. Using only compressed air, the system delivers chilled airflow directly to the working zones, ensuring optimal comfort, energy savings, and reduced emissions.
Through advanced thermodynamic cycles — compression, supersonic expansion, and energy recovery — DACRIS achieves high cooling performance with minimal environmental impact. The result is a safer, greener, and more efficient mine ventilation system.
Our services
Key Benefits
Operates exclusively with air, eliminating HFCs and ammonia.
Reduces energy consumption by up to 30% compared with traditional cooling systems.
up to 50% lower CO₂ emissions.
localized cooling minimizes heat stress for underground workers.
easy to deploy, integrate, and maintain even in remote or constrained areas.
Scientific Foundation
The DACRIS concept relies on advanced thermodynamic research in air‑cycle refrigeration, historically used in aerospace applications and now reimagined for heavy industry. Its process involves the continuous compression, expansion, and recuperation of air energy, achieving cooling without chemical refrigerants. The result is a closed, sustainable, and efficient system aligned with EU Green Deal objectives and circular economy principles.
February 2025 – December 2026
Our Vision
DACRIS aims to redefine underground cooling with a cleaner, safer, and more economical technology. By pioneering an air-cycle solution that eliminates refrigerants and optimizes energy efficiency, DACRIS demonstrates how industrial innovation can directly contribute to sustainable mining. The project envisions a future where deep mines operate with minimal environmental impact, greater worker safety, and significantly reduced operating costs. Through close collaboration between engineering, scientific, and industrial partners, DACRIS supports Europe’s twin goals of climate neutrality and industrial competitiveness—empowering the raw materials sector to lead the global transition toward cleaner, smarter, and more resilient production systems.
The DACRIS Consortium
DAC Sp. z o.o. (Poland) – Project Coordinator
DAC leads the overall project management and system integration. With long‑standing expertise in industrial cooling and manufacturing, the company oversees prototype design, assembly, and testing, ensuring scalability and compliance with European safety standards.
SEC IKE (Greece)
Responsible for sustainability analysis, market assessment, and business planning. SEC IKE conducts the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and supports exploitation and communication activities, ensuring that DACRIS aligns with EU environmental targets and market needs.
Bialystok University of Technology (Poland)
The research team provides scientific validation, performance simulation, and laboratory testing of the DACRIS system. Their thermodynamic modeling and experimental data ensure efficiency optimization and reliability under extreme environmental conditions.
Kompanija BOKSIT a.d. (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
BOKSIT offers a real‑world testing environment, hosting pilot installations in operating bauxite mines. Their participation enables hands‑on validation of DACRIS performance in full‑scale industrial settings, addressing the specific challenges of heat management underground.