The gas-fired absorption chiller/heater is so well regarded in Japan today that they are installed in about 60 percent of all newly constructed large-scale buildings. But to their operators in the buildings, the absorption machines have remained as "black boxes," so to speak, and upgrading the knowledge of operators is indispensable to ensure stable and uninterrupted growth in the use of absorption HVAC systems.

Therefore, a Tokyo gas firm decided to start a short course in the training of operation techniques for absorption machines, placing particular emphasis on practical experience. After one year, more than 500 persons have attended the course. Many of them are the chiefs of operating crews, and their experiences in the course are proving to be highly effective in upgrading daily practice and in basic support of absorption system technology development.