Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials Appoints Dr. Samuel F. Yana Motta as Global Refrigerant Applications Director

Orbia Advance Corporation S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ORBIA*) Fluor & Energy Materials announced that Dr. Samuel F. Yana Motta has joined the company as global refrigerant applications director. Yana Motta has an esteemed career of 30-plus years in the refrigerant industry. He served in various senior leadership positions at Honeywell for 20 years, first as global director of applications and then as research fellow for the refrigerants business.

Most recently, he served as a distinguished R&D scientist/engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Before his employment at Honeywell, he worked for five years at Pontifícia Universidad Católica do Rio de Janeiro and was a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Yana Motta is recognized for contributing to the development of industry-leading low global-warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, including R-1234yf and R-1234ze, and blends using HFOs such as R-448A.

Often a speaker at major international conferences and the author of several scientific articles, research reports and patents, he is a member of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee, an ASHRAE Fellow (2025) and former chair of two important ASHRAE technical committees: TC1.3 (heat transfer and fluid flow) and TC 3.1 (refrigerants and secondary fluids).

Dr. Samuel F. Yana Motta’s Role at Orbia

As Orbia’s global refrigerants applications director, he will be responsible for aligning product development with the prospective needs of the automotive & stationary markets to ensure Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials continues to be the global leader in high-performing, climate-friendly, low GWP refrigerant technologies, the company stated in a press release. Yana Motta will also set the vision for Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials’ new application laboratory in Houston, Texas.

Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials Shawn Shorrock, vice president, refrigerants, says, “Samuel is respected on so many different levels for his research prowess, communication skills and bright mind. He has a proven track record in developing strategic technology roadmaps, mentoring teams and driving innovation for HFOs and their mixtures, which makes him a perfect fit for this position. We look forward to his contributions in the advancement of market-driven sustainable refrigerant solutions.”