Appliance Design - April 2008 - (Page 30)

COOLING TECHNOLOGIES In testing its newly redesigned vending machines and coolers, Coca-Cola found savings varied depending upon ambient temperature. A Coca-Cola cooler charged with carbon dioxide refrigerant. prominent material. In Europe R&D on these fluids and their implementation were ongoing. In fact, more than 200 million refrigerators in Europe are charged with isobutane, a natural hydrocarbon refrigerant, Colbourne says. Still, HFCs are the dominant alternative to CFCs because they are a proven and established efficient technology. HFC-134a has replaced CFC-12 and is now used extensively in refrigerators and mobile air conditioners (MAC). Other HFCs, like HFC-410a are replacing HCFC-22 in unitary air conditioning systems and HFC-404a is the alternative for commercial refrigeration applications. At the recent AHR Expo, a number of HVAC/R companies released new equipment using HFC-based refrigerants including Amcor, HeatCraft, Johnson Controls, and Lennox. And, the use of HFCs is growing, especially as the final deadlines for CFC and HCFC phase out rapidly approaches. Kevin O’Shea, North American marketing manager for DuPont Refrigerants, says that today’s HFC products such as DuPont’s Suva R-404A are environmentally acceptable because they have no ODP, they work efficiently with little energy waste, and can use existing design platforms. Echoing this idea is Peter Geosits, Americas Commercial Director for INEOS Fluor Americas in St. Gabriel, La., who says that R-134a, a refrigerant that his company sells, is a non-ozone depleting, non-toxic fluid that can be used in a range of 30 applianceDESIGN April 2008 applications today from automotive A/C to residential refrigerators and air conditioners. For those worried about GWP, Geosits says that the industry has already reduced GWP with the HFC products. “CFCs were very potent global warmers and when replacing them with HFCs there was a reduction in GWP on the order of 7 to 8 fold,” he says. Another manufacturer that believes that there is a place for HFC refrigerants is Arkema, a Parisbased refrigerant supplier with U.S. operations based in Philadelphia. The company produces R-410a refrigerant, which the company markets as Forane 410A. R-410a is a blended-HFC refrigerant that uses a 50/50 blend of R-32 and R-125, and is a replacement for R-22. R-32 is a highly efficient refrigerant, but slightly flammable, and R-125 is completely non-flammable, which helps to neutralize the flammability issues regarding R-32, says Craig Thomas, market manager for Arkema’s North American refrigerants. The R-32 is made at the company’s new plant in Calvert City, Ky., and in 2010 Arkema will make the R-125 component in China in a joint venture with Daikin. Forane 410A has zero ODP and a GWP of 1,890. It has a boiling point of –61.6 DegF. He adds that R-410A does have a higher operating pressure than R-22, and may require changes to compressors, condensers and other components. While Arkema’s product does have a GWP rating, Thomas says that it is a highly efficient product, which cuts down on indirect emissions, and is safe and non-toxic. “GWP is obviously on our minds because fluorocarbon chemicals have a GWP and they might be a target for a phase out,” says Thomas. “And, we are developing lowGWP products. But, the products we have now are good products for today’s users. Not for 10 or 15 years down the road.” The group Refrigerants Naturally! is pushing for faster implementation of natural refrigerants. The group was cofounded by The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever and McDonalds, and now counts PepsiCo, Carlsberg and IKEA as members. According to Linda Ederberg of the Refrigerants, Naturally! Secretariat, natural refrigerants are cheap, easily available, and are climate and ozone friendly. She says that the practice among the members of Refrigerants, Naturally! has demonstrated the safe use of natural refrigerants and that they can be more efficient than HFCs. The natural refrigerants family includes carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrocarbons, which can include isobutane and propane. Carbon dioxide has no ozone depletion potential (ODP = 0) and negligible direct global warming potential when used as a refrigerant in closed cycles. It is more efficient at lower ambient temperature. (HFCs tend to be more efficient at higher ambient temperatures relative to CO2.) Carbon dioxide has a GWP of 1 as compared to www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - April 2008

Appliance Design - April 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A Variant of Thermoacoustic Refrigeration Known as Acoustic-Stirling is Expanding Its Range Outside Cryocooling Into More Conventional Applications Such As Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Free-Piston, Stirling Coolers Are Now Showing Up in Mainstream Applications As Costs Come Down and Heat Transport Solutions Are Devised Heat Exchanger Innovations Are Helping To Improve the Overall Efficiency of Vapor Compression Systems Environmental Concerns Have Once Again Ignited a Debate Over Refrigerants A New Glass Ceramic Material for Induction Cooktops Can Be Decorated In a Variety of Glimmering Metallic, 3-D Looks That Can Employ a Number of Shades, Patterns, Styles, Colors, Intensities, and Textures Colorful, Reflective Coatings for Glass Create a Variety of Design Options To Help Designers Establish a Unique Look for Their Products Appliance Designers Faced With Different Motor and Drive Options Need To Understand the Differences and Tradeoffs Before Choosing A New MEMS Valve Offers a Number of Advantages Over Solenoids In Certain Applications, Including the Opportunity To Cut Energy Use The AHR Expo Set Attendance Records and Showcased Thousands of Innovative New Products Classifieds Design Marts Advertiser’s Index Association Report: CEA

Appliance Design - April 2008

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