Appliance Design - April 2009 - (Page 12) COOLING TECHNOLOGIES ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS ATTRACT T ATTENTION Carrier Commercial Refrigeration won an award for its transcritical CO2 systems that are used in European supermarkets. Environmental issues driving change again. by larry adams 12 applianceDESIGN April 2009 he vast majority of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, both residential and commercial, rely on vapor compression systems to remove heat. For decades, ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) were the refrigerant of choice for such systems. CFCs, however, were banned in the 1990s because of their ozone depletion potential (ODP). This led to an often costly and painful conversion to non-ozone depleting, hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) refrigerants. For some, especially Europeans, this transition was only a bridge to other refrigerants because of the high global warming potential (GWP) of HFCs. Further research and development has led to increased use of these natural refrigerants, which had once been popular, were displaced, and are now back. These include carbon dioxide (R-744) and hydrocarbons such as isobutane (R-600a) and propane (R-290a). Now, change might again be brewing as the phase out of HFCs for use in European mobile air conditioning (MAC) applications begins in 2011 and completes in 2017. And, looming on the horizon is the possibility that HFCs for stationary applications might be next on the list. Already, many countries tax HFCs at levels of $70 to $80/lb. to discourage use, and this can price HFCs out of installations where 2,000 lbs. of refrigerant are used. Pressure on the use of these gases, known as F-gases (fluorine gases), is popping up in countries around the world, including Canada. Traditionally, the use of natural refrigerants has been staunchly resisted in the U.S., but that resistance has started to wane, according to some select OEMs, refrigerant suppliers, compressor manufacturers, and industry experts. Two companies, GE Appliances and Ben & Jerry’s, a subsidiary of Unilever, have petitioned the EPA for approval to use hydrocarbon refrigerants. If they get this approval, the interest will increase considerably and more companies in the U.S. may explore the use of natural refrigerants, says Reinhard Radermacher, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland who conducts research in this area. In addition, hydrocarbons have the potential of being a bit more energy efficient. This would be helpful to companies that sell into both the U.S. and European markets. Additionally, the EPA has already approved one new hydrocarbon refrigerant for use in home appliances such as refrigerators and small window air conditioners, and Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, a unit of the Carrier Corp., is developing both CO2 and hydrocarbon-based refrigerated cases and displays. Hydrocarbons, most notably isobutane and propane, are the most widely used alternative refrigerants in the world. They have zero ODP and a negligible GWP and can be found in www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.