No technology has stirred up more attention in recent years than use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant in both stationary and mobile HVACR applications. And yet the technology has more people head scratching over it in terms of dealing with the pressures, efficiencies, installation costs, and servicing skills, not to mention how it should be regulated.
In its recent white paper on a range of refrigerants, Emerson Climate Technologies said, “Environmental concerns about the potential direct emissions from HFC-based refrigeration systems have led to legislation and taxation schemes in parts of Europe that favor the usage of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. CO2 is given the designation R-744. CO2 is environmentally benign compared with other refrigerants, is nonflammable, has low toxicity, is widely available, and is a low-first-cost substance.”