NEW YORK - As part of its press conference at the 2008 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition, DuPont Refrigerants announced that it and Honeywell have jointly come up with a new refrigerant for mobile air conditioning designed to address concerns about the perceived high global warming potential of HFC-134a.

The refrigerant was identified as HFO-1234yf, meaning it is not an HFC. DuPont officials said the refrigerant is a single component and not a blend.

“We are very encouraged that it will be compatible with existing 134a mobile air conditioning system technology,” DuPont said.

It is being developed because the European mobile industry has been mandated to move from the use of R-134a in air conditioning starting with 2011 model automobiles. The product is being introduced at a time in which attention is also being paid to using R-744 (CO2) in automobile air conditioning.

During the press briefing at the expo, DuPont officials said the refrigerant’s acceptance and performance in mobile a/c will be monitored so that consideration might be given to HFO-1234yf’s use in the stationary sector, particularly for the types of equipment that currently use R-134a.

The new refrigerant was formally presented in fall 2007 at the second European Workshop on Mobile Air Conditioning and Auxiliaries in Torino, Italy.

For more information, visit www.refrigerants.dupont.com.

Publication date: 02/18/2008