Several companies have invested millions of dollars into research and development of low-GWP (global-warming potential) refrigerants, resulting in a number of options for contractors seeking alternatives to the refrigerants that have been delisted under the EPA’s recent rule.
EPA estimates this final rule will reduce greenhouse gas emissions of 54-64 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, equal to the carbon dioxide emissions from the annual energy use of more than 5.8 million homes.
The HFC management workshop and Open-Ended Working Group meetings are an opportunity to present technical information relevant to HFCs, such as high-ambient temperature performance, safety requirements, and energy efficiency, and to provide a forum to discuss potential obstacles to an HFC phasedown.
Honeywell Intl. Inc. announced that leading global compressor manufacturers Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., Bitzer, and Frascold have approved Honeywell’s low-global warming potential (low-GWP) refrigerants Solstice N40 (R-448A) and Solstice N13 (R-450A) for use in their commercial refrigeration compressors.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new series of centrifugal chillers, called the ETI-Z Series, that use a new low-global warming potential (low-GWP) refrigerant, HFO-1233zd(E). The various models in the new series will be progressively launched starting this September.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 20th Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks shows a 2 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 from 2012 levels, but a 9 percent drop in emissions since 2005.
If 30 percent of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants currently in use are reclaimed for reuse by 2040, approximately 18 billion metric tons carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent would be prevented from reaching the atmosphere over the next 25 years, according to a white paper released by EOS Climate.
In industrial countries, production and consumption of HFCs should reach 15 percent of their 2013-2015 reference levels by 2035, stated the proposal. Developing countries would have until 2050 to reach the 15 percent level of their 2028-2030 use and consumption reference levels.
British refrigeration manufacturer Precision has announced that, following extensive testing, it will phase out use of R-404A refrigerant in the next few weeks, and move to the HFO blend R-448A, Honeywell’s Solstice N40 for all its freezer and blast chiller products.