Oct. 8, 2012: NIST Research Identifies 1,200 Possible Low-GWP Refrigerants; 60 Considered Usable
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new computational method for identifying candidate refrigerant fluids with low global warming potential (GWP). The new method was used to identify about 1,200 promising, low-GWP chemicals for further study among some 56,000 that were considered. Only about 60 of these have boiling points low enough to be suitable for common HVACR equipment, an indication of how difficult it is to identify usable fluids.
The NIST project is said to be a response to U.S. industry interest in a new generation of alternative refrigerants that already are required for use in the European Union.