DuPont Fluorochemicals has announced the introduction of three new refrigerants in its DuPont™ Opteon® family, based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology. The company said these refrigerants have far lower global warming potential (GWP) than the products they are designed to replace.
Almost universally now, those in the scientific community — and, perhaps most importantly, the regulatory sector — are expressing concern over what is now being called climate change.
Contractors hoping for a final word on the newest refrigerants will have to wait — but maybe only a bit longer. Research continues and most of the studies are focusing on low-GWP HFCs and HFOs. But the good news is that what is currently being worked on could well represent the last generation of refrigerants.
If hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are to have long-term viability, the low-global warming potential (GWP) versions will have to separate themselves from high-GWP types. And the survivors will have to play their part in energy efficiencies, especially in commercial buildings.
Hydrochlorofluorcarbons, or HFCs, have enabled an 83 percent reduction in U.S. direct greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 as a substitute for ozone depleting substances that were also very potent contributors to climate change.
In support of the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program is proposing the addition of hydrocarbon refrigerants for several select HVACR applications.
Two years after Carrier entered into an agreement with EOS Climate Inc. to ensure responsible end-of-life management of used refrigerants, the program has prevented 111,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to removing 23,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public meeting to inform stakeholders of its proposed plan for a transition to “climate-friendly alternatives” to replace high-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.