Refrigerants

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The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced it will present test results of the second phase of its Low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (AREP) during a one-day conference on Jan. 21, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, the day before the start of the ASHRAE Winter Conference.

Honeywell announced that its new Solstice® refrigerant for supermarket refrigeration has been named a finalist for the R&D 100 Awards, sponsored by R&D Magazine.

A-Gas International announced that A-Gas Americas has bought Refri-Claim®, the reclamation division of ICOR International. Refri-Claim is a certified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refrigerant reclaimer.

The revised OSHA Hazard Communication Standard now incorporates portions of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, which, according to OSHA, will benefit workers at more than 5 million workplaces in the U.S. by reducing confusion about chemical hazards, facilitating safety training, and improving knowledge of the hazards, especially for low-literacy workers.

The global natural refrigerants market is forecast to reach $1.4 billion by 2020, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5 percent between 2015 and 2020, according to a report published by MarketsandMarkets.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Wichita Area Office announced that it has cited the food processing facility of Reser’s Fine Foods, Topeka, Kansas, for 13 serious safety and health violations. OSHA opened an investigation at the company after receiving a complaint about an ammonia refrigerant leak.

ClimeCo Corp. has announced its acquisition of Environmental Credit Corp., expanding its position as a top provider of voluntary carbon credits under the Climate Action Reserve.

Daikin Industries Ltd. announced it is offering companies worldwide free access to 93 patents to encourage them to develop and commercialize air conditioning, cooling, and heat pump equipment that uses HFC-32 as a single-component refrigerant.

Trends in supermarkets can often provide insights into changes to come for the rest of the commercial refrigeration world, and — as is the case industry-wide — refrigerants are on the minds of many in the supermarket sector.

The following is excerpted from “Case Study: Transcritical Carbon Dioxide Supermarket Refrigeration Systems,” which was prepared by Navigant Consulting Inc. for the Better Buildings Alliance; Building Technologies Office; and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).