Refrigerants

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In the evolving world of refrigerants, the HVACR industry is preparing for the inclusion of mildly flammable or flammable refrigerants in an increasing number of applications. But the expanded use of these refrigerants won’t happen overnight, as there is a multistep approval process they must undergo to be approved for new applications.

EVAPCO Inc. has introduced the Evapcold Packaged Refrigeration System, a factory-assembled, low-charge ammonia refrigeration system that requires just 2.5 to 3.0 pounds of ammonia per ton of refrigeration for an entire system. 

Emerson Climate Technologies has approved DuPont Opteon® XP40 (R-449A) and XP10 (R-513A) for use in a wide range of its scroll and semi-hermetic compressors. This approval paves the way for the use of Opteon refrigerants in new and existing compressors for a number of refrigeration applications.

The refrigeration industry may have a new folk hero on its hands. On April 1, Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Kentucky, sent a letter to Gina McCarthy, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In it, Whitfield mapped out a number of “significant concerns” regarding EPA’s proposed rule that seeks to restrict the use of HFCs.

Natural refrigeration technology is gaining traction with end users, yet, despite technological successes, there are still challenges to overcome in the form of regulatory obstacles and skill shortages.

The Research and Technology (R&T) Committee of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has established a Flammable Refrigerants Subcommittee that will seek to develop a set of application requirements for the use of ASHRAE-designated 2L, or mildly flammable, refrigerants.

In many ways, refrigerant recovery and reclamation is an example of human ingenuity at its best. An innovative and essential product is created, and then a way is devised to prolong its usefulness by collecting it after years of service, purifying it, and using it again.

The ongoing phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), such as R-22, holds many unknowns for the HVACR industry as 2020 approaches, but at least one sector of the industry anticipates tremendous opportunity: the reclamation sector. 

Recovering refrigerant from HVAC and refrigeration systems is an important day-to-day task for HVACR technicians. Here’s a look at some of the latest tools that help make this important job easy, along with tips from the recovery equipment manufacturers on how to efficiently and safely recover refrigerant.

Ongoing industrialization and food retail modernization efforts in many of the world’s developing countries, such as China and India, will help grow the global commercial refrigeration equipment market to $38 billion in 2018.