Peter Powell

Technologies related to heat exchangers, heat transfer, and piping were as varied as the number of exhibitors at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo). Each had innovative twists to show.

I do crossword puzzles to keep my brain functioning beyond work hours and learn a bit more about matters beyond HVACR. But a recent puzzle had one word that really bogged me down - and it is embarrassing what that word was.

HFC-410A has been around for more than a dozen years, even though the HVACR industry is just now ready to really embrace it. In the more than a decade of its existence, hundreds upon hundreds of stories, flyers, info sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and slides have been produced talking about it. With the demise of R-22, it will - if it already hasn’t - become the most important refrigerant in the industry.

So why does R-22 have to go? It’s a great refrigerant. Been around for decades. Easy to work with. Cheap (at least for most of its life). Or, more precisely, who or what is to blame for it going away?

The sky is falling? Maybe that was the fear in the past. But, not this time when it comes to the transition from HCFC-22 to HFC-410A. In the coming months, The NEWS will cover every aspect of the changeover that you will want to explore in your company: from the installation to the service, from the training to the marketing, and from the business management to the selling.

One aspect of living somewhat near the Chicago metro area is that I am sometimes asked what the weather might be when someone or some events are coming this way.

In short order, the EPA published two new proposed rules on Dec. 23, sat through a day-long hearing on Jan. 7 in which dozens of industry officials offered feedback, and then on Jan. 14 issued a Fact Sheet attempting to clarify some of the issues raised at the hearing. As it is, the process is still not a done deal.

In smaller refrigeration applications in Europe, the refrigerant isobutane is commonly used. That is not the case in the United States because the refrigerant has an A3 safety rating due to flammability issues. But now a major manufacturer of refrigeration equipment is attempting to change the equation in the U.S. And that could make the already complex refrigerant marketplace even more interesting.

Any time we complain about government regulations, just remember: We are not alone. Brian Baker of Custom Vac Ltd., an HVAC contracting company in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, passed along a news item from the London Telegraph.

Refrigeration technologies are a global endeavor whether it is for recreational purposes such as an ice rink or as a vital link in the food chain. Here, from three countries, are some of the newest developments.