ASHRAE is seeking input on a proposal to change part of its refrigeration HVAC construction safety standards to incorporate flammability classifications.

The addendum to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ HVAC market standard would add a subclass, 2L, to the existing Class 2 flammability classification of refrigerants.

“The expectation was that some of the Class 2L refrigerants would be commercialized and used as substitutes for Class A1 refrigerants that are in use today,” said Dennis Dorman, chairman of the committee that wrote the standard. “Refrigerants in use today may come under regulatory pressure due to their relatively higher global warming potential.  But to do this without major economic impact, Class 2L would have to be safely applied without the stringent application limitations imposed by standard 15 on other flammable refrigerants. In other words, in order to be broadly applied, Class 2L refrigerants would need to be treated more like Class 1 than Class 2 or Class 3.”

Comments on the addendum to “Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems,” is open until Jan. 16, 2016.  Go to www.ashrae.org/publicreviews to read more or to comment.