The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology Institute (AHRTI) — the research arm of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) — released the first research report as part of its ongoing testing of flammable refrigerants, many of which were identified as possible replacements to high-GWP (global warming-potential) hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that will be phased down under the Montreal Protocol.
NIST’s study, entitled “Limited options for low-global warming potential [GWP] refrigerants,” focused on residential and small-commercial single-package and split air conditioning systems, but the authors said their conclusions also generally apply to room air conditioning units and other refrigeration and heat-pump systems currently using common, ozone-depleting refrigerants such as R-410A or R-22, which are still used in some developing countries today. “The takeaway is there is no perfect, easy replacement for current refrigerants,” NIST chemical engineer Mark McLinden said.
Incorporating flammable refrigerants into manufacturing processes can have a dramatic impact on your facility from testing procedures to reclassification as a hazardous location to modifying or building new labs.
Johnson Controls has donated $100,000 to ASHRAE Research. The donation will help fund research that supports the development of safety standards regarding the use of mildly flammable, low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has published updates to AHRI Guideline Q, Content Recovery and Proper Recycling of Refrigerant Cylinders, which now includes best practices for end-of-life recycling of flammable refrigerant containers.
We all know that some of the new refrigerant options are highly flammable, some are mildly flammable, and some operate at very high pressures. But our industry is filled with smart people who know the hazards, and will train and adapt.
The research program is part of an ongoing global effort to phase down the use of high-GWP refrigerants and identify appropriate climate-friendly alternatives. The DOE will contribute $3 million; ASHRAE, $1.2 million; and AHRI, $1 million.
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), ASHRAE, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating to fund research that will establish a more robust fact base about the properties and use of flammable refrigerants.
With the advancing worldwide phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP’s) OzonAction Division of Technology has produced a series of factsheets on the safe use of the new alternative refrigerants.
Industry input is being sought into a proposal to modify portions of ASHRAE’s refrigeration safety standard to incorporate subclass 2L flammability classifications. Addendum d to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2013, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, is open for public comment until Jan. 18.