The refrigeration and air conditioning industry has made tremendous progress over the past two decades in reducing the use of ozone depleting refrigerants. The original targets of the Montreal Protocol, established in 1987 to reduce emissions of ozone depleting substances, are being met and exceeded. Another consequence of these initiatives is that during the 1990s and the early part of the present century, there was considerable uncertainty regarding future refrigerant options. Now a new path has started to appear, defined by the global agenda on climate change and global warming.
Our handling of the environment must be changed. Governments around the world are therefore introducing regulations in an effort to limit the negative environmental impacts.
Seen from a global perspective, the tendency is that the industry is moving more and more toward natural refrigerants where this is technologically feasible. Synthetic refrigerants are still likely to play a large role in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, but this will be in systems with the smallest possible charge of refrigerant and with new low GWP substances.
Refrigerant manufacturers are responding with the development of new products, and equipment manufacturer´s are designing more efficient technologies and systems that minimize refrigerant charge. They are also testing, selecting and qualifying new refrigerants.
Danfoss encourages the further development and use of low-GWP refrigerants to help slow – and ultimately reverse – the process of global warming while helping to ensure continued global wellbeing and economic development along with the future viability of our industry. We will enable our customers to achieve these refrigerant goals while continuing to enhance the energy efficiency of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.
The list of suitable substances is very short, but growing
A new class of mildly flammable refrigerant called A2L is one of the topics in this discussion. Customers are specifically testing the refrigerants R32, R1234yf, and R1234ze, as they provide low Global Warming Potential (GWP), zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP), and a relatively low flammability.
Previously performed tests with R32 were satisfactory and it seems possible that this substance could stay in the market. The HVAC industry in China is focusing on this refrigerant. In Table 1, the ODP and GWP impact data are shown. R32’s GWP level is moderate, but compared with R410A, R32 is only one third of its GWP.
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