Johnson Controls announces first screw chiller with low-GWP refrigerant in the U.S.
The YORK YVFA Free-Cooling, Variable-Speed Screw Chiller is the first free-cooling screw chiller in the U.S. to use R-1234ze, a refrigerant with ultra-low global warming potential.
Johnson Controls has launched its first air-cooled scroll chiller in the U.S. to use R-454B refrigerant, the YORK YLAA Air-Cooled Scroll Chiller, and the first free-cooling screw chiller in the U.S. to use R-1234ze refrigerant, the YORK YVFA Free-Cooling, Variable-Speed Screw Chiller, driving efficiency of performance and getting ahead of the regulatory curve.
R-454B and R-1234ze refrigerants have among the lowest global warming potential (GWP), making the YLAA and YVFA more than compliant with upcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Climate Alliance refrigerant regulations that phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants like R-410A and go into effect starting January 1, 2024.
Johnson Controls selected these refrigerants after years of researching, testing and evaluating low-GWP refrigerant alternatives. By using R-1234ze, the YVFA maintains its legacy performance levels, while R-454B improves the efficiency of the YLAA. By using low-GWP refrigerants, the new YLAA and the YVFA are demonstrating the art of the possible in high-sustainability, high-performance chillers and begin the progression for Johnson Controls to shift to low-GWP refrigerants across its product lines.
YORK YLAA Air-Cooled Scroll Chiller
The new refrigerant is only the latest advancement to the YLAA line and a demonstration of the Johnson Controls dedication to continuous innovation. Additional YLAA optimizations include an average 4.5% part-load efficiency improvement in 2021 and two compact, high-efficiency models that expanded the product range from 40 to 230 tons in 2022.
YLAA scroll chillers offer benefits beyond greater sustainability. They’re equipped with two, independent circuits for partial redundancy, and brazed plate evaporators and microchannel condensers enable more efficient heat transfer to help reduce total cost of ownership. Units include full-load and part-load efficiencies that meet or exceed ASHRAE standards, and options include louvers and variable-speed-drive condenser fans to further enhance part-load efficiency and reduce sound.
YORK YVFA Free-Cooling, Variable-Speed Screw Chiller
The YORK YVFA with R-1234ze was engineered to meet the same, demanding performance levels of the YVFA using legacy refrigerants. Designed to cool computer equipment, servers and data halls in data centers, the YVFA delivers low operating costs and optimizes energy use. By combining variable-speed drive (VSD) compressors and high-efficiency, air-to-liquid free-cooling coils, the YVFA delivers enhanced efficiency.