Hydrofluoroolefins

Refrigerant manufacturer Arkema has announced plans to increase the supply of the low GWP HFO 1233zd through plants in China and the USA.

Agreement is intended to improve European availability of refrigerant for use in new and retrofit systems as market looks for lower GWP solutions.

EPA rule had limited potent greenhouse gases, boosted market for HFO substitutes.

French refrigerant manufacturer Arkema has entered into an alliance with Japanese company Central Glass to sell HFO1233zd(E) in the Japanese market.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) High-Ambient-Temperature Evaluation Program for Low-Global Warming Potential (Low-GWP) Refrigerants aims to develop an understanding of the performance of low-GWP alternative refrigerants relative to hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants in packaged or Rooftop Unit (RTU) air conditioners under high-ambient-temperature conditions. This final report describes the parties involved, the alternative refrigerants selection process, the test procedures, and the final results.

In this project, two newly developed refrigerants, R1234yf and R1234ze have been studied as promising drop-in replacements for the common high global warming potential refrigerants. In view of that, thermodynamic and transport properties of new refrigerants were obtained by RefProp version 7.01 to study and compare their cycle performances with current refrigerants. Furthermore, their environmental and safety aspects have been studied in order to predict probable risks and suitable preparations in different applications. Basic cycle data of both new refrigerants have been calculated for most commonly used condensing and evaporating temperatures. According to evaluation of these tables, both refrigerants generally have comparable COP and volumetric cooling capacity with R134a for an isentropic compression.

The viability of new lower GWP alternative refrigerants in high ambients are said to have been proven in new tests.