Chiller shown using new R410A replacement

25 Jan 2016

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The Multiaqua chiller using Chemours R410A replacement XL55 on the stand at AHR Expo

USA: A US manufacturer is to exhibit a ductless air-cooled water chiller using Opteon XL55, a lower GWP replacement for R410A, at the 2016 AHR Expo which opens today.

XL55, a Chemours refrigerant with an expected ASHRAE number of R452B, is seen as a competitor to R32 in the battle to replace R410A. It has been adopted by Multiaqua, a South-Carolina-based manufacturer of a range of residential and commercial air hydronic systems, in a chiller being exhibited at this week’s AHR Expo in Orlando.

According to Chemours, the new gas has a very similar GWP to R32 but with better efficiency, lower discharge temperatures and a lower flammability. In tests on a Trane chiller, XL55 is said to have exhibited better performance than both R410A and R32 when used as a drop-in.

Opteon XL55 is said to be gaining significant interest from OEMs and is awaiting approval under the US Environmental Protection Agency Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme.

When replacing R410A, XL55 is said to offer improved performance, while maintaining design compatibility. According to Chemours it also has the lowest flammability compared to industry tested R410A alternatives.

“The continued adoption of the products in our Opteon portfolio by major OEMs shows the significant shift that the industry has begun to make toward our HFO solutions,” said Diego Boeri, global business director of Chemours Fluorochemicals.

Chiller manufacturer using R513A

During the AHR Expo, Smardt Chiller Group will also announce the commercialisation of high-efficiency centrifugal chillers using R513A, Chemours new XP10 refrigerant. Smardt is a global leader of the fast-growing oil-free centrifugal chiller market, with factories in Germany, the US, Canada, Australia and China. Smardt expects its magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers to be available in both air-cooled and water-cooled versions well before the end of 2016.

Earlier this month Johnson Controls announced that its R134a chiller portfolio was also now compatible with R513A.