Emerson plans low GWP compressor launch
22nd January 2015
USA: Emerson Climate Technologies says it will launch a range of scroll and semi-hermetic compressors for the emerging low GWP R404A alternatives later this year.
With high GWP refrigerants now under pressure in both Europe and the US, Emerson says it is devoting more resources to develop compressors for use with the lower GWP (600-1500) A1 refrigerant alternatives, such as R448A, R449A, R450A and R513A as substitutes for R404A and R134a.
In Europe, in addition to an HFC phase-down, high GWP refrigerants like R404A and R507A will be banned from use in new equipment from 2020. From that date there will also be usage bans on common refrigerants like R134a in commercial refrigerators and freezers. The US EPA is proposing to delist R404A and R507A and R134a from use in specific new and retrofit applications as early as next year.
“Emerson has a long-standing commitment of proactively investing in and evaluating sustainable alternatives for commercial refrigeration, specifically for components and controls with environmentally friendly refrigerant capability,” said Rajan Rajendran, Emerson’s vice president, systems innovation centre and sustainability.
“To help our customers lessen the resource constraints and costs associated with a shift of this magnitude, we have been working to develop products and equipment that will not only comply with this delisting proposal, but also those in the foreseeable future,” he added.
R449A, developed by DuPont as Opteon XP40, and R448A, Honeywell’s Solstice N40, are non-flammable alternatives designed as replacements for R404A and R507A.
R450A, developed by Honeywell as Solstice N13, and R513A, DuPont’s Opteon XP10, have been developed as lower GWP refrigerants to replace R134a.
In advance of the production release of a wide range of compatible compressors later this year, Emerson is inviting immediate contact from customers interested in field or lab testing these alternatives.
