GI Industrial Holding adopts lower GWP refrigerant R454B
15th November 2019
USA: Chemours has announced that Italian manufacturer GI Industrial Holding has adopted its lower GWP refrigerant Opteon XL41 (R454B) for use in its scroll chiller systems.
The announcement follows GI Industrial Holding’s adoption of another Chemours R410A alternative – Opteon XL55 (R452B) – earlier this year.
Both new refrigerants have an A2L flammability rating and are designed for new equipment. They are said to offer similar capacity and improved energy efficiency compared to R410A, as well as a close match in compressor discharge temperature.
GI Holding was formed in 2000 and is now responsible for a wide range of equipment including chillers, air handling units, fan coils, rooftop units and close control equipment. Brands include CLINT, KTK Klimatechnik, Montair and Novair.
GI Industrial Holding’s product marketing manager Enrico Pin claimed that the GI Industrial Holding product portfolio was the first in the HVAC sector to offer a complete range of high efficiency AC and chiller units with the more sustainable refrigerant R452B instead of traditional R410A used in scroll compressors.
“Recently, we have also qualified R454B and released compatible equipment that brings a longer-term solution to the chiller market,” he said.
R454B, branded by Chemours as Opteon XL41 is a blend of 68.9% R32 and 31.1% 1234yf. It has a GWP of 466.
Its stablemate R452B, marketed by Chemours as Opteon XL55, is a blend of 26% R1234yf, 67% R32 and 7% R125. It has a GWP of 676.
Based on their GWPs, R454B offers a longer-term solution to replace R410A, but R452B provides the closer overall performance match to R410A, resulting in minimal equipment redesign and cost.
“Along with its 65% lower GWP, similar or better performance versus R410A, Ecodesign compliance and compatibility with the full GI Industrial Holding product range (liquid chillers, heat pumps and multifunctional units from 50 to 1,220kW), the use of R452B combines the key elements of the CLINT and KTK brands philosophy: respect for the environment, efficiency, and versatility,” Pin claimed.
The selection of Chemours Opteon XL refrigerants by GI Industrial Holding was made in close collaboration with Chemours and Italian distributor Rivoira Refrigerant Gases.
“The switch from high GWP gases to more sustainable solutions can be a challenging journey for customers and we believe the cooperation of highly professional companies such as Chemours, GI Industrial and Rivoira can bring success,” said Rivoira Refrigerant Gases business manager Alessandro Paschero. “We are convinced that lower flammable solutions such as Opteon XL41 and XL55 will be extensively used in air conditioning applications in the future, and therefore have invested in a new filling station that can store up to 200,000kg of A2L refrigerants,” he added.
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