International. Emerson announced that it is in the process of qualifying R-407A, R-448A and R-449A as compatible approved alternative refrigerants for use in the Copeland Hermetic CS compressor line.
As the adoption of refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP) becomes more popular, the approval of these refrigerants as replacement options gives customers the ability to upgrade their systems and comply with sustainability initiatives. R-407A will be officially approved for use as an alternative refrigerant in December 2018, with R-448A and R-449A available in the first quarter of 2019.
"The refrigeration industry continues to evolve, and we are working so that our customers can evolve in the best possible way," said Varun Garg, product management manager, Emerson. "As low-GWP refrigerants continue to gain traction, we will continue to innovate our products for customers, allowing them to incorporate these refrigerants without having to completely overhaul their systems."
As high GWP refrigerants continue to be phased out, the evaluation and approval of low GWP alternative refrigerants increase in importance. The company explains that although R-407A, R-448A and R-449A are not considered a direct replacement and may require careful system redesigns to eliminate the possibility of compressor damage, their approval for use in the Copeland Hermetic CS compressor line guarantees customers more flexibility in determining replacement options to meet regulatory requirements. external, as well as internal sustainability initiatives.
Copeland Hermetic CS compressors are generally used for remote and standalone access applications, along with ice, soft service and frozen carbonated beverage applications. The use of approved reciprocating refrigerants in CS compressors would not require a new compressor platform change and meets regulatory needs of low GWP. Copeland Hermetic CS compressors will be approved for medium temperature applications. Emerson recommends following the application guidelines listed in the application engineering bulletin that will be available at the launch of these refrigerants.
"The approval of R-407A, R-448A and R-449A for use in the Copeland Hermetic CS compressor line also enables customers to better meet the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), among others. Emerson will continue to innovate and pursue these low-GWP alternatives to meet customers' diverse application requirements, regardless of regulatory standards," said company spokespersons.
Emerson has already qualified copeland Scroll for use with R-407A, R-448A and R-449A refrigerants as a high-efficiency, low-GWP alternative.
