United States. Carrier unveiled the selection of R-32 refrigerant to replace R-410A refrigerant in commercial chillers using scroll technology. The company explained that the R-32 was chosen for its low environmental impact, high energy efficiency, wide availability and ease of use.
In Europe, the refrigerant will be offered in some scroll-type chillers from the first half of 2020. Introductions will continue in other regions and all will comply with the regulations of the Kigali Amendment to the UN Montreal Protocol that will come into force in 2023.
"Carrier focuses on the right refrigerant for each application in order to provide the best solutions for our customers," said Chris Nelson, President, HVAC, Carrier. "After a thorough evaluation of the options, Carrier selected the R-32 for scroll chillers and heat pumps for its reduced impact on the environment, reaffirming our continued commitment to sustainability."
Operator use of R-32 refrigerant and proper system design will reduce the carbon footprint of the refrigerant by 80% in commercial scroll chillers and heat pumps. This is due to the much lower GWP and a significant reduction in the refrigerant load of the system compared to the previous generation that used R-410A.
This announcement is a continuation of Carrier's 2018 selection of the R-454B, known commercially as Puron AdvanceTM, as its primary lower GWP solution to replace R-410A in commercial residential and package unit products using scroll compressors sold in North America. Carrier also previously announced commitments to move towards low GWP refrigerants with the selection of HFO R-1234ze(E) for screw coolers in Europe in 2015, the introduction of R-513A in multiple centrifugal and screw chillers in 2018 and finally the introduction of the award-winning AquaEdge 19DV centrifugal cooler with HFO R-1233zd(E) in 2016.
