Alternatives to High GWP HFC Refrigerants: Residential and Small Commercial Unitary PDF

The Montreal Protocol is succeeding and now the global environmental challenge is shifting from ozone depletion to global warming. To address this challenge, several new refrigerants have been proposed, and some traditional refrigerants are being re-evaluated, in order to find a balanced solution which satisfies both global environmental demands, and also consumer needs. This study focuses on residential and small commercial unitary systems evaluating proposed new candidates, HFO1234yf, HFC32 and HFO1234yf/HFC32 mixtures. These refrigerants were tested extensively in drop-in tests. The authors come to the conclusion that HFC32 has the potential to provide the best, and the most balanced solution for residential and small commercial unitary applications.