India-US HFC workshop: February 18, New Delhi

WELCOME
By - Alex Pachai &
Kishor Patil
Technical Options for Commercial Refrigeration / Transport
Refrigeration / Large Chillers
GWP-driven policy pressure on HFCs ,Potential transition options & challenges , Expected
transition timeline and viability

THE ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF GWP

WILL DEPEND ON EQUIPMENT TYPE,
APPLICATION, AND RECOVERY
High and Low GWP are relative terms and dependant on:

Application (mobile or stationary)

Average leak rate from the equipment

Recovery rate at the end of life

Result:
Different acceptable
levels of GWP

95% of global HFC use is currently between 700 and 4000 GWP
TEAP Proposed (May 2010) to classify GWPs by considering Use
Patterns
GWP

Classification

GWP<30

Ultra-low-GWP

GWP < 100

Very low-GWP

GWP < 300

Low-GWP

GWP < 1000

Moderate-GWP

GWP < 3000

High-GWP

GWP < 10,000

Very High GWP

GWP < 10,000

Ultra-High GWP

150 GWP

300 800 GWP

THE ROLE OF SAFETY CODES

ON REFRIGERANT OPTIONS

Equipment manufactures will only consider options that

will result in safe and affordable application.
ASHRAE Standard 34: Adoption of the 2L designation for
refrigerants with low flammability in 2010.
Equipment Room Safety and electrical codes (ASHRAE
Standard 15, UL1995, etc.) must now be modified to ensure
safe use.
Example: Recent EPA ruling allowing propane and isobutane
in residential refrigerators and freezers:
Maximum charge amount
Specific applications
Prescribed safety code compliance

Johnson Controls
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Result:
The process of
adapting safety codes
will pace the adoption
of many flammable
and natural
refrigerant options.
This will require
industry and
government
cooperation.

Next Generation Low GWP Refrigerants:

Low GWP Man-Made Refrigerants:

Natural Refrigerants:
(NH3, CO2, Hydrocarbons, etc.)
Properties and characteristics have not changed:
Flammability
Toxicity
High Working Pressure

HFO-1234yf:

Leading candidate to replace R-134a in mobile/

automotive applications

Low GWP (4), no Toxicity, slightly flammable.

May eventually have application in stationary HVAC

equipment but will require significant engineering
and safety code changes to make practical.

Low Efficiency
Our ability to engineer solutions has improved since the early
1900s---Primarily Refrigeration and mobile AC applications.

HFO-1234ze:

Properties are good for Foam Blowing, not for HVAC

applications.

HFO/HFC/? Blends:
Better Performance at the cost of higher GWP

Significant technical and legislative challenges

New challenges For The Adoption Of Replacements

Safety:
Toxicity
Flammability
Pressure

Sustainability:
No ODP (What does this mean?)
Balance of low GWP and energy efficiency. 95%
of total Global Warming impact is from energy
use, while only 5% from GWP. We must
achieve balance for the environment.

Economic Cost and application fit:

Adoption is dependant on affordability & fit

with application requirements

Johnson Controls
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We cannot limit
options with a single
refrigerant policy.
Instead, we will need
to choose the best
long-term refrigerant
for each application.

When do natural refrigerants make sense in Chillers?

Natural Refrigerants remain excellent solutions in some very specific
chiller applications:

Ammonia

Hydrocarbons

Water (Li-Br Absorption and Vapor Compression)

Hydrocarbon

Energy Efficiency of resulting Systems must remain at HFC levels:

Industrial Refrigeration: Ammonia Used in 95% of Applications

Hydrocarbons have very high efficiency and very low GWP

System Cost and safety thresholds can be a Barrier to Adoption:

Remote locations, secondary loops and safety mitigation

Safety Measures or material compatibility can result in higher costs

Ammonia

When do HFO and HFCs make sense in Chillers?

Because of the requirements of safety, efficiency and cost, chemical
refrigerants will likely remain an option:

HFOs

HFCs

Blends of HFOs & HFCs

Equipment Size and application will dictate types used:

Large Commercial Air-Conditioning Applications

Commercial Roof-top Equipment

Refrigeration Applications in Populated Areas/Buildings

Most Economical Solution:

Technology and material compatibility already exist

Viable solution for conversion/retrofit of existing equipment

When do flammable refrigerants make sense in Chillers?

Several of the most efficient and lowest GWP refrigerants have some
level of flammability. Its use in chillers is dependant upon:

Charge Amount

Relative Level of Flammability (flame speed, energy of combustion)

Location of Equipment (Indoor/Outdoor)

Cost of required safety measures

HFO 1234yf?

Precedence exists for use in certain applications:

Industrial Refrigeration and Process Cooling

Will require Code and Standard Changes for Com/Res AC Duty:

Classification under ASHRAE Standard 34 (January 2010)

Safety Code Changes: ASHRAE Standard 15, UL 1995, etc.

Hydrocarbon

R-32?

Fluid Development Timeline

Blend of Existing Fluids
- Define fluid requirements
- Screen candidates via modeling
- Select preferred blend
- Stability/compatibility testing
- In house system testing
- Request regulatory approvals
(ASHRAE, SNAP)

- Customer/field testing
- Product literature/stewardship
- Secure source of supply
- Put supply chain in place
- Commercialize

Year

New Fluid
- Define fluid requirements
- Identify new compounds
- Synthesize small samples

- Acute toxicity screen and stability

- Make larger samples
- Continue acute toxicity testing,
flammability, compatibility
- Make larger samples, develop mfr route

3
4

- Continue subchronic toxicity testing, in

house system testing, environmental testing
- Customer/field testing
- Request regulatory approvals, registrations
(ASHRAE, SNAP, REACH)
- Review/upgrade building codes/standards
- Construction of pilot facility

- Put supply chain in place

- Product literature/stewardship

6-10

- Construction of first small commercial

facility and larger scale facilities
c

Timing is approximate: Failures such as poor toxicity results can restart the process

Equipment Development Timeline

0

Year

New equipment
- Discussions with producers on desired new fluid attributes
- On-going research into not-in-kind technologies (decades away)

1
2
- System modeling with early candidates for all applications

- Materials compatibility testing

- System testing (performance, reliability) when new fluid is available

- Solution selection (timing & choice varies by application)

- Review/upgrade building codes/standards

- Factory retooling & manufacturing machinery lead times

- Product development & commercialization roll-out
- Service training & infrastructure development

6-13

- Parts development & infrastructure creation

- Various product launches (some solutions may be available early)

H
Timing is approximate: Resource availability constrains quicker approach

Bottom Line
Innovation takes time
Developing refrigerants, testing toxicity, environmental impact evaluation etc. is
one side of the story which takes time and the options are decreasing (6 to 10
years).
Developing refrigeration systems, performance testing and selection of
components cannot always be done in parallel (additional 3 to 10 years)

Once the products are developed:

How do we gain acceptance in the market place?
Is the safety regulation in place?
Will the regulation be policed/enforced?
Is the education of service technicians in place?

Low hanging fruit:

Regular service and leak checks are essential to prevent direct emissions
(saving cost on refrigerants for top-up)
Regular service can help keeping up the efficiency of equipment saving power

India-US HFC workshop: February 18, New Delhi

Commercial/Transport/Industrial Refrigeration

Segmentation characteristics
Potential transition options & challenges

Transport and commercial refrigeration

Different applications drive potentially solutions:
Stationary low temperature refrigeration Ice Cream Freezer /
Cold Rooms / Vertical Deep Freezers ( Below 10 Deg C )
Stationary medium temperature cooling Cold Rooms / Beverage
Coolers / Display Cases ( Typically +2 - 0 Deg C )
Transport refrigeration Trailers / Trucks ( - 15 Deg C To +10 Deg
C)
Marine refrigeration ( -30 Deg C To + 2 Deg C )
Bus/rail HVAC ( Comfort Cooling + 18 Deg C Air Temp )

What are the characteristics of each?

Stationary low temperature refrigeration

Dedicated designs allow for customized solutions
Today, HFC-404A delivers high capacity with good
energy efficiency
Some potential fluorocarbon alternatives are emerging,
although no clear solutions identified yet
Large charge size limits use of flammable refrigerants
CO2 is a potentially viable replacement candidate
Sub-critical operation with cascade design
Maintain energy efficiency at higher cost
Environmental improvement with some cost add

Stationary medium temperature cooling

Dedicated designs allow for customized solutions
Today, HFC-134a delivers strong energy efficiency with
medium capacity
Potential fluorocarbon alternatives are emerging,
although with mild flammability considerations
Large charge size limits use of flammable refrigerants
CO2 has more challenges at higher operating conditions
Sub-critical operation with cascade design is not fully viable
Important to identify efficient and safe fluorocarbon alternative
CO2 solution is less certain due to efficiency

Transport refrigeration Trailers, Trucks

Designs must cover broad operating range from low termp to
medium temp to heating applications
Cascade systems (sub-critical operation) are not practical due to frequent
off-time which requires worse-case component designs
Therefore, CO2 solution reduces efficiency even with cost add for most
geographiesefficiency maintenance possible in colder climates

Today, HFC-404A delivers high capacity with good energy efficiency

Some potential fluorocarbon alternatives are emerging, although no
clear solutions identified yet
Flammable solutions challenging but could be possible in limited
applications, given lack of current viable solutions
Some possible alternatives although
none are the clear winner

Marine refrigeration
Designs must cover broad operating range from low termp to
medium temp to heating applications
Cascade systems (sub-critical operation) are not practical due to frequent
off-time which requires worse-case component designs
Therefore, CO2 solution reduces efficiency even with cost add

Today, HFC-404A delivers high capacity with good energy efficiency

Some potential fluorocarbon alternatives are emerging, although no
clear solutions identified yet
Flammable, toxic solutions are not viable given the inability to
adequately ventilate emissions within closed shipboard conditions

Efficient and safe alternatives are not yet known

Bus/rail HVAC
Dedicated designs feasible due to narrower operating
range
Today, HFC-407C delivers high capacity with good
energy efficiency
Some potential fluorocarbon alternatives are emerging,
although no clear solutions identified yet
CO2 and HFO-1234yf less feasible compared with auto
application since bus/rail requires higher cooling loads
compared to auto cooling demand

Efficient and safe alternatives are not yet known

Low GWP offerings do exist today

While the market has not fully moved to low GWP
solutions, offerings are being introduced where
conditions allow:
Cascade CO2 stationary refrigeration systems are becoming
common in Europe and New Zealand
Some CO2 transport refrigeration systems are being offered in
Europe trailer and marine applications
Ammonia refrigeration systems have been and continue to be
prevalent in industrial refrigeration and food preservation
applications

Why the slow ramp-up?

Factors limiting more rapid adoption

CO2 systems like cool climates
Two-stage cascade systems can minimize negative impact on efficiency
in warmer climates, although with some cost increase
Single stage systems can operate at sub-critical levels, with good
energy efficiency, although only in cooler climates
Large charge ammonia systems have code limitations when operating in
high people density applications
Transport refrigeration systems are primarily limited to single stage systems
given their significant off-times (as opposed to stationary refrigeration
systems), which limits their energy efficient use in warmer climates
More complex systems requires a mature service infrastructure to maintain
optimum on-going operation

Yet, we have some success

to build from

Summary
Commercial and transport refrigeration covers a wide
range of differing applications
One solution does not fit all
CO2 appears a viable solution in stationary, low temp
applications
New solutions needed for full effective coverage of this
broad segment

Time needed to identify new

solutions for entire segment

Questions
&
Answers

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