International.
An HVAC manufacturer has selected the HFO-1234ze(E) to replace the HFC-134a in a new production range of heat and chilled water pumps using screw compressors.
As reported by the European Technical Committee for Fluorocarbon, the new systems are 5% more efficient than the previous ones, and reach an ESEER (European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Index) of 7.7 (for water/water units) and 5 (for air/water units).
Thanks to their thermodynamic properties, heat pumps with HFO-1234ze (E) can supply hot water at 85 C (HFC-134a heat pumps can only reach 65 C), allowing them to recover heat from waste heat to provide domestic hot water or to feed into district heating.
Recognizing that HFO-1234ze(E) is classified as A2L (slightly flammable), although it is not flammable at room temperature, the manufacturer has taken appropriate safety measures and revised the operating instructions accordingly.
The next proposed development is the use of HFO-1233zd in high-capacity chillers using centrifugal compressors.
