United States.
The hydrocarbons will be included in the new $5.8 million government-backed U.S. research program on flammable refrigerants.
The U.S. government is working with AHRI, ASHRAE, and the state of California to conduct research on lightly flammable refrigerants (A2Ls) as low global warming potential alternatives for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in air conditioning and refrigeration.
The overall goal of the research is to support the acceleration of updated safety standards to enable wider use of low-GWP alternatives for HFCs and HCFCs not only in the United States, but also globally.
The research will focus on the comparative assessment of leakage risks and emission testing, post-ignition risk assessment of flammable refrigerants', the determination of tariff limits, and the production of a guide for handling and maintaining HVAC/R equipment based on A2L refrigerant.
The results will be used to update The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2013 (Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems) and the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2013 (Classification, Designation and Safety of Refrigerants).
