Carrier Transicold has set its sights on natural refrigerant technology that surpasses current alternatives in terms of reducing environmental impact, voluntarily aligning with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s latest and more stringent refrigerant change listing for other commercial, non-transport refrigeration systems. As an alternative to R-404A used in truck and trailer refrigeration units, Carrier Transicold is building on its expertise with the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential than R-404A and other proposed synthetic replacements.
“Carrier Transicold offers customers some of the most environmentally sustainable refrigeration systems,” said David Appel, president of Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “We are committed to expanding our proven, environmentally responsible natural refrigerant systems for road transport. Specifically, we are building on our expertise with the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide (CO2), which has a significantly lower global warming potential (GWP) than current synthetic refrigerants and their alternates.”
Effective this year, the European Union’s new F-Gas regulation (EU517/2014) aggressively ramps down the use of high GWP HFC refrigerants. As an option to the HFC R-404A for truck and trailer systems in Europe, Carrier Transicold and other transport refrigeration equipment providers now offer the refrigerant R-452A, a three-component blend that includes a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) and has a GWP about 45 percent lower than R-404A. However, R-452A is awaiting required SNAP approval by EPA for use in the United States.
Carrier has successfully applied CO2 refrigerant in both stationary commercial refrigeration and marine transport applications.
Since its introduction in 2004, more than 1,600 supermarkets across Europe have adopted Carrier’s CO2OLtec commercial refrigeration system, which uses CO2 refrigerant. In 2013, Carrier Transicold commercially launched the revolutionary NaturaLINE unit, the world’s first marine container refrigeration system using CO2 refrigerant, which can lower carbon emissions by 28 percent compared to previous systems. The NaturaLINE unit is available to shipping lines and container leasing companies worldwide.
To help facilitate greater adoption of CO2 as a refrigerant in the United States, Carrier successfully petitioned the EPA to approve the low global warming refrigerant for transport refrigeration. The agency now lists CO2 as “acceptable” for new transport refrigeration applications.
“With its GWP of 1, CO2 is the basis for calculating the GWP of all other refrigerants,” said Appel. “It serves as the benchmark for environmental sustainability, which is what Carrier Transicold continues to relentlessly pursue.”
