Natural Refrigerants attacked by Vested Interest

摘要

For many years the natural refrigerants sector has been under relentless attack by vested interest groups aligned with the fluorocarbon refrigerants industry. Recently, that campaign has been significantly ramped up following international agreements to phase down the use of synthetic refrigerants and the resulting growth in demand/use of natural refrigerants. Without doubt, there are difficulties on the horizon for the fluorocarbon refrigerants industry. Three successive generations of synthetic refrigerants created by the industry proved to be unacceptable because of the environmental damage they cause to the ozone layer or by global warming. The fourth generation now being proposed for introduction brings yet additional dangers of flammability and related toxicity, as revealed in experiments and research done by BAM, Germany's Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. That has given rise to a considerable increase in the use of natural refrigerants (CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons) in applications ranging from domestic fridges, commercial and industrial chillers and display cabinets, to stationary and automotive air conditioners.