Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd (MHI) has adopted R454C, a refrigerant with much lower global warming potential (GWP), in a 1-horsepower (HP) class residential air-conditioner.
It is a significant improvement over R410A and R32 and the company has been able to overcome conventional shortcomings associated with mixed refrigerants such as inferior heat exchanger performance.
The use of proprietary technology has optimized the heat exchanger’s flow volume and made other improvements.
MHI Thermal Systems Ltd has already developed a demonstration unit of the residential air-conditioner featuring R454C and preparations are underway to undertake mass production in the near future.
Initially the company is looking to launch the unit in the European market, where environmental regulations are particularly stringent.
The R454C refrigerant has an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of 0 (zero) and a GWP of 146 (CO2=1).
The latter value is approximately 1/14th and 1/5th the respective GWP levels of refrigerants currently and most widely used in air-conditioners of small/medium scale: R410A (2090) and R32 (675).
Overall the global warming impact (GWP x refrigerant volume) from the demonstration unit’s refrigerant represents a 91.3% reduction from the MHI Thermal Systems’ previous model for the European market which used R410A.
Going forward, MHI Thermal Systems said it would continue to dedicate its resources to developing and marketing high-performance products using low-GWP refrigerants, thereby contributing to the environmental protection of markets everywhere.