When worldwide we have understood that we will have to get rid of the production & use of F-gases – and several measures in that regard are being taken, the most important question is what are the alternatives?
In fact at this moment, considering the current situation, it is a bit difficult to address this question. It can only be said that the natural refrigerants will constitute the best alternatives. While we talk about natural refrigerants, at this juncture, we find CO2 – based systems are gaining growing popularity. Nowadays, not only in large refrigeration systems but also in mobile air conditioning and refrigerated transport systems, CO2 is being chosen as the alternative to more harmful greenhouse gases.
Although CO2 is also a heat-trapping gas, until we succeed in completely stopping fossil fuels’ burning, we won’t be able to reduce production of this gas. Even then due to some natural phenomena such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions – production of CO2 will continue. Also, today’s rising occurrences of warfare is yet another cause behind uncontrolled production of this gas.
The refrigerant grade CO2 is known as R744. It is apparently an environmentally friendly refrigerant – as its Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) is zero and Global Warming Potential (GWP) is 1, which means that it has even less global warming potential than hydrocarbons.
Just to cite the growing trend of acceptance of CO2 as a popular refrigerant, I would like to draw your attention on a recent survey report from The Insight Partners. It states that – as sustainability and environmental responsibility have become increasingly important, there is a growing need to reduce the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions associated with supermarkets and convenience stores cooling systems. As transcritical CO2 systems help mitigate the environmental impact associated with traditional refrigerants and align with sustainability goals, the demand for sustainable solutions presents an opportunity for transcritical CO2 systems to gain market share.
Thus, I am quite sure that at least in the near future, CO2-based refrigeration systems will play a major role in our refrigeration industry.
Pravita Iyer
Publisher & Director
