Air conditioners: what will be the next-generation alternative refrigerant?

The direction the global air-conditioner market will take in selecting next-generation alternative to high-GWP HFCs – mainly R410A – is still uncertain; however, some trends can be noted.

 

 

 

 

According to JARN, a consensus seems to have been reached among Japanese manufacturers to adopt R32 in their new room air conditioner (RAC) models.

Following Daikin’s product launch announcement last fall, major manufacturers including Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic and Hitachi have all announced the launch of premium models using R32 for the Japanese market this fall.

Daikin also launched R32 RAC models in India in March 2013 and announced the launch of models in Europe. Panasonic has pledged to launch R32 RACs in Indonesia by 2015; Indonesia has received approval from the UN Multilateral Fund to convert to R32. Fujitsu General has also recently launched R32 RACs in Australia.

In China – the world’s largest producer of air conditioners – Gree, Midea and other manufacturers are also actively moving to define their next-generation refrigerant.

In addition to releasing RAC models that adopt R290 (propane), they are also developing RACs and packaged air conditioners using R32.

 

New refrigerants challenging R32 and R290 are also being launched on the market. Honeywell is promoting L41, a new HFO-based blend and some Japanese manufacturers have started performance testing of L41.