R-32, a single component refrigerant, has benefits that distinguish it from blended refrigerants. Single component refrigerants provide benefits that include no-compositional change, the ability to be charged in either liquid/gas phase, no temperature glide, and they are easier to reuse and reclaim.
So why is this all important?

SPAIN: Researchers have identified a number of refrigerant mixtures which could provide a more efficient alternative to pure hydrocarbons in small refrigeration systems.
Isobutane (R600a) has replaced R134a as the dominant refrigerant in domestic fridge/freezers, while propane (R290) has been widely adopted as the preferred environmental option for stand-alone commercial refrigeration appliances. This is particularly so in Europe where the F-gas regulations (517/2014) ban the use of refrigerants with a GWP higher than 150 in small capacity refrigeration systems.

Nidec global appliance R&D manage, Jozef Sedliak, explains why hydrocarbons are the best option to create an environmentally sustainable refrigeration industry.
When it comes to dealing with the world’s carbon (CO2) emissions and their impact on global warming the refrigeration industry has an important role to play.

EUROPE: Prices of higher GWP refrigerants rose significantly in 2021, with R134a, in particular, up by 15% on average across the supply chain.

CHINA: Hermetic reciprocating compressors running on hydrocarbon refrigerants now account for around 80% of sales in China’s home market, with R134a units being mainly produced for export.
According to the latest report by UK market consultants, BSRIA, the total sales volume of Chinese hermetic reciprocating compressors reached about 200 million units in 2020, rising by 14.5%. The domestic market grew 15.6% to 130 million units with the export market increasing by about 12.4% to 71 million units.

BELGIUM: Daikin is the latest air conditioning and heat pump manufacturer to suspend business in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement the Japanese manufacturer announced: “Daikin’s entities in Europe have suspended business in Russia in consideration of the current situation of economic, logistics and others.”

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F-gas revision promises steeper phase down
2022-03-24
EUROPE: Proposals to accelerate the phase down of refrigerants under the European F-gas regulations could see the current allowable quota slashed by around 50% in 2024.

A man who smuggled 2,300 cylinders of ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerant R22 into the US has been fined $250,000.
Faiz Abdallahi (56) pleaded guilty in October 2021 to the improper importation of a class II substance, a felony under the USA’s Federal Clean Air Act. He was also sentenced to three years’ probation.

Backed by a war chest of JPY600bn ($5.2bn), Daikin is reported to be considering the acquisition of European heat pumps sales and service companies and refrigerated display case manufacturers.

This year’s World Refrigeration Day on June 26 will take the theme Cooling Matters in an effort to raise public awareness of the essential benefits of refrigeration technologies.
Speaking at a side session during the AHR Expo in Las Vegas, World Refrigeration Day founder Steve Gill said: “Our objective is to make the public aware of cooling’s essential benefits, how cooling impacts daily life, and how technology choices foster environmental well-being of future generations.”