Daikin Applied Europe has recently extended the L∞P programme by Daikin to chillers. Starting with certified reclaimed R-134a refrigerant for screw compressor chiller units, it is now time to announce a further extension of the programme to reclaimed R-32 as well.
Thereby, Daikin is the only manufacturer actively promoting and supplying units with reclaimed refrigerants, for a wide range of products, from screw and scroll compressor units to centrifugal compressor machines.
The benefits of using reclaimed R-134a and R-32 refrigerants on chiller units
There are essentially two main benefits in using reclaimed R-134a and R-32 refrigerants on chiller units – benefits for the environment and for chiller plants’ owners.
As R-134a and R-32 are recovered and reclaimed, the environmental impact of end-of-life refrigerant’s destruction is avoided**. This is very positive, fully representing the L∞P by Daikin virtuous cycle. Indeed, as reclaimed R-134a and R-32 meet AHRI700 standard (purity>99.5%), they can be recovered and reclaimed with no limits, making the L∞P programme a true example of circular economy of refrigerants, and environmental impact reduction.
The other important aspect is related to EU F-gas regulation. Under EU F-gas regulation, only virgin refrigerants are considered in the quota system, meaning that reclaimed refrigerants are not subject to any restriction. **
This can be very important for those plants operating on R-134a, that will still have the possibility to use R-134a or be refurbished with units equipped with the same refrigerant. And the same goes for plants operating on R-32.
Composition, in fact, puts R-32 in a very different position than blends when it comes to recycling and reclaiming, and that is a major difference.
R-32 blends are being promoted as lower GWP solutions, then, as more environmentally sustainable solutions than R-32. That might be correct if the mere GWP levels had to be compared. But this claim does not consider a key aspect related to R-32 refrigerant: it can be part of a circular economy of refrigerants.
R-32, being a pure and single component refrigerant, has all the characteristics needed to be easily recovered, recycled, or regenerated, so to enter the reclaimed refrigerant market and be reused.
The possibility to reclaim R-32 refrigerant, then, makes R-32 an environmentally sustainable choice just as much as other options can be, or even more, since the possibility to reclaim R-32 eliminates the environmental impact of its disposal.
Reclaimed refrigerant is simply refrigerant gas recovered and reprocessed so it can provide and match the performance and quality of the virgin substance. This aspect is ensured by Daikin supplier’s procedures and appropriate testing of the supply, which meets AHRI700 requirements (purity>99.5%) and is then certified as equally good as the virgin refrigerant.
Daikin Applied Europe, European headquarter for the development and manufacturing of HVAC technologies, made an effort to secure the supply of reclaimed R-134a and R-32 refrigerant. That allowed Daikin Applied R-134a and R-32 products to be part of the L∞P programme, just like VRVs using R-410A, which were among the first products to be part of this program.
