OPINION


Is propane the refrigerant of the future?


Stefan Lay, cooling and heating product manager UK&I at Swegon talks about the advantages of propane.


I


t is clear that the country needs buildings that are resilient to the effects of climate change, alongside cutting down the 40% of total carbon emissions currently produced by the built environment. Within the building services industry, we must also take into consideration the need to keep people safe, productive, and healthy in the short, medium and long term.


Although it has presented our sector with considerable technical challenges, cutting carbon emissions in line with government targets doesn’t mean we have to compromise on comfort conditions and occupant wellbeing. As a result, the industry has come to the


realisation that the long-term answer can’t be another synthetic refrigerant. Instead, we have come full circle and are taking another look at one of the earliest natural refrigerants ever tried – propane. Not only is propane (that is R-290) ozone layer safe with a negligible impact on global warming, it has excellent thermodynamic properties, making it a smart replacement choice for present and future HVAC applications.


In addition to being cheap, in good supply and naturally occurring, propane can be used in a wide variety of appliances. At present time, it is already in use as a refrigerant in supermarket display cabinets, domestic refrigerators, and portable air conditioning units. As well as propane having no impact whatsoever on the ozone layer, and almost


20 April 2023 • www.acr-news.com


With so much change in the industry, it is important for manufacturers like Swegon to be able to balance the various technical challenges.


no impact on global warming, it is also non- toxic, unlike ammonia. Propane brings many of the recent advancements in heating and cooling technologies into play and particularly highlights the growing role that can be played by heat pumps as a source of low temperature, low carbon heating and cooling. In HVAC applications, propane is confined in a safe, closed system with leakage monitors and component designs that prohibit fire or explosions. As previously mentioned, you probably already have propane circulating in your refrigerator without having given it a second thought. Another huge argument in propane’s favour is that it is a future-proof solution. The restrictions on synthetic refrigerants have tightened over the years, and they are on the way to become even more heavily regulated,


and even banned. Propane will not be subject to these kind of restrictions because it is a naturally produced compound. In other words, one of the first refrigerant options in history has turned out to be among the best, meaning that it is very much here to stay. Swegon now sees propane as a long- term solution that will not be displaced in the foreseeable future, and as a result we are investing heavily in developing propane-based solutions through both the development of products and supporting the industry transition. In order to facilitate the adoption of the technology in the market, we have already been delivering training programs, and have developed guidelines for the safe use of propane as a refrigerant. Propane is without a doubt a key part of


the green transition. It’s becoming more and more prevalent in commercial comfort applications, and due to ongoing regulation updates, we will undoubtably see it become widely used in the HVAC market. With so much change in the industry, it is important for manufacturers like Swegon to be able to balance the various technical challenges. Fortunately, Swegon already have many of the hardware and software tools needed to ensure we keep driving down emissions whilst saving energy and without compromising our fundamental goal of delivering healthier and safer buildings, so everyone can feel good inside today, and tomorrow.


Download the ACR News app today


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44