FRANCE – Carrier France have recently unveiled the newest generation of their AquaForce chillers and heat pumps which use HFO R-1234ze as their refrigerant. HFO R-1234ze is a very low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant and is an important part of the PUREtec family of long-term refrigerant solutions.

Carrier claim that their refrigerant is a natural choice as a refrigerant for use in screw chillers since HFO R-1234ze has a GWP of less than 1* and is therefore not subject to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown required under the European Union’s F-gas regulation. The F-gas regulation has had, and will continue to have, a profound influence on the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning industry as it is forcing the industry to move towards a new generation of refrigerants that will not only protect the ozone layer but also have a very low global warming impact.

Didier Genois, director of engineering and marketing for Carrier HVAC Europe, explained the reasons behind the launch of the new generation of products, saying

“AquaForce with PUREtec refrigerant is a trusted product already used in several installations throughout Europe, which has received a seal of approval from the segment. There already are more than 20 projects using AquaForce with PUREtec refrigerant in Switzerland, Norway and France. In the coming months, the very low GWP chillers and heat pumps will continue to support a growing need.”

The new PUREtec refrigerant will replace the HFC R-134a, which Carrier previously used for screw chillers and heat pumps. Comparing the two refrigerants, Carrier claim that AquaForce with PUREtec refrigerant can deliver energy efficiency gains of up to 5% compared to units using R-134a, thereby helping to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint by up to 10% and contributing to green building certification such as LEED®, BREEAM® and HQE™. Carrier also revealed that the full range of screw air-to-water and water-to-water chillers and heat pumps was capable of offering both variable and fixed-speed technology, ranging from 270kW to 1320kW in cooling and from 300kW and 1900kW in heating.

Carrier have also claimed that the combination of PUREtec refrigerant solutions and Carrier technology will redefine heat pumps operating limits and should prove capable of providing hot water up to 85°C. The company are confident that this significant extended operating range will enable their new 61 XWH-ZE heat pump to meet all high temperature heating applications, including district heating, space heating, sanitary hot water production or process heating applications.