UPDATE: SNAP approval opens way for CO₂ in US retail refrigeration

Following lab and field testing for over a year, US based company Hill Phoenix has opened the way for the entire US industry to use CO₂ in retail refrigeration by receiving approval from the U.S. EPA under the Significant New Alternatives Policy programme. NEW: The US Federal register which contains the SNAP ruling for CO2 use in Retail Food Refrigeration and Cold Storage Warehouses is now available.

The issue of approving the use of natural refrigerant CO₂ in the US has vigorously moved forward in the case of retail refrigeration applications, with the first U.S. commercial refrigeration manufacturer having received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use carbon dioxide  as a replacement for hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs). Progress on the issue in the area of Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) has, on the other hand, been much lethargic, with current work focusing on the effects of short-term CO₂ exposure on humans.

Paving the way for all manufacturers to apply CO₂ technology in the U.S.

The green light to use natural refrigerant R744 in retail refrigeration came under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, which evaluates alternatives to substances being phased out to protect the stratospheric ozone layer.

As well as replacing ozone-depleting substances such as R-22, R744 can be used to replace HFCs such as R-507A or R-404A that are commonly used in large amounts as a refrigerant in retail refrigeration and significant contributors to global warming.

The approval allows the entire industry to move towards CO₂ commercial refrigeration technology, with all manufacturers now being able to apply the technology.

R744 approved for both retail food refrigeration and cold storage warehouses

According to the U.S. Federal Register Vol. 74, No. 188 of Wednesday 30 September 2009, the EPA has come to the decision that "R–744 (carbon dioxide or CO2) is acceptable for use in new equipment as a substitute for chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)–12, R–502, hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)–22 and HCFC blends in:

• Retail food refrigeration
• Cold storage warehouses”

Background

Hill PHOENIX conducted lab and field testing for more than a year before submitting its SNAP application and will continue to test CO₂ in projects this fall.