›
DAY 1 - The VDA choice, policy update & HFO-1234yf  |
 |
German manufacturers commented on the R744 development towards serial production, while policy makers gave an update of current and likely future legislation on MAC. Meanwhile, HFO-1234yf was also discussed in terms of performance and safety.
|
2008-02-15
|
Day 1 started off with an introduction by VDA representative Stefan Wöhrl who once again confirmed that the German car industry is firm on its decision from last September to apply the natural refrigerant CO2 (R744) in passenger cars by 2011. Wöhrl highlighted that R744 can reduce direct emissions from the MAC systems by more than 1000 times. The VDA now invites other car manufacturers worldwide to cooperate with them, including carmakers in Japan, Korea, China, and America.
VDA working on R744
In the afternoon, Stefan Morgenstern, VDA, pointed out that CO2 meets all present and future legal demands, as it poses no risk to human health, is environmentally safe, and technically ready for an early serial production. Mentioning the low Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2, its improved performance at equal packaging, and the option to use R744 for future heating in cars, Morgenstern especially insisted on the higher efficiency in all climates. He presented results, based on real-life testing, showing a higher performance of R744 systems compared to the current R134a, in 99% of all driving conditions in the EU, and 98% in Africa.
|
However, German carmakers still face technical uncertainties due to a lack of long-term experience with the natural refrigerant. To mitigate the risk, a standardisation process will be initiated, involving the development of R744 systems, the optimization of costs and weight, as well as the investment in production sites and processes. Leakage testing and charging, service equipment issues, unmounting and mounting procedures will also be a part of the presented schedule until 2011.
|
Policies
European Union
- MAC Directive: The 2011 deadline to phase out the current high global warming refrigerant R134a will not change, according to Agnieszka Kozakiewicz, European Commission. Even if the Commission decided to amend the Directive, any change would need to go through the so-called "co-decision” procedure involving the European Parliament, which would take 2-3 years to be completed.
- CO2 Cars Emissions Strategy: The European Commission will launch a proposal for legislation regarding efficient MAC soon. Kozakiewicz confirmed that minimum energy efficiency standards will become a legal requirement. At present, the Commission is weighing different options how to test the performance of MAC, including physical and virtual testing. The proposal will be launched in the coming months, after a public consultation.
- REACH: Matti Vainio from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) talked about new European regulations on chemicals, the so-called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances). A key change brought by REACH: The burden of proof that a chemical substance is safe to be put on the market lies with the manufacturer. CO2 used as a refrigerant in cars is exempted from this obligation and does not need to be registered, Vainio confirmed. All makers of chemical alternatives, however, must prove, that the new substance, such as HFO-1234yf, does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health. The registration starts 1 June, 2008.*
United States
- SNAP review: The final decision to allow the use of R744 in cars put on the American market draws nearer, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expects the White House Office of Management & Budget to finalize its review of the final rule. Once this rule is issued, CO2 will be accepted for use in MAC with use conditions. EPA also confirmed that so far, SNAP has not received a complete submission for a low GWP refrigerant substitute.
- Green LCCP: Stella Papasavva from General Motors presented the “Green MAC LCCP” - a new harmonised method to evaluate the Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) of refrigerant alternatives. The comprehensive model, evaluates the performance of three non-disclosed refrigerants compared to a baseline in 15 cities worldwide, with different temperature conditions. Preliminary data shows a better efficiency of one alternative over the others. In a next step, the Green LCCP model will be expanded to cover more regions and serve as a global standard.
- California: Alberto Ayala and Richard Corey from California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) confirmed that the state will focus on emissions reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) from MAC to achieve the ambitious GHG reductions required under the state-wide law AB 32. In its latest workshop dedicated solely to the reduction and possible phase-out of HFC-134a, CARB agreed to issue final recommendations by the end of 2010. CARB also stressed that it will be mindful of the VDA choice to use R744 when evaluating future alternatives to R134a.
HFO-1234yf
The afternoon of day one was dedicated to presentations covering the new chemical refrigerant alternative developed jointly by Honeywell and DuPont. After their presentation of first performance test results, discussions mainly centred around the issue of safety. Disagreement especially arose over the question to what extent 123yf is flammable. Further discussions will pursue over the coming months to clarify testing methodologies and differing flammability results.
|
More information:
› NEW: All presentations from the VDA Winter Meeting 2008
› Read the article: DAY 2 – Towards R744 serial production
› Go back to the feature: VDA Winter Meeting 2008 – On the road to R744
* REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances) is a new law that entered into force in June 2007 to run a central database with all substances and protect human health from unsafe chemicals to which suitable alternatives have been found. As Europe is the world’s largest import and export market of chemicals, the REACH regulation will also have a major impact outside the EU market.
|
