It has been announced that Daikin will be using the R32 refrigerant in their air conditioning units by the end of next year. However, it is important to know that this refrigerant is slightly flammable, although it does have a lower GWP. Peter Verkempynk is the managing director at Daikin and he has said that the first units with the refrigerant will be launched next year and will go up to 6 kW. In 2016 they will be launching products up to 16 kW.
These will not be the only ranges that will be launched either, in 2017, Peter has said, that they plan to launch a third wave of units with the R32 technology in their Altherma heat pumps along with more in the future.
Of course there are concerns with the use of a mildly flammable refrigerant in the units, which Peter Verkempynk has responded, “It is our responsibility to make sure that people know how to handle R32. And therefore we will be ensuring that installers are trained appropriately.”
Despite the plans for the future they haven’t been holding back this year and have launched the fourth generation of the VRV. It is a heat recovery system which, Daikin are claiming, will provide an extra 28 per cent efficiency compared to its predecessor.
The reason that R32 is going to be used is because it has the similar qualities to the R410A refrigerant although it has a lower global warming potential. The product itself has been used for many years in other refrigerants because when it is mixed with other components it is no longer flammable but on its own it is.
If you are worried there are some steps that you can take although any engineer installing these units should already know. You can set up a detector that will warn you when there is a build up of the flammable refrigerant, ensure that there is a fire extinguisher nearby. It also important to double check whether or not your recovery machine is compatible with a flammable refrigerant.
It has been announced that Daikin will be using the R32 refrigerant in their air conditioning units by the end of next year. However, it is important to know that this refrigerant is slightly flammable, although it does have a lower GWP. Peter Verkempynk is the managing director at Daikin and he has said that the first units with the refrigerant will be launched next year and will go up to 6 kW. In 2016 they will be launching products up to 16 kW.
These will not be the only ranges that will be launched either, in 2017, Peter has said, that they plan to launch a third wave of units with the R32 technology in their Altherma heat pumps along with more in the future.
Of course there are concerns with the use of a mildly flammable refrigerant in the units, which Peter Verkempynk has responded, “It is our responsibility to make sure that people know how to handle R32. And therefore we will be ensuring that installers are trained appropriately.”
Despite the plans for the future they haven’t been holding back this year and have launched the fourth generation of the VRV. It is a heat recovery system which, Daikin are claiming, will provide an extra 28 per cent efficiency compared to its predecessor.
The reason that R32 is going to be used is because it has the similar qualities to the R410A refrigerant although it has a lower global warming potential. The product itself has been used for many years in other refrigerants because when it is mixed with other components it is no longer flammable but on its own it is.
If you are worried there are some steps that you can take although any engineer installing these units should already know. You can set up a detector that will warn you when there is a build up of the flammable refrigerant, ensure that there is a fire extinguisher nearby. It also important to double check whether or not your recovery machine is compatible with a flammable refrigerant.