DuPont has announced significant progress in developing air conditioning that offers a considerably lower global warming potential than the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) R-134, which is in use now.

The new refrigerant candidate, hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO)-1234yf, is the result of a joint development agreement between DuPont and Honeywell, which have been working closely with automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to conduct extensive safety, environmental and performance testing.

Based upon equivalent cooling and energy performance and global adoption of one refrigerant by the year 2017, the use of the new refrigerant in new cars has the potential to save more than 2,200 million litres or about 590 million gallons of fuel annually.

This is the equivalent of taking approximately 1.5 million cars off the road each year, compared to the in-kind product, said a company statement.  

“This development is critical to reduce the total environmental footprint associated with car air conditioning systems, and DuPont is pleased to report that current data supports the safe use of HFO-1234yf in mobile air conditioning systems globally,' stated Cynthia C Green, vice president and general manager, DuPont Fluoroproducts.

'As HFO-1234yf is evaluated by automotive manufacturers in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia, support continues to strengthen.' 

'In addition to safety, the new refrigerant offers a favorable environmental profile, compatibility with existing mobile air conditioning technology, and could enable automotive OEMs to meet the 2011 European Union regulatory deadline imposed on mobile air conditioning to begin the phase out of HFC technologies.'
 
HFO-1234yf offers several unique attributes that make it an ideal candidate to replace R-134a for automotive air conditioning.  It has a lower total environmental impact than other alternatives as measured by Life Cycle Climate Potential (LCCP) due to the combination of its extremely low global warming potential and high energy efficiency. 

It performs well in all regions with different climates, making it more suitable as a single, global refrigerant solution. The new refrigerant offers benefits for consumers and service technicians when compared to alternative carbon dioxide systems. 

It also offers the most cost-effective transition away from HFC technology because it is highly compatible with current mobile air conditioning technology.  

'This latest technology in automotive air conditioning will tap new opportunities for the steady and increased growth in automotive industry across the GCC and Middle East with large vehicular population.'

'The region is currently in the midst of aggressive implementation of numerous environmental protection policies and strategies, so HFO-1234yf will extend performance and further aid reduction of environmental footprints generated by automobiles.'

'This product endorses DuPont's strong emphasis on safety, health and environment to daily human endeavors such as driving and commuting,' added Andrew Holdsworth, director, DuPont Middle East.

Although specific plans have not yet been announced pending commercial agreements, DuPont is developing plans for HFO-1234yf production that would allow automotive manufacturers to meet the 2011 timeframe imposed by the EU directive.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 18 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. 

The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

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