Daikin Investing in a Circular Economy of Refrigerants for Sustainable AC&R Industry

During the MCE 2018, Daikin held a press conference to announce that it takes the next step towards a sustain-able air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration industry by investing in a circular economy of refrigerants.
 
Based on the experience of Daikin in Japan, Daikin Europe has decided to invest in recovery and reclaim of refrigerants. As a first step, Daikin will reclaim refrigerants which were recovered through its existing routes. In a next step, Daikin will extend these routes in Europe in collaboration schemes with other stakeholders. Below are some other examples of Daikin actions to contribute to a phase down of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) consumption and a sustain-able air conditioning, heat pump, and refrigeration industry:
 
1. Develop and produce refrigerants with a lower global warming potential (GWP) such as R407H for refrigeration applications.
 
2. Launch of equipment using lower GWP refrigerants, such as air conditioners and heat pumps with R32 instead of R410A and screw chillers using Hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerant R1234ze(E) instead of R134a. In the refrigeration market, use of R410A and R407H instead of R404A, and non-hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) technology such as CO₂.
 
3. Since September 2015, Daikin has offered companies worldwide free access to 93 patents, to allow them to develop and commercialize air conditioning, cooling, and heat pumps using R32 as a single component refrigerant.
 
4. Reduction of refrigerant charge by optimizing product designs, by using microchannel heat exchangers in air-cooled chillers for example.
 
5. Use of monitoring systems to al-low service technicians to inspect tightness of systems both on site and remotely.
 
6. Contribution to standardization committees to enhance the tightness of components and joints, to the safe use of lower GWP refrigerants and to the qualification of installation and service technicians for any type of refrigerant.