Continuous automotive air conditioning is the subject of debate - dubbed the Cold War - about generation coolers in car air conditioners. The Alliance for CO 2 Solutions supports carbon dioxide uptake (CO 2 ) as a refrigerant in passenger cars, and the chemical industry is developing new chemical mixtures.
The alliance and its supporters - scientists, NGOs and business leaders - are urging the auto industry to replace high global warming chemicals with natural carbon dioxide carbon (CO 2 , R744/R-744) in car cooling and heating. This, they argue, will cause 10% fewer car emissions, and paralyze 1% of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. If CO 2 Technology is applied in other sectors, such as commercial and industrial refrigeration, heat pumps to heat water etc., can even save up to 3% of the world's greenhouse gases.
Opponents of the Alliance claim that CO 2 Technology is not cost-effective and secure, it seeks to postpone a global industry decision to be taken to develop a new chemical mixture instead.
Video Sustainable automotive air conditioning
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The Cold War has emanated from the EU decision to abolish HFC-134a global warming refrigerant in air conditioning from January 2011 onwards. To comply with legislation, carmakers must decide today on new refrigerants, as they typically take 3-4 years to develop and introduce new car platforms including air conditioning systems. (It takes less time to design a new air conditioning system to be installed in a new version of the existing model.) The total car air conditioning market is currently estimated at $ 14.5 billion in 2007.
Maps Sustainable automotive air conditioning
Arguments
Arguments for CO 2
The Alliance for CO 2 solution and its supporters agree that the cooling CO 2 is:
- More eco-friendly with the lowest Global Warming potential (GWP) of all currently used and proposed refrigerants. CO 2 does not deplete the ozone layer. Since carbon dioxide used in car air conditioning is a recyclable industrial waste product, it becomes environmentally neutral. Overall, using the CO 2 air conditioning system will reduce total car emissions by 10%, thus saving the planet 1% of total greenhouse gases.
- More technically ready because CO 2 models have been developed and tested in all climates, now ready for mass production. They heat faster and cool the car, and show superior performance in more than 90% of all driving conditions.
- More cost-effective because as the refrigerant itself, CO 2 is cheap and available worldwide. The CO 2 service system will be cheaper and less complicated than that for the current system. For consumers, the lowest total cost of ownership is with CO 2 because it will significantly reduce fuel consumption by AC devices. The automaker should make an initial investment estimated at EUR 20 per unit, at no additional cost after CO 2 Technology goes into mass production.
- Can be used in Heat Pumps because at least one CO 2 system under development can act as a heat pump, supplying cabin heat and windshield melt even before the engine heats up.
- Although the Alliance should not mention it, since CO 2 is very cheap and relatively harmless to the environment, the reservoirs in such systems can store additional R744 fluid to keep the vehicle cool even when the engine (or compressor) not working.
Arguments against CO 2
CO 2 Technology requires an entirely new high-pressure system design, whereas the so-called "drop-in solution" (potentially more cost-effective system adaptation).
Alliance for CO 2 The solution claims, however the initial cost of CO 2 system will be around EUR5 higher than the drop-in solution and that during the life cycle of a car, CO 2 Air conditioning systems will be more cost-effective than the new or proposed chemical mixtures currently in use. (see Argument for CO 2 ). CO 2 has been classified as Security Class A1 (low toxic, non-flammable refrigerant) by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) - the highest safety class. Since the load of CO 2 to the air conditioning system is very small (200-400 g) there is no realistic danger to passengers, even in case of unintentional release.
The argument for non-CO refrigerant 2
- Refrigerants such as greenfreeze developed by Greenpeace, based on a purified butane/propane blend, are completely 'natural', and because of increased efficiency compared to refrigerants such as R134a, allow the use of very small amounts of coolant to be used.
- The use of pure, backward compatible hydrocarbon refrigerant with an initial Freon (R-12) air conditioning system, will allow the system to be easily modified (without modification), improve efficiency, and prevent further discharge. dangerous R-134a and R-12 into the atmosphere.
Arguments against non-CO refrigerant 2
Butane and propane are highly flammable oil products; they are used as fuel for gas barbecue grills, lighter wear, and others. Like gasoline, which is chemically closely related, propane has an explosive tendency when mixed with oxygen and ignited in a sealed container.
The use of highly flammable hydrocarbons such as butane and propane as an automotive refrigerant poses a serious security problem. EPA, in evaluating the replacement of motor vehicle air conditioners for CFC-12 (Freon, or R-12) under its SNAP program, has been classified as another "Unwelcome Substitute" of "Hydrocarbon combustible mixture" on the grounds "insufficient data to indicate security. "The EPA defines" Unacceptable "in this context as" illegal to use as a substitute for CFC-12 in motor vehicle air conditioners ". All EPA approved refrigerants for vehicle use in place of CFC-12 (as of 28 September 2006) contain no more than 4% of the total combustible hydrocarbons (butane, isobutane and/or isopentane). Therefore, it seems unlikely, for safety reasons, that the EPA would approve 'Greenfreeze' or similar hydrocarbon-based refrigerants for automotive use.
Latest and next steps
In September 2007, the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA) officially announced its decision to use CO 2 as a refrigerant in the next generation air conditioner. Other car makers from Europe and around the world can follow in the footsteps of Germany.
A working group at ACEA, the European automaker's association, will draw up a common position on this issue for adoption across the industry by the end of 2007.
However, on April 9, 2009, the German public television channel ARD broadcast a report claiming that VDA members would use a loophole in the law to avoid compliance with EU directives.
Position
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe - Press Release September 6, 2007
- Greenpeace Germany - Press Releases September 6, 2007
- Alliance for CO2 Solutions - Press Releases September 6, 2007
- Alliance for CO2 Solutions - Press Releases July 30, 2007
- Alliance for CO2 Solutions - Press Releases June 13, 2007
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe - Press Releases July 13, 2007
- German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) - Press Release May 8, 2007
Media coverage
- Spiegel-Online.de (06/09/2007)
- COMPLETE European Report - August issue
- "German auto industry to drop research on cooling agents harmful to the environment". International Herald Tribune. 2007-07-31. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Ã,
- European Voice (07/07/12)
- Euractiv (07/06/26)
- [(07/06/18]]
See also
- Car air conditioner
- EcoCute, an energy-efficient electric heat pump that uses carbon dioxide as a refrigerant
References
External links
- alliance-co2-solutions.org - Alliance for CO 2 Solutions
- R744.com Website dedicated to CO 2 Technology
- Shecco.com
- "DENSO Develops World's First CO2 Air Coolant Air Conditioner". Automatic Channels. 2002-12-04 . Retrieved 2008-07-19 .
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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