Environmental impacts, Safety, and Efficiency to comply with Future Regulations

New refrigerant technology is developing rapidly, and alternatives are emerging as critical next-generation solutions, especially in larger applications. 

Market shift and evolving trends for cooling technologies in present times
The cooling technology sector is ever-evolving. The projections indicate that (AC) ownership numbers in India are set to grow exponentially as temperatures rise with per-capita income and people search for ways to adapt to heat stress. As per one of the surveys, global energy demand for HVAC is expected to triple by 2050. India is expected to account for more than a third of the world’s air-conditioner sales in the decades to come. We also see many new developments in chiller technologies with a balanced energy and environment approach. Cooling in India has become a necessity to secure food and provide comfort. The energy needed to cool buildings, vehicles and food systems is projected to grow exponentially to about eight times its current levels by 2038, per IEA’s recent Energy Outlook 2021.

Opportunities for growth to move forward
We see an immense growth opportunity moving forward with new technologies and customer-centric operating models. Sustainable products are catching up firmly as more and more focus is ongoing towards green and becoming more and more efficient. A couple of factors drive the demand, such as favourable policies, lifestyle upgrades and growth in the country’s commercial, industrial, and residential infrastructure investments.

There are two areas where Trane leads innovation to bring value to the industry.
• Our energy-efficient products and services are designed to develop such equipment to meet the highest efficiency energy standards.
• The next area is ozone depletion and global warming through refrigerants used in our equipment. Right now, we are far ahead in the industry in bringing a significant change towards low GWP offerings.

Global warming impacts the increase in demand for cooling equipment.
It’s like cooling a warming planet. Growing populations and developing economies are projected to increase global  demand for space cooling hugely. There are various factors for the same, like the market expansion of industries like manufacturing hubs, pharma, data centres, commercial space etc. However, to add to it, the rising temperature also plays a vital role, eventually increasing the site’s cooling demands. Although India has one of the lowest penetrations of air conditioning in the world today, this is set to change quickly as rising per capita income, rapid urbanisation, and a primarily tropical climate will drastically drive up the demand for cooling. Increased global temperature, population growth, rise in income and urbanisation will soon lead to a multi-fold increase in energy demand for air conditioners.

Chiller plant design and operation increase system efficiency
HVAC systems contribute to nearly 40 percent of the energy used by commercial buildings and close to 50 percent of total energy consumption in IT buildings. After reducing cooling/ heating loads through passive design strategies, enhancing the efficiency of HVAC systems should be the top priority for any building’s energy efficiency.

Besides selecting energy-efficient equipment, choosing the correct system type, size, and design is essential for optimised energy efficiency. As a climate innovator, we have been continually looking for opportunities to reduce chiller plant energy usage by leveraging the strengths of high-efficiency water-cooled chillers, variable frequency drives, premium efficient motors, low approach/high-efficiency cooling towers, sophisticated control strategies, etc. It is essential to ensure proper operations and maintenance of chiller systems to prevent high energy consumption and equipment deterioration. It is vital to understand chilled-water system concepts and their application clearly. The principles involved are pretty simple. Numerous choices are available for the design and operation of chilled-water systems. These choices include flow rates, temperatures, system configurations, and control options. After determining the requirements of the building owner and chiller plant operation, the judicious use of these choices allows the designers to provide proper solutions that add value.

Next-generation low-GWP and efficient refrigerant technology
For years, pressure in the HVAC industry has been mounting to reduce the use of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants across many applications and industries. As the HVAC industry transitions to refrigerants for chillers and other refrigerant-bearing equipment, customers can choose the best-fit solutions to reduce costs, meet sustainability goals, and transition in line with their timeline.

A balanced approach to identifying the best refrigerant for proper applications is critical for solution choice. This means customers must consider environmental impacts, safety, and efficiency that will comply with future regulations. There are next-generation refrigerants available today that are low-GWP, nonflammable and efficient.

New refrigerant technology is developing rapidly, and alternatives are emerging as key next-generation solutions, especially in larger applications. These alternatives are characterised by concise atmospheric lives (months or even days), which results in “di minimis” ozone depletion potential (ODP) as well as ultra-low GWP. These new refrigerants are collectively referred to as hydro-fluoro-olefins (HFOs). Examples include R1233zd(E), R1234yf, R1234ze(E) and blends such as R513A, R514A, R452B and R454B.

There may never be a perfect refrigerant. Based on the facts about today’s refrigerant options, customers can choose the most appropriate solution for their building systems to meet the changing regulations and their sustainability goals.