refrigerant considerations

Much debate is surrounding the industrial and commercial refrigeration communities on choosing the appropriate refrigerant per the application needed. IIAR has taken a strong stance in defending natural refrigerants in its Green Paper, republished in 2019. The paper focuses on the advantages of ammonia and carbon dioxide as refrigerants, which are the most widely used and most requested for new and retrofitted systems in the current market. Much of their benefit revolves around their environmental compatibility. Unlike their synthetic refrigerant counterparts, ammonia and carbon dioxide do not impact atmospheric ozone or contribute to climate change in the same manner. For more information on natural refrigerants and considerations for using them, please see the published Green Paper.

In response to the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020, IIAR spearheaded the AIM Task Force. The initiative is education and promotion of natural refrigerants and their sustainable use. As more information becomes available regarding the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) plan to restrict the use of certain synthetic refrigerants, the Task Force will provide information on their informational page, What is the AIM Act?, on the IIAR website. For more information or if you are interested in being involved with the Task Force, please contact IIAR Staff.

Over the last 20 years, IIAR has created strong alliances with many international associations and has been able to extend its reach worldwide through these partnerships. IIAR signed new Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) and Asociacion de Empresas del Frio y Sus Technologias (AEFYT) in 2021. A MOU with the Chinese Association of Refrigeration (CAR) and the Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) in the United Kingdom has been signed. IIAR’s active international alliances include those listed in the Alliances webpage. IIAR also maintains strong alliances through MOUs with many US based associates also listed on the page.

In 2021, the Brazilian Chapter focused on cooperation with industry to aid in the transition from high global warming potential refrigerants to low impact refrigerants, including efforts to expand the use of natural refrigerants. The following organizations are in the process of adopting the IIAR Standards for this countries.

• Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification (ICONTEC) / IIARAsociación Colombiana De Acondicionamiento Del Aire Y De La Refrigeración (ACAIRE) Chapter

• Ministry of Production (MPCEIP) and IIAR Chapter – Ecuador

AEFYT is publishing Condenser articles in Spanish as part of an educational initiative for the industry. The Technical Standards Institute of Costa Rica (INTECO) / IIAR Chapter / Colegio de Ingenerieros Electricsitas, Mecanicos e Industriales (CIEMI)–Allied Association has adopted the IIAR Standard, translated the Standards into Spanish, and is currently in public review of the Standards.