Refrigeration Briefs

Emerson Offers Design/Testing for Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
The Design Services Network of Emerson Climate Technologies reported that it’s available to assist in the design, development and testing for hydrocarbon refrigerants recently approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP). In December 2011, the EPA announced the approval of R290 (propane), R600a (isobutane) and R441a for use in commercial and residential refrigerators and freezers. The primary benefits of these substitute refrigerants would be to:

• Reduce the direct global warming potential (GWP) of the refrigerant to near zero
• Potentially improve equipment energy efficiency to reduce the indirect GWP of carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions generated during electricity production
• Reduce electricity demand and associated facility operating costs
• Employ "renewable" refrigerant gases which are by-products of various processes, thus generating a lower carbon footprint refrigerant at a lower cost than today’s manufactured alternatives.

"Emerson Climate Technologies fully supports initiatives to apply alternate refrigerants in an effort to mitigate the use of higher global warming potential refrigerants," says Rajan Rajendran, Ph.D., director of engineering services at Emerson. "To date, Emerson has been involved in the selection and application of R290 propane compressors and condensing units. These have been tested in prototype equipment designs requiring 150 grams or less of propane refrigerant."

Propane compressors will be available in the Emerson AFE, ASE, RFT, and RST models and for its M line condensing units. For additional information, send an email to [email protected].

Airgas to Open Business Support Center in Tulsa, OK
Airgas is opening a business support center (BSC) in Tulsa, OK. It will employ about 130 people. Most of jobs will be filled in 2012.

The center will provide accounting and administrative services for Airgas’ Central Division, one of four divisions that make up Airgas’ distribution business. The recruitment website can be found online at, http://careers.airgas.com/Apply/SearchJobs.aspx.