• Hydrocarbon as a Drop-in? Tests Have Begun

    June 14, 2011
    Testing is aimed at documenting the energy saving potential of HCR188C2 as drop-in replacement for R22 in 50-ton air conditioning units.

    Tests on the energy savings potential of the hydrocarbon refrigerant HCR188C2 as drop-in replacement for R22 in 50-ton air conditioners have started at Jerico Energy in California.

    Real time results comparing an R22 unit to a modified one with HCR188C2 can be monitored online at jericoems.com.

    Developed by inventor and entrepreneur Richard Maruya of A.S. Trust & Holdings, Kaneohe, Hawaii, HCR188C2 is a pure hydrocarbon formulation, blended specifically as a drop-in replacement for hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) R22.

    The testing is intended to quantify how much energy is saved by switching from R22 to HCR188C2. More concretely, the required energy for holding a specific temperature when using either of the two refrigerants will be compared. The tests will take place at Jerico Energy (Sacramento, CA) and will be run side-by-side on two identical roof-top Carrier 50DJ104 Weathermaker IV systems, that are typically used for commercial building air-conditioning. The units serve as an ideal test-bed, since the two large compressors come on together at all times, and two pairs of smaller compressors only come on as needed to hold the required temperature.

    The test-equipment at Jerico Energy will update the following values once a minute:
    • Evaporator temperatures
    • Air temperatures
    • Compressor discharge temperatures
    • Circuit refrigerant pressures
    • Compressor power
    • Daily compressor energy.

    A.S. Trust & Holdings has spent more than a decade developing hydrocarbon combinations for new refrigerant fluids that are based on purely green chemistry that is friendly to the climate and also energy efficient. HCR188C2 that is being tested at Jerico is A.S. Trust & Holdings’ second pure hydrocarbon formulation.

    A.S. Trust & Holdings has also developed HCR188C1 refrigerant, a blend of pure hydrocarbons with nearly zero Global Warming Potential (GWP) and zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) designed to replace the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant R134. HCR188C1 has been certified by independent testing laboratory Intertek and has received the official ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) designation R441a.

    Jerico Energy provides energy-reduction services on equipment such as commercial air conditioning systems, cold storage warehouses, commercial process cooling systems, thermal storage systems and gas heated systems.

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