Daikin becomes World’s First Company to introduce R-32 Refrigerant in Air-cooled Chillers

Expanding on their innovative “Bluevolution” range, Daikin has become the world’s first company to introduce a new generation of air-cooled scroll chiller series with R-32 refrigerant. The new Air-cooled chiller range (EWAT~B) will be available for cooling only and heat recovery applications from 80 kW up to 700 kW cooling capacity at nominal conditions.

In this article, PIF spoke to Daikin about why they used R3-2 refrigerant in their new air-cooled chiller range and explored the characteristics of the new chiller series.

Why use R-32 Refrigerant in Air-cooled Chillers

The selection of R-32 (chemical name difluoromethane) minimises the global warming impact of scroll compressor chillers thanks to the lower Global Warming Potential in combination with high energy efficiency. The Global Warming Potential is 675, which is only one-third of the commonly used refrigerant R-410A.

Thanks to the lower flammability classification (R-32 refrigerant falls into category class A2L in ISO817), it can be safely used in many applications including chilled water systems. As a single component refrigerant, R-32 is also easier to recycle and reuse, another environmental plus in its favour.

Daikin, involved in both HVAC and refrigerant businesses, was the world’s first company to introduce R-32 in split air conditioners in 2012, and has expanded the range in the past years to include commercial air conditioners and heat pumps. As of December 2017, Daikin had sold approximately 12 million R-32 units in more than 50 Countries.

Characteristics of new Daikin Chiller Series

The new Daikin chiller series will be available with two efficiency versions (Silver and Gold), combinable with three sound configurations (Standard, Low and Reduced) and providing full customisation on project-specific requirements.

The new series is fully compatible with the Daikin on Site cloud-based platform, which offers a number of advanced functionalities including remote monitoring, system optimisation and preventive maintenance.

More than that, the new Daikin series comes with Master/Slave functionality as standard, allowing the management of up to 4 units on the same system without the need for external control devices.

An extensive list of options and accessories can be provided on request, such as the fully integrated hydronic kit for fixed flow or variable flow operation, partial or total heat recovery for sanitary hot water production and many other solutions.

For more complex installations (higher number of units, peripherals’ control etc), Daikin can offer the Intelligent Chiller Manager option, allowing energy optimisation of the system and, when necessary, full customisation of the control solutions to the specific installation’s needs.

If you are looking for air-cooled chillers which use R-32 refrigerant, contact Daikin today.