Trane is working on a replacement for R410a, said Mike Thompson, Global Leader of Refrigerant Strategy, Ingersoll Rand (the mother company of Trane), in an interview with Climate Control Middle East. The refrigerant would be a four per cent efficiency improvement on R410a, Thompson said, adding that the challenge with the new refrigerant is that it is slightly flammable. Japan, Europe and the United States have transitioned to R410a, which is a safe option, but we would like to leapfrog that, Thompson said.

In the case of big chillers (of 150-4,000 TR capacity), Trane is using R1233zd and R514a, Thompson said. “Our drive is towards non-flammable HFO solutions, which are more efficient,” he said. “They will be expensive, but we expect prices to come down in the coming years.”

Some products, Thompson said, will be easier to transition. “In the case of large-tonnage chillers (LTCs), in the next two years, you will see chillers with new refrigerants, which will have better efficiency,” Thompson said. “Trane has been able to develop chillers that are 10% more efficient and with a GWP that is less than two.”