COAirConditioningSystems.docVIP

CO2 Air Conditioning Systems Page  PAGE 10 of 7 Contact: Marlene Goldsmith (248) 372-8222 marlene_goldsmith@ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2002 CO2 Air Conditioning Systems Concerns regarding the effect of global warming have been growing in recent years. Refrigerant of car air conditioning systems was switched from CFC-12 to HFC-134a in many countries for ozone layer protection. However, the global warming potential of HFC-134a refrigerant is still high, and car air conditioning systems are required to use a more environmentally benign refrigerant to prevent global warming. For the future, carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigerant is considered to be one of the most promising alternatives. Features of CO2 Refrigerant Extremely Low Global Warming Potential Value (GWP) The global warming potential value of CO2 is extremely low, which is about 1/1300 of HFC-134a. Therefore, even if CO2 is leaked from an air conditioner system when it is used as refrigerant for the system, the effect caused by leakage to the environment is negligible. High Operating Pressure CO2 has a critical temperature*1 lower than that of HFC-134a and a critical pressure*2 higher than that of HFC-134a. Therefore, in air conditioning systems adopting CO2 refrigerant, a high-pressure side temperature exceeds the critical point. This results in a high operation pressure that is 7 to 10 times larger than that of HFC-134a. *1) Critical temperature is the temperature above which a substance cannot exist in the liquid state regardless of the pressure. *2) Critical pressure is the equilibrium pressure of a fluid that is at its critical temperature. – more – DENSO CO2 Air Conditioning System DENSO, which is a global leader in air conditioning systems with the world’s top market share of 24 percent, has developed a CO2 air conditioning system resistant to high operation press