| dc.description.abstract | In February 2023 a proposal has been delivered for a restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) by Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) as the last process within REACH1 . This restriction means that nearly all artificial refrigerants shall not be manufactured, used, or placed on the market after the restriction enters into force by law. There are some exceptions with longer deadlines related to some application areas, however, the message is clear: Most of all new refrigeration and heat pumping systems are soon not at all allowed to apply any of these substances anymore. The transition towards the utilization of natural working fluids across all sectors must be taken seriously. Immediate action is needed especially of manufacturers and vendors still applying artificial refrigerants in their products for the market. In this contribution examples are described and evaluated of future proof and energy efficient refrigeration and heat pumping systems applying carbon-dioxide/CO2 as working fluid. There are many more working fluids/refrigerants to be considered namely: different types of hydrocarbons, ammonia/NH3, water/H2O and air/R729. All these alternative natural working fluids, with their individual properties, will contribute to support the entire refrigeration- and heat pumping sector in the required transition away from artificial refrigerants. End-users will appreciate these innovative, clean, and energy efficient systems having a longterm perspective without creating forced replacement requests by the authorities. | en_US |
