CO2 - A REFRIGERANT FROM THE PAST WITH PROSPECTS OF BEING ONE OF THE MAIN REFRIGERANTS IN THE FUTURE

Carbon dioxide was among the widely used refrigerants in the infancy of refrigeration around year 1900. Unlike ammonia, however, it more or less disappeared when the (Hydro)ChloroFluoroCarbons ((H)CFCs) were launched. After being re-introduced as a refrigerant around 1990, CO2 has become an important alternative in replacing environmentally harmful refrigerants such as CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs. The development has shown potential in several applications both in terms of system efficiency and system cost, thus making it a viable alternative for applications not considered feasible earlier. This has been made possible through an enormous effort from industry, research institutes and universities. Currently, CO2 is the refrigerant of preference for many companies, and commercial products are already available. For some applications there are still challenges to be overcome if introduction of CO2 should become successful. The paper gives an overview of the far and near historic development of CO2 as refrigerant and discusses future potential and challenges. 1. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

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