AHRI has published the final report for Research Project 8009, Risk Assessment of Refrigeration Systems Using A2L Flammable Refrigerants. The project assessed the potential ignition risks of R-32, HFO-1234yf, and HFO-1234ze in commercial refrigeration products during operation and servicing using fault tree analysis (FTA). The study included self-contained reach-in coolers, reach-in coolers connected with a single condensing unit, and walk-in coolers connected with a single condensing unit. Three location scenarios were evaluated: a small restaurant kitchen, a lunch counter, and a convenience store. The work also included Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and experimental measurements on the refrigerant dispersion pattern. The FTA in this study only considered refrigerant ignition and did not determine whether a fire would ensue due to the ignition of surrounding materials. The final report is available on the AHRI website.

(Source: AHRI Update, May 14, 2015)