The Research and Technology (R&T) Committee of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) recently established a Flammable Refrigerants Subcommittee that will seek to develop a set of application requirements for the use of 2L refrigerants.

The subcommittee will determine gaps in existing flammable refrigerant research, identify organizations willing to collaborate with AHRI and, finally, it will develop a roadmap with priorities and a timeline for how to complete the necessary research. The subcommittee aims to help the industry understand the comparative risk of using 2L refrigerants with those used today. In the future, the subcommittee will communicate with relevant parties to secure funding for necessary research, and will share results with regulators and standard developers.

"The industry needs to develop a complete list of research needs in order to provide the scientific results necessary to support the safe use of flammable refrigerants in the future," said Xudong Wang, AHRI director of research. "AHRI will play an important role by establishing collaboration within the industry and among relevant organizations, and by conducting research and publishing relevant results."

Subcommittee members will include flammability experts; standard and code experts; representatives from residential, commercial, and refrigeration sectors, including products and applications; and experts in installation, operation, and maintenance.