[HN Gopher] LG launches residential air-to-water propane heat pump
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       LG launches residential air-to-water propane heat pump
        
       Author : toomuchtodo
       Score  : 10 points
       Date   : 2023-12-01 19:32 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.pv-magazine.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.pv-magazine.com)
        
       | elmerfud wrote:
       | Good luck getting approval for propane as a refrigerant in the
       | US. I think it's recently got approved for small systems like 5k
       | BTU or less but that's a really small window unit. (Sealed units
       | that can never be serviced, this making more waste)
       | 
       | When the whole cfc ozone thing was the "crisis of the the moment"
       | it was already known that propane was an excellent refrigerant
       | and could have replaced r12/r22 in most applications with no
       | modifications. Did we do that? Nope, we doubled down are more
       | regulations for more expensive systems, because money!!!! and who
       | cares if the new refrigerants have a greater overall
       | environmental impact. If they used something simple, cheap and
       | readily available like propane they could stop people from using
       | these older units or from continuing to service them themselves.
        
       | toomuchtodo wrote:
       | > The new product utlizes propane refrigerant with a lower global
       | warming potential and has a seasonal coefficient of performance
       | (SCOP) of over 5. According to the manufacturer, it can achieve a
       | flow temperature of 75 C and 100% heating output at outside
       | temperatures of -15 C.
       | 
       | https://www.epa.gov/snap/rule-22-final-rule-notice
       | 
       | https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-08/documents/ep...
       | [pdf]
       | 
       | > This final action modifies the use conditions required for use
       | of three flammable refrigerants--isobutane (R-600a), propane
       | (R-290), and R-441A--in new household refrigerators, freezers,
       | and combination refrigerators and freezers under the Significant
       | New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. The use conditions, which
       | address safe use of flammable refrigerants, are being revised to
       | reflect the updated UL Standard 60335-2-24 that is incorporated
       | by reference.
        
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       (page generated 2023-12-01 23:02 UTC)