VATIS UPDATE Article

Johnson Controls, the United States, has announced two platforms of high efficiency chillers available with low global warming potential (GWP) options. Building on its product line, Johnson Controls has extended its portfolio of YORK® chillers to include two key product families that use the refrigerant alternative R-513A – the YORK YVWA water-cooled screw chiller and the YORK YMC2 magnetic bearing water-cooled centrifugal chiller.

The offering covers a broad range from 433 to 3,516 kW (120 to 1,000 tons) for water-cooled applications. This represents Johnson Controls’ continued commitment to choose solutions that will best meet the needs of its customers and the environment based on safety, efficiency, reliability, availability and cost. “This is the first major chiller family to be offered with low-GWP alternatives. We will continue to expand our chiller portfolio with highly efficient chillers and additional low-GWP offerings,” said Laura Wand, at Johnson Controls.

Additionally, Johnson Controls is leading the industry-wide discussion on the use of other low-GWP refrigerant alternatives which have an A2L (mildly flammable) safety rating. They enabled research on this topic through their donation of $100,000 to ASHRAE Research to facilitate and accelerate the safe use of flammable refrigerants. This research will help determine when and how to establish standards and building codes which address customers’ flammability concerns.