EPA publishes rule approving CO₂ for ice rinks, chillers, process AC

The published ruling, which took effect on 23 May, falls within the EPA’s SNAP (Significant New Alternatives Policy) programme designating alternatives to ozone-depleting refrigerants.

The EPA noted that many substitutes listed as acceptable for ice skating rinks have higher GWPs that that of CO₂ (one); these include R134a, R404A, THR-03 and other HFC blends, which have GWPs ranging from 920 to 3,990.

Similarly, many substitutes listed as acceptable for centrifugal and positive displacement chiller as well as industrial process air conditioning have GWPs higher than that of CO₂; these include R513A, R450A, R134a, R404A and other HFC blends, which have GWPs ranging from approximately 600 to 3,990.

The EPA SNAP programme has previously approved CO₂ for a host of applications, including retail food refrigeration, transport, cold storage and vending machines.