Technical Committees are responsible for identifying research topics, proposing research projects, selecting bidders, and monitoring research projects funded by ASHRAE. Information about their specific research program is discussed at each TC meeting and at the TC’s Research Subcommittee meeting.
TC 3.02 has the following on-going research project.
1665-RP
R-40 STABILITY WITH HVAC&R SYSTEM MATERIALS
Co-sponsoring Committee: TC 3.3, Refrigerant Contaminant Control
The objective is to develop the understanding of the impacts of R-40 contamination on the safety and reliability of HVAC&R equipment. Outcomes of this research will be immediate adoption of safe contaminant limits by refrigerant purity specifications for SAE, AHRI standards and by HVAC&R manufacturers and users.
Research Strategy:
The research strategy of TC 3.2 is to investigate all chemical interactions within a refrigeration or air conditioning system with special emphasis on the refrigerant, lubricant and all materials of construction including metals, elastomers, polymers, electrical motor insulation, and desiccants. The effect of time, temperature, pressure, electricity, catalytic metals, and contaminants such as moisture, air, process chemicals, etc. on the type and rate of chemical reactions is of primary interest.
ACTIVE RESEARCH
Summary of the research discussed at the Atlanta 2015 meeting.
An RTAR has been completed - Water Level Effects on Low GWP Refrigerants – Brad Boggess is working on the document in conjunction with TC 3.3 who approved to Co-Sponsor. The documents were sent to RAC - RAC has returned documents asking for more data. Brad is working on the re-write.
Steve Kujak and Mark Baker are still working on a RTAR titled: Mechanistic Studies of HFO Decomposition – Reactions taking place in the HVAC/R system.
A work statement (WS) to the follow-up work on RP-1410 was drafted by Julie Majurin in Chicago and submitted to the RAC liaison, Mark Spatz, along with the cover sheet for his comments. Julie made the minor changes to the document and submitted to a few individuals for review. These changes were found to be acceptable and since they were minor in nature it was agreed that no TC voted was needed to approve the modifications. The incoming TC 3.2 chair, Rosine Rohatgi, will submit the amended document along with the previous cover sheet to Mike Vaughn of RAC.
Dave Wilson, SSPC 34 Chair, contact the TC 3.2 chair to request some assistance with potential technical advice or a research project on a refrigerant and refrigerant blend that the SSPC 34 committee is evaluating for ASHRAE designation. The refrigerant and blend is HFO-1123 and blends with the HFO submitted by Asashi Glass. There is concerns with the stability of HFO-1123 and maybe some research will be required to make this evaluation. The committee discussed the situation and the overall feeling was that this refrigerant has potential stability issues but even if testing was done to prove this SSPC 34 had no mechanism in place to use this information to decline assigning a designation. Based on this the committee felt ASHRAE research dollars should not be used for this project. This information will be relayed by the TC 3.2 chair back to Dave Wilson.
Hydrogen Fluoride Capacity of Desiccants.- Sponsored by TC 3.3. and TC 3.2 will co sponsor.