NEDO Projects Related toFluorocarbon Countermeasures
July 3, 2019
Satoshi Fujigaki
New Energy and Industrial Technology
Development Organization (NEDO)
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Today’s Topics
1. Introduction of NEDO
2. Background and policy trends
3. R&D direction of NEDO
4. NEDO projects
4-1. completed project
4-2. on going project2

1. Introduction of NEDO
2. Background and policy trends
3. R&D direction of NEDO
4. NEDO projects
4-1. completed project
4-2. on going project3

Introduction of NEDONEDO plays an important role in Japan's economic
and industrial policies as one of the largest public
R&D management organizations.
NEDO has two basic missions:– Addressing energy and global environmental problems– Enhancing industrial technology
Chairman:Mr. Hiroaki Ishizuka
Organization: - Established in 1980
- Incorporated administrative agency underJapan’s Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI)
Budget :1.43 billion US dollars (fiscal year 2019)
1,000
Personal ：4

Positioning of NEDO

5

1. Introduction of NEDO
2. Background and policy trends
3. R&D direction of NEDO
4. NEDO projects
4-1. completed project
4-2. on going project6

Restrictions on fluorocarbons and potential alternatives

7

HFC emissions sources and trends in JapanTSC Environment &Chemistry

HFC emissions sources and trends in Japan
70.0

HFC's production
Foaming & Insulation material
Aerosol

HFC emissions (mil. CO2-t)

60.0

Refrigeration & A/C refrigerants

Semiconductors

Detergents & Solvent
50.0

Semiconductors manufacturing
Electric power device insulation
Metal manufacturing

40.0

Extinguishing agents

Refrigeration& airconditioning
refrigerants

30.0

20.0

10.00.0

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Foaming &Insulation

Fiscal year
Source: Report of METI Industrial Structure Council WG, Dec. 20178Obligations under Kigali Amendment in Japan

Reductions in production/usage of HFCs in Japan(mil.CO2-t)
Approx.71(Baselinevalue)▲10％Approx.49
in 2017

43.4

▲40％

36.5
▲70％
Estimated production/usage under Japan’s Act
on Rational Use and Proper Management ofFluorocarbons

2017

2019
（Controls begin）

2024

▲80％

2029

2034

▲85％20369

1. Introduction of NEDO
2. Background and policy trends
3. R&D direction of NEDO
4. NEDO projects
4-1. completed project
4-2. on going projectRefrigerant emissions and the life cycle forrefrigerants and equipment

TSC Environment &Chemistry

Manufacturers offluorocarbons

1. Productionof refrigerants

Refrigerantleakage

Destruction
businesses

5. Destructionof refrigerants

Refrigerantleakage

Measuresagainst leakage

Collection
businesses

4. Collection/
disposal ofequipment/
recovery ofrefrigerants

Partly torecycling

Conversion ofrefrigerants
Equipment
manufacturers

2. Refrigerant
charged into
equipment
Equipmentusers

3. Equipmentuse
Refrigerantleakage
11HFC countermeasures●Refrigerant alternativesDevelopment

Evaluation

Refrigerants

Performance evaluation ofrefrigerants

Equipment

Performance evaluation ofequipment

Low-GWP●Reduction of refrigerant emissions

Risk assessment inreal-use situations

Leak management
RecoveryR&D
Detoxification treatment
Reproduction

Laws/regulations** Laws/regulations/international agreements:
International・Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol
・ Framework Convention on Climate Change（1997 Kyoto Protocol 1997, 2015 Paris Agreement）
・EU F-Gas regulations
Japan・Act on Rational Use and Proper Management of Fluorocarbons
・High Pressure Gas Safety Act
・Home Appliance Recycling Law12R&D direction of NEDO The international fluorocarbon emission control has twoobjectives;- the protection of the ozone layer (HCFCs, CFCs)- the reduction of greenhouse gases (HFCs)
 In Japan, to achieve the HFC reduction target of the Kigali
Amendment, development of low GWP refrigerant and applicableequipment are required in the refrigeration and air conditioning
field.
 On the other hand, when the GWP is lowered, many refrigerants
have characteristic properties such as increased flammability.
In order to spread low GWP refrigerants to the market, it isextremely important to risk assessment and to establish safety
evaluation methods when applying combustible refrigerants toequipment, in addition to evaluating refrigerant physicalproperties.
131. Introduction of NEDO
2. Background and policy trends
3. R&D direction of NEDO
4. NEDO projects
4-1. completed project
4-2. on going project4-1. completed project;
Development of Non-Fluorinated Energy- Saving
Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Equipment Systems- Project period: FY2011-FY2015- Project budget: 1.8 billion yen- Target:
Commercial air-conditioning equipment which uses lowGWP refrigerants having high efficiency and significantly
lower greenhouse effects than existing HFC refrigerants
NEDO supported development in the following three areas:
1. Development of equipment capable of high-efficiency operations
when using low-GWP refrigerants
2. Development of low-GWP refrigerants

3. Evaluation of performance and safety of low-GWP refrigerants
Especially, mildly flammable(lower flammable) refrigerants15

4-1. completed project;
Corporation in evaluation of the safety of mildly flammablerefrigerants
 Under this project, NEDO constructed the structure that academic
sector and industrial sector were able to corporate to evaluate thesafety of mild flammable refrigerants.

JSRAE

JRAIA

R&D Project(Japan Society ofRefrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers)(Japan Refrigerationand Air Conditioning
Industry Association)

Universities
Research Institutes

Research Group

Working Groups

Information exchange
Discussion
Under regular buoyancy
test, flame exhibits large
distortion

Experiment inmicrogravity environment
accurately measured risks

World’s first example offlammability measurement for
mildly-flammable refrigerants

Final Report16

4-1. completed project;
Project achievements-1 (Domestic) Final report contributed to the amendment of Japan’s High Pressure
Gas Safety Act, where the use of mildly flammable refrigerants
refrigerants was newly stipulated.
 As a result of this amendment, the commercialization of largecapacity centrifugal chillers using mildly flammable refrigerant wasrealized.
Result of NEDO Project
Safety assessment of mildly
flammable refrigerants
Final Report of Research Grouphttps://www.jsrae.or.jp/committee/binensei/fi
nal_report_2016r1_en.pdf

Amendment of High
Pressure Gas Safety Act
The use of mildly-flammable
refrigerants was newly stipulated

Commercialization of devices
using low-GWP refrigerants(HFO-1234ze(E))
Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
Press Information no. 5840 dated February 16, 20171717

Internationalstandards

Safety evaluation underreal-use conditions

4-1. completed project;
Project achievements-2 (Internationally)

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Result of NEDO Project
Development of test andquantitative measurement
methods that consider impact
of humidity on burning
velocity of mildly flammable
refrigerants

Created a new concept “thequenching diameter” and revealed
that of mildly flammable refrigerants● Testing method forcombustion speed of mildly
flammable refrigerants● Revision of humidity-related
safety requirements forelectric relays

Testing method for combustion
speed of mildly flammable
refrigerants was proposed

IEC standard 60335-2-40 regarding
the safety of household and similarelectrical appliances was revised.
18→ It was found the flame does not
escape enclosure, even if spark
occurs in electromagnetic switch

4-2. on going project:
Status of equipment with low-GWP refrigerants in Japan
SIZE
Ammonia
CO₂AirReefer・storage
Ultralow temperature

Charge)HighCO₂（Amount ofCommercialization
uncertain
Commercial air conditioners

Medium-sizedcommercial RAC
Room air conditioners

Facing obstacles tocommercialization

国内出荷：約Small
10万台／年

commercialrefrigerators
HFO
Mobile air conditioners-60TEMP-40-20

Commercial refrigerators

CO₂Household refrigerators

Hot-water supply

CO₂CO₂

Isobutane

Isobutane

Vending machines for cooling

Vending machines for warming-100℃

Cooling

1020

Air Conditioning

Low

Commercialized
using
alternativerefrigerants

Isobutane

6040

Heating19

4-2. on going project:
Development of Technology and Assessment Techniques
for Next-Generation Refrigerants with a Low GWP Value- Target refrigerants:
Next-generation low-GWP refrigerants such as HCs, HFOs
and HFO hybrids- Project period: FY2018-FY2022- Project budget: 6.5 billion yen (FY2019)
NEDO supported development in the following three areas:
1. Acquisition and evaluation of data regarding basic
characteristics of next-generation refrigerants
2. Development of safety measures and risk assessment
methods for next-generation refrigerants
3. Development of new refrigerant and equipment20

4-2. on going project;
Corporation in evaluation of the safety Next-generation
low-GWP refrigerants
 Under this project, NEDO constructed the same structure toevaluate the safety of Next-generation low-GWP refrigerants.

R&D Project

JSRAE

JRAIA

(Japan Society ofRefrigerating and Air
Conditioning Engineers)(Japan Refrigeration
and Air Conditioning
Industry Association)

Research Group

Working GroupsUniversities(University of Tokyo,Suwa University of Science,
Kyushu University,
Waseda University)

Research Institutes

Information exchange
Discussion(AIST; National Institute ofAdvanced Industrial Scienceand Technology)

Disseminate informationinternationally21

Future Direction
1

developed countries

developing countries

0.9

GROPUP 2

Reduction Rate

0.8
0.7

Results ofour project

developing countries

0.6

GROPUP 1

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.102015

Year2020

2025

2030

2035

2040

2045

2050

HFC Phase-down Schedule Under Kigali Amendment
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Thank you for your attention !

https://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html

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