Daikin Presentation
Understanding A2L Refrigerants for Air Conditioners

Daikin U.S. Corporation
November 12th, 2019

AgendaIntroduction of Daikin
Daikin’s Global Presence and Expansion
Business in the US
Daikin’s Air Conditioning and Heating Products
Daikin’s Refrigerant Policy
Daikin’s Refrigerant Policy: Diversity of Refrigerants
Daikin Chooses R-32 in North America

Challenges in North America
Challenge in the US: Codes & Standards
Codes & Standards Adoption Flow
Examples of misinformation – Flammability, Standards and Others
Countermeasure for misinformation about A2L refrigerants
ACHR News – “Understanding A2L Refrigerants for Air Conditioners”
1. Background
2. Drivers of Change
3. Finding the Right Alternative Refrigerants
4. Adoption of A2L Refrigerants
5. Mitigating Risks
6. Research
7. Safety Standards
8. Situational Awareness9. Conclusion
Summary of the Presentation2

Introduction of Daikin

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Daikin’s Global Presence
Chemicals 8.0%

Others 2.2%
■ Company: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
■ Head Office: Osaka, Japan■ Founded in 1924

FY2018Net Sales:$21.3B■ Chairman of the Board: Noriyuki Inoue■ President and CEO: Masanori Togawa■ Employees: 70,263■ Group Companies: 245Air Conditioning

Air Conditioning
89.8.%

Fluorochemicals

Air Filtration andOil Hydraulics■空調および空調関連
18,280億円
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Global Expansion
Changes from 2005 to present
Business Expansion

63 ⇒150+ countries

Production Bases

23 ⇒ 90+ bases

Overseas Business Ratio

46 ⇒ 75%● Sales bases● Production bases
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Production and R&D Bases in the U.S.

6

Daikin’s Air Conditioning and Heating Products

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

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Daikin’s Refrigerant Policy

8

Daikin’s Refrigerant Policy: Diversity of Refrigerants
The main tenet of Daikin’s policy is“diversity of refrigerants.” andreducing impacts through a “lifecycle approach”.

Environmental
ImpactEnergyEfficiency

Cost
Effectiveness

Ease ofHandling

Availability

GlobalExperiences

To reduce the environmental
impact of a refrigerant throughout
its lifecycle, we evaluate various
aspects comprehensively to selectthe appropriate refrigerant foreach application.

Recyclability

Safety9Daikin Chooses R-32 in North America
In September 2019, Daikin business units in North America announced they will develop
ducted and ductless residential, light-commercial, and applied products using R-32.
Daikin has found that in comparison to R-410A, R-32 has a drastically lower GWP and could
reduce refrigerant charge in certain equipment by up to 40 percent.
The company believes that R-32—a pure, single component refrigerant available globally frommultiple suppliers—is easier to reuse, reclaim, and recycle when compared to otherrefrigerants that are blends of R-32 and other components.

To advance the adoption of R-32, Daikin has committed to share its knowledge and expertise.
In 2019, Daikin announced its patent non-assertion pledge of identified patents to further
facilitate the use of the R-32 in HVAC products.

10Challenges in North America

11Codes & Standards Adoption Flow
Updated standards and codes are being written, but it is a lengthy and difficult process.

ASHRAE
Standard 34

Ready

There is a patchwork of building code adoption

Designationand Safety
Classification

IMC Adoption Statewide

Safety Standards--

EPA SNAP
ApprovalSignificant New
Alternatives
Policy Program

2016

Refrigeration
Systems: ASHRAE
Standard 15
Equipment: Relevant
UL/EN/ISO Standards

IMC Adoption by Jurisdiction, All Adopted IMC

Model
BuildingCodes

State andLocal
Codes

UMC Adoption Statewide
UMC Adoption by Jurisdiction, All Adopted UMC
Mixed Adoption (IMC, UMC, IFGC, IBC, UPC, etc.)

UMC
IMC/IRC

ReadyApprovals
submitted

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022+

UMC, Uniform Mechanical Code
IMC/IRC, International Mechanical Code/International Residential CodeEfforts to make changes to building codes have
faced much opposition and resistance due to a lackof knowledge and misinformation.

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Examples of misinformation - Flammability

Myths about flammability of A2L refrigerants

Group A2L refrigerants burn very easily and can explode when thereis a risk.
A1 refrigerants are noncombustible or non flammable refrigerants
A2L refrigerants give off harmful chemicals when they burnwhile A1 refrigerants don’t
A2L refrigerants are dangerous during a wildfire.
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Examples of misinformation - Standards

Myths about A2L standards

The standard for testing and listing A2L equipment is not complete.

The A2L refrigerant requirements were rushed through ASHRAE 15.
ASHRAE 15 will allow hundreds of pounds of A2L refrigerant tobe located in a residence.

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Examples of misinformation – Others

Phase down schedule, Lack of research and training etc.

A2L refrigerants are just a phase; newer refrigerants will be A1 refrigerants
and the industry just need to wait.

California will ban the use of R410A for ALL installations and servicing in 2023.
Additional research is necessary on A2L refrigerants before they are used.
Contractors are not receiving adequate training regarding the use of A2L
refrigerants.
A2L refrigerants require special installation tools.

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Countermeasure for misinformation about
A2L refrigerants

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ACHR News – “Understanding A2L Refrigerants for Air Conditioners”
Daikin published a sponsored article onthe ACHR News to educate readers(contractors) by addressing theirconcerns about A2L refrigerants.

Contents
1. Background
2. Drivers of Change
3. Finding the Right Alternative
Refrigerants
4. Adoption of A2L Refrigerants
5. Mitigating Risks
6. Research
7. Safety Standards
8. Situational Awareness9. Conclusion

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ACHR News – 1. Background – Why change again so soon?
Lower GWP
Alternatives

HFC
HCFC

CFC

R-410A

R-32, R-454B

R-22

R-12
Reduce the Impact on the ozone layer

Reduce the greenhouse effect

The current round of changes aims to reduce the greenhouse effect ofrefrigerants, as those atmospheric measurement have also confirmed thesteady increase of greenhouse gases over the last several decades, some ofwhich are synthesized substances with no naturally occurring sources.

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ACHR News – 2. Drivers of Change – The Kigali Agreement
••
•
•
•

The Kigali Agreement
The most recent revision of the Montreal Protocol
Created in October 2016, became effective globally on Jan.1, 2019.
It has been ratified by 88 countries as of this October
The Kigali Amendment added restrictions to the Montreal Protocol on substances withglobal warming potential (GWP), which will result in a phasedown of refrigerants withhigher GWP and a transition to lower-GWP refrigerants.
The goal is to reduce usage of existing refrigerants to just 15% of the baseline by 2037.

Position of the U.S.
• The U.S. has no ratified the Kigali
Amendments.
• No federal policy or regulation exists at
this time to reduce higher GWP
refrigerants.
State Level• Some states are moving ahead in theabsence of nationwide action.
• California is leading the activity. Proposedis a limit of GWP<750 for refrigerant in
new air conditioners effective Jan. 1. 2023.
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ACHR News – 3. Finding the Right Alternative Refrigerants
Tradeoff: GWP vs Flammability
To shift the balance towards being more environmentallyfriendly, we must accept some degree of flammability.
Refrigerant molecules with reduced number of fluorine atoms
generally have lower GWP, but these refrigerants have a higher
proportion of hydrogen atoms

New Category : A2LTransitioning to low-GWP refrigerants doesn’t mean compromising on safety.
The leading lower-GWP candidates fall into the relatively new lower flammability
classification of A2L.

Toxicity: A, B
Flammability: 1, 2, 2L, 3

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ACHR News – 3. Finding the Right Alternative Refrigerants

Class 2L refrigerants have lower probability of ignition as well as lower severity ofignition events, significantly reducing the flammability risk relative to Class 2 or 3.
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ACHR News – 3. Finding the Right Alternative Refrigerants

To shift the balance towards being more environmentally friendly, we must accept
some degree of flammability.
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ACHR News – 4. Adoption of A2L Refrigerants• More than 68 million air conditioners using A2L refrigerants have been installedaround the world.
• Majority of units have been installed in Asian and European countries such as Japan,China, India, Italy, France, Germany, and Australia.
• To date, no accidents or incidents have been reported.
• The US is lagging behind the rest of the world due to its slow progress in making
changes to building codes and product safety standards.
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ACHR News – 5. Mitigating Risks 6. Research
The overall risk

Probability of Occurrence

Severity of the EventApproaches to mitigate risks

Avoid the release ofrefrigerant

Restrict the maximum
allowable quantity ofrefrigerant

Research on how to safely use A2L refrigerants• AHRI, ASHRAE and US DOE have collaborated to publish numerous reports• Focal area has been refrigerant charge quantity limits. They are based on:• The available space to which released refrigerant can disperse• The elevation from which refrigerant could be released• Presence of a fan in the equipment for recirculation air movement• Presence of ventilation system to supply and exhaust air in the space24

ACHR News – 7. Safety Standards

Purpose of Air Recirculation & Mechanical ventilation
 Mix and dilute the released refrigerant to keep the average concentration
below 25% of the LFL
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ACHR News – 8. Situational Awareness
There is a need to communicate and educate stakeholders:ServiceTechnicians

Authorities
HavingJurisdictions
(AHJ)

A2L

Fire service

Installers and service technicians will be trained on thenew requirements through several programs to beoffered by air conditioners manufacturers and otherassociations such as NATE and ACCA.

Equipment
Installers

Installers must follow themanufacturer’s instructions:- Confirmation that the room size isadequate

Fire officials need to know when periodic
inspection of refrigerant sensors is required.

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ACHR News – 9. Conclusion

Cooling and heating are an essential part of life, anddue to environmental impact, existing A1 refrigerants
will transition to A2L refrigerants in ACs and HPs.
It is in the best interest of all stakeholders tounderstand how to safely work with A2L refrigerant asthey are adopted into use.
While there are some new considerations with A2L
refrigerants, the changes are incremental in nature.

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Summary of the Presentation
Daikin is constantly mindful of the environmental
and climate change impact of our products

Daikin adopted R-32 for key products in NorthAmerica
In the US, efforts to make changes to building
codes have faced opposition due to a lack ofknowledge and misinformation
To educate stakeholders, Daikin published anarticle to address their concerns on A2L refrigerants

Daikin will continue to promote A2L refrigerants tomitigate global warming
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Thank you!!
Questions?

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