The phase-down and restriction of the most common and widely used refrigerants was initiated in the late 1980’s and has spurred innovation, both for the alternative refrigerants that have been introduced as well as in the equipment that uses them. Safety Group A2L refrigerants (lower toxicity and lower flammability) represent the most recent in the focus of deployable reduced GWP/zero ODP refrigerants. Studies conducted by the industry have shown that in order to reach the goals of the Kigali Amendment for global warming impact reduction it is likely that A2L refrigerants will be required.
The fire service requested that data be developed to identify hazards to the fire service personnel when responding to fire events in occupancies with the new refrigerants. Specifically, they have identified the following areas where performance data of A2L refrigerants would assist them in their tactical considerations.
- Comparison and contribution of A1 and A2L refrigerants in a fire relative to heat and gases generated;
- Potential for flash fire, deflagration, or explosion hazards in residential and commercial applications; and
- Influence on fire dynamics from refrigerant leakage during fire service suppression and overhaul activities.
The data from the testing will be used by UL Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) to develop training materials for the fire service towards their tactical considerations. This activity is to be performed in a separately funded and contracted project following completion of this statement of work.
The following objectives for this investigation were identified in collaboration with AHRI and the fire service organizations: