Danfoss launched its atmosphere explosive (ATEX) compressor flammable refrigerant lab on 20 September in Lyon, the company?s main R&D and manufacturing site for commercial compressors
The 3,000 sq m facility - the first of its kind in Europe - will be the six times its original size. As the use of flammable refrigerants is planned to increase in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, the expanded lab aims to drive the refrigerant transition and beyond.
The transition to alternative refrigerants has gained speed since 2017, generating costs related to tests, development and training for the entire industry. Danfoss? flammable refrigerant ATEX lab, which opened in 2011, is one of the strategic investments to manage this change with OEM partners.
Combined with the applications development centres (ADCs), Danfoss aims to provide flexibility and component expertise in the industry, to choose the refrigerant options that meet the needs of its commercial partners.
?The ATEX certification means that the building and working processed have been designed specifically for ATEX and qualify for management of flammable refrigerants. This installation complements an infrastructure formed of modelling experts and workshops,? said Danfoss.
This lab is expected to enable Danfoss to replicate its full range of tests, with refrigerants up to class A3 and help professionals make the transition to A2L / A3 class alternatives. It has more than 50 test benches, capable of testing compressors from 0.5 to 60 TR (1.76 to 210.97 kW) and parallel compressors from 0.5 to 240 TR (1.76 to 843.84 kW) per circuit.
In addition, the new lab also includes performance test rooms for energy, capacity and acoustic tests, as well as reliability test rooms for oil and endurance tests.
"France is the ideal place to develop and test new compressors and refrigerants, as it has many highly qualified professionals. Our proximity to our European production unit, at the heart of the most advanced region in terms of transition, fully convinced us,? said Noel Ryan, president of Danfoss Commercial Compressors.
